Kitchenaid Washer Problem

I've got a Kitchenaid washing machine, Model# KAWE850VWH1, with an unusual problem. From the day we brought the machine in 1989 for about $700, it's leaked water. Not all the time, just every now and then a stream of water would emerge out from under the front of the machine. We had a service man here twice about it and they couldn't determine why it leaked.

Several months ago, I realized that if the tub was cocked toward the front of the machine, either from a load being out of balance or if the tub was moved while loading or unloading the machine, the water nozzle spraying into the tub could splash water down the back of the tub and cabinet and run out onto the floor.

Just recently, we've noticed that the washer moves a lot and spins out of balance frequently. When I pulled the case off the machine, I discovered that those years of water trickling down the back of the tub has rusted off the bottom of the rear support leg of the base. So, I've got the equivalent of a 3-legged stool with a broken leg supporting the weight of the tub, the transmission, the motor, the pump and the wash load. No wonder it shakes.

Has anyone ever tried to repair or replace the base support frame (Part # 3351810) on this washer? Can the tub, motor, transmission and pump be lifted off as an assembly or must I disassemble the components to get them off the base? Believe it or not, these bases are still available for anywhere from $120-$145. That suggests to me that my problem is not unique. I'm thinking that I might be able to reattached the rear support leg by fabricating a metal patch. Any thoughts or advice?

I thought I'd give an end to this posting. After scraping out a lot of rust and propping up the tub assembly for proper alignment I made a cardboard pattern for a leg to overlay and splice onto the rear support leg. I fabricated the new rear support leg from a piece of 16 gauge steel plate that I bought at Lowes. After a lot of bending and hammering on a machinists vise, the piece fit well enough to bolt to the leg and attach to the base frame. It seems to have worked. The machine now runs though the spin cycle without shaking or going out-of-balance. I also sealed up the openings on the water inlet spout that allowed water to leak down the back of the machine, which caused the rust problem in the first place.