Replace Your Frigidaire Washer’s Inner Door Panel Kit

If you have a front-loading washing machine, the door can break down over time, especially if pressure is put on it near the hinge. Once the door starts to hang crooked or you notice cracks on the inner panel of the door, replace it before the door can leak. Order replacement part # 134426500 for a new inner door and hinge that fits your Frigidaire washer. Then follow these steps to replace the part yourself.

1. Unplug the washer.

Every appliance repair procedure should start with you unplugging the appliance, even if it doesn’t seem necessary.This repair doesn’t directly involve any electrical parts. But will you be dismantling part of the washer and reaching into it where you won’t be able to watch your hands the whole time. Unplug the washer as a precaution to prevent any electrical injuries.

2. Remove the door

Open the washer door so you can access the hinge. Loosen the two screws holding the exterior panel of the hinge to the door. Make sure you hold the door in place as you remove the screws so it doesn’t fall to the floor and damage the glass. Set the door on top of the washer or on a flat work surface.

3. Disassemble the door to remove the inner door panel.

First, loosen the two screws holding the door’s strike plate in place. Set the screws and plate aside. Next, remove the two remaining screws at the top and bottom of the door panels. Find the seam around the edge of the door. This is where the outer and inner door panels connect. Use a flathead screwdriver to carefully pry the two pieces of the door apart following this seam. Make sure you don’t crack the exterior panel; this is the part not holding the glass. Once the two parts are separated, set the outer door part aside.

Next, you’re going to remove the glass from the inner door panel. Pry back the locking tabs so they fall below the lip of the glass. Repeat for all of the locking tabs around the perimeter of the glass. Set the glass on a soft surface so it doesn’t get scratched.

4. Remove the door hinge.

Half the hinge is already exposed, but the rest is behind the boot seal. To access it, you will need to disassemble part of the boot seal in the tub of the washing machine.

To start, remove the outer door clamp. Locate the spring under the edge of the boot seal at the bottom of the opening. The front panel has a small arrow to help direct you. Slide a flathead screwdriver down behind the spring, and use that leverage to start prying the wire clamp out of its groove. Work clockwise to loosen and remove the whole clamp.

Then pull the door boot seal away from the left side until you can see the back of the hinge. Hold the hinge in place and loosen the two screws in the front panel. Slide the folding portion of the hinge through the cutout and remove the hinge from the machine.

5. Reassemble the door.

Orient the inner door with the locking tabs facing up. Slide the glass into the inner door panel. There are two tabs at the bottom of the glass that you need to align with the matching cutouts in the inner door panel. Once everything matches, snap the locking tabs up in place around the edge of the glass.

Next, position the outer door panel in place on the door and flip the whole thing over so the outer door panel is on the bottom. Make sure the screw holes for the hinge are aligned on both panels and then snap the edge together by hand. Press the whole edge together, working clockwise, so you don’t miss any tabs.

After that, attach the strike plate. Line the plate up with the two holes opposite the side where the hinge goes. Set it in the cavity and retighten the screws.

Reattach the remaining two screws at the top and bottom of the door.

6. Assemble the washer. 

Take the new hinge and hold the boot seal out of the way so you can slide it in place behind the access panel. Carefully slide the hinge arm through the vertical cutout and press the rest of the hinge flush against the back of the panel. Line up the screw holes and secure the back of the hinge to the panel at the top and the bottom. Push the seal of the door boot into the groove around the door cutout in the front access panel. Make sure it’s firmly in place without any wrinkles and that the whole seal is smoothly in place around the circumference. Next, reattach the clamp. Start by lining the clamp spring up with the arrow at the bottom of the door opening. Work the clamp around the edge of the boot seal, starting at the bottom and going counterclockwise. Make sure it slides behind the edge without pinching the material.

Once the clamp is too tight to pull into place by hand, use a pair of pliers to grab the wire to the right side of the spring and extend the spring to add more length to the clamp. Then press the clamp in place around the remainder of the door opening. The clamp should firmly hold the seal against the groove in the front access panel. Carefully tug on the seal to make sure it doesn’t shift or pull free.

Then attach the door to the washer. Pick up the door and align the inner edge’s cutout with the hinge arm. The hinge should fit snugly in place. Hold the door up as you insert the top screw and tighten it. Then thread the bottom screw into place and shut the door. For more appliance repair tips and guides, go to Appliance Express here. We also have technicians standing by for large repairs and tune-ups.