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Thanks for the info.
I wasn't too keen to replace the tub gasket to begin with, so after your reply that (a) it's a big job and (b) a gasket leak would be bigger, I didn't.
The bolts holding the tub halves together felt a bit loose (all could be easily tightened) so ultimately I just loosened them slightly in the area of the leak, injected a bit of silicone sealant and tightened all the bolts (tighter than they were originally).
That seems to have done the trick - just ran a full load with the back off and didn't see a single drop anywhere.
I'm just happy I got the thing back together. I don't know how the pros get the tub in and out but it sure is a pain - I managed to do it with my car jack, several wood blocks, some rope, a hockey stick, locking pliers, two harmonicas, one banana and a daschund.
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You can replace the gasket between the front and rear tub but it is alot of work and for the typical person isn't an easy job. If it's a leak from the gasket between the front and rear tub it will be more obvious. Track the water to the source and you may even have a dripping soap dispenser hose. You may have a hairline crack in the tub somewhere i've seen it where fridgedaire's have a leak in the later spin cycle on heavy loads but undetectable on any other modes. Try heavy duty epoxy perhaps, i've sealed upper tub leaks with silicone before but lower tub leaks where water is present at all times takes basically a full tub job which is worth more then that machine is worth. If you decide to do a tub job make sure to replace springs, shocks, pully, belt, pully nut and drum also otherwise something can be out of balance and crack the tub again or call for a second teardown and repair.
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My Frigidaire Affinity front-load washer is about 5 or 6 years old and works perfectly except we've noticed small amounts of water on the floor if we do several loads in a row.
I took the back panel off to watch it in action and clearly saw a steady stream of individual drops during the agitation phase (i.e. when the tub is full, not during draining). It added up to about ~6 sponge-fulls in the bottom pan after one load.
I saw the water dripping down where the left shock absorber (looking from the back) connects to the tub - it appeared to be dripping down between the flange on the tub and the shock absorber itself (just above the drain motor). So it appears to be the tub and not any of the drainage plumbing.
I took the washer apart and sure enough, the seam on the two-part tub runs right between the two shock absorber flanges where I saw the water. But I don't see any obvious cracks or problems, even if I strain it (and the leak seems too small for there to be a visible crack).
Do these two-part tubs develop seam leaks over time? Is there any way to fix it? Should I separate the two halves of the tub and lay a bead of sealant between them (what kind?)? Is there something I can paint into/onto the seam without taking the tub apart? Or do I just tighten the bolts holding the tub halves together?
Thanks!
PS. Plan B is to drill a couple drain holes in the bottom pan and slide a shallow tray under the unit - a solution to take pride in!
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