Washer Repair

[Peter Stahl]

Does anyone know of a good appliance repair site with video or really good instructions. I'm guessing the clutch is slipping but not 100% sure. Makes a clunking noise when it starts spinning. I can get it apart but would like to know exactly what to check for.

thanks, Pete

[Pat Germain]

I don't have any web sites or videos for you. But it may help you know that when my Whirlpool washer went out, it was the transmission. The transmission was non-serviceable and replacing it was about equal to the cost of new washer.

I get the impression most washers and dryers manufactured over the past twenty years are designed to be used, then discarded. Only a few parts on them are serviceable.

[Joe Pelonio]

I get the impression most washers and dryers manufactured over the past twenty years are designed to be used, then discarded. Only a few parts on them are serviceable.
That seems true. I remember staying up late at night helping my father rebuild the transmission on a washer back in the '60s. Replaced gears and all, they were readily available. On yours it could be something simpler like a mount failure. Does it feel like it's vibrating like with an out-of-balance load?

There is one place to try:

applianceaid dot com

This one is more for plumbing but sometimes people ask about washers:

Terry Love's Plumbing and DIY forum.

[Greg Coleman]

http://fixitnow.com/

I have used this site with good success.

[John A. Callaway]

I just took a beating on mine about three weeks ago. The common "fix" was a 17 dollar coupler between the tranny and the motor.....it needed replacing that for sure.... but the tranny was already dead. once that coupler starts wearing out you got a few weeks to catch it and replace it, if not you get a lot of slop in there and it wears out the tranny rather quickly. the tranny and the other parts to get it right priced out at just over 350 dollars.... not worth putting that kinda money into a 11 year old machine.:(

Needless to say, 539 bucks later ... I have a new maytag washer.

It really busted my bubble on buying some fine woodworking tools with the extra money I made working my butt off at the railroad. I didnt have the 2 big paychecks yet ... it came a week and a half and three weeks after I had to replace my washer.

I can certainly feel your pain on this one bud.

It was like a kick in the groin to a single income household....
:mad::mad::mad:

[Pat Germain]

I can relate, John. When my whirlpool went kaput, I was the sole provider for my wife and two kids; who generated a lot of laundry!

Not long before that incident, my refrigerator went belly-up. It was on Christmas eve day and it was filled with holiday food stuffs. I drove to Circuit City, found a Kitchenaid on clearance and asked them to load it into my truck. (This was back before Circuit City fired all their experienced employees.)

Whenever these things happen I contemplate how dependent we are on our appliances. There's no getting around it. We had to have a refer. And while I technically could have told my wife to venture to the nearby coin laundry when the washer quit, the subsequent divorce would have been even more costly than a nice, new machine.

[Anthony Anderson]

Hi Peter, It sounds like the motor coupling. I have replaced mine two or three times over the past ~15 years, and the Whirlpool washing machine is still going strong, knock on wood. The last time I replaced it, I just tilted the washing back, and leaned it against the wall, and there is a metal clip that holds/connects the motor and pump together. Slide the pump off the motor shaft, and use a wire tie to hold it out of the way. There is a video on Youtube that shows to disconnect the hoses from the pump, I did this before, and there was a lot of water that drained out. The most recent time, I didn't remove the hoses, just held them out of the way with a wire tie. 3 clips hold the motor to the transmission, between the motor and transmission, is where the coupling is located. Remove the 3 metal retaining clips, which hold the motor and transmission together, then slide the slide the motor away from the transmission, and the coupling is easily replaced.

Caution: When you remove the retaining clips, the motor will want to drop, place some old towels, or an old cushion on the floor under the motor, and get ready to support the weight of the motor when you remove the last retaining clip. Slowly lower the motor onto the cushion on the floor. Replace the coupling, and put everything back together, in reverse order.

Some instructions, advise to remove the washing machine enclosure, but the last time I did this, I decided to try tilting it against the wall, and it worked just fine,and save a lot of time. I have this repair procedure down to about 1 hour now. Not a bad repair, relatively simple. My local appliance store had mine in stock. IIRC, it was ~$10-$15.

Check out the YouTube video titled
Direct Drive Washing Machine Repair Video Tutorial *Watch in HIGH Quality!*


Good Luck, Bill

[Peter Stahl]

Thanks for all the replies. The more I read the more I think it's the clutch. I was able to get it apart easily. I put a motor coupling in about 2 month's ago so getting it apart is easy now. Washer didn't vibrate, wasn't able to get up to speed. clunk, clunk, clunk sound it was making in the spin cycle was the clutch slipping. If the motor or trans go I will get a new on.

[John alder]

There are some good videos on U tube,also many libraries have repair manuals.John

[Chris Struttman]

repairclinic.com is a great site for ordering parts and asking questions.