Sunday morning around 8... wife is starting the wash and I'm getting ready to go to the gym. She calls from downstairs, "the washer is not spinning". It went through the wash cycle and stopped at the first rinse cycle.
So I take a look, go through all the cycles on the dial... I hear the motor running but no agitation/spin. Onto the internet, feed in the model number and come up with a manual and parts list as well as trouble shooting.
I narrow it down to the motor coupler quickly, a repair site showed how to get to it. It didn't look too bad, but involved taking off the cabinet. Still I wasn't sure if this was the problem... onto YouTube. Did a quick search for "whirlpool washer motor coupler" and came up with a 5-minute video, which also had it making the noise which the mrs confirmed. This guy was sharp... he tipped the washer back and was able to take the part out fairly easily without removing the cabinet. He also showed how to drain the washer tub by putting the timer switch on the "spin" cycle and it drained quickly. Watched the video again and gave it a go. I had it apart within 10 minutes and found the broken drive part.
By noon on Monday I had the part in my hand from a local appliance parts store for $19. Not bad, splurged on new hoses and had it back together and working in a 1/2 hour once I got home.
So for $50 I'm a hero. Everyone should try to fix their own appliances, they're not that tough.
Rob
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01-08-2013, 06:55 AM #1
- Join Date: Feb 2009
- Location: Brightwaters, New York, United States
- Age: 69
- Posts: 5,934
- Rep Power: 13576
Ask a man who just fixed his washing machine anything...
In space, nobody can smell Uranus....
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01-08-2013, 07:05 AM #2
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01-08-2013, 07:16 AM #3
I did this with a broken lid switch on my mother in-law's washing machine over Thanksgiving. Just a simple act of bypassing the lid switch that would allow the spin cycle to happen.
Google is going to put appliance repair people out of business.No negative energy, I will mute ya
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01-08-2013, 07:21 AM #4
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01-08-2013, 08:13 AM #5
- Join Date: Dec 2008
- Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
- Posts: 207
- Rep Power: 247
Top load or front load?
Had a front loader that took a dump after a little over 5 years, main bearing failure, belts, just kinda blew up.
Repair guy (on a contract so no onsite fee to come out) said they never repair them, it's 800 for the bearing replacement with labor.
Got a top load Speedqueen commercial I can fix myself now!
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01-08-2013, 08:22 AM #6
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01-08-2013, 08:33 AM #7
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01-08-2013, 09:05 AM #8
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01-08-2013, 09:14 AM #9
- Join Date: Feb 2009
- Location: Brightwaters, New York, United States
- Age: 69
- Posts: 5,934
- Rep Power: 13576
Top loader. These are generally direct drive, no belts involved. Front loaders have the belt which can be a PITA to change. They also have those boot seals at the door which get torn up and leak all over.
The most expensive thing on mine would be the motor or transmission @ $150 each. Everything else runs from cents to under $75. I only buy Whirlpools so I can get parts and info easily enough. Worst case, the cabinet has to come off on mine which is just awkward to handle in a small laundry area.
RobIn space, nobody can smell Uranus....
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01-08-2013, 09:18 AM #10
- Join Date: Feb 2009
- Location: Brightwaters, New York, United States
- Age: 69
- Posts: 5,934
- Rep Power: 13576
My original Kitchen Aid worked great for 24 years, but it was getting noisy and my wife wanted a stainless steel one, so we got a new one in 2010, same brand. The old one worked better than the new one.. who knew?
All of the controls are inside the door, I had to replace the timer in the old one once. That was a pain.. but saved me some $$.
RobIn space, nobody can smell Uranus....
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01-08-2013, 01:43 PM #11
- Join Date: Jun 2010
- Location: Wisconsin, United States
- Posts: 16,170
- Rep Power: 240460
Similar repair to the washer last yr, piece of cake. Dryer I have replaced damn near everything twice, rear bearing and support, control module, belt, front seals, etc. Finally got tired of always replacing parts and bought a new dryer a few months ago.
"You know that little thing in your head that keeps you from saying things you shouldn't? Yeah, well, I don't have one of those."
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01-08-2013, 04:06 PM #12
- Join Date: Feb 2009
- Location: Brightwaters, New York, United States
- Age: 69
- Posts: 5,934
- Rep Power: 13576
My original washer & dryer ran for 20 years. I had the dryer apart a number of times, could pop off the cabinet in 2 minutes, it tended to go through bearings and the last belt I put in had a tick to it. The washer I was into a few times and it got to the point where it wouldn't wring the clothes out that well. So we got a new pair in 2006 or so.
RobIn space, nobody can smell Uranus....
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01-08-2013, 04:17 PM #13
I've never hired an appliance repairman, hell they sell kits now to fix the most common problems.
My pellet stove came with a DVD of how to completely tear it down and reassemble it, after almost 10 years I can usually tell what's wrong by the sound it makes.Don't put that on me Ricky Bobby, don't you ever put that on me.
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01-08-2013, 05:17 PM #14
- Join Date: Dec 2007
- Location: Littleton, Colorado, United States
- Age: 55
- Posts: 26,103
- Rep Power: 249531
Repped for DIY!
I do the same thing . . . I almost always look on the web for a solution and call for repair only as a last resort. Our washer would only fill up about 1/4 of the way a few years ago, so I whipped out the laptop and looked it up. Ordered the $25 part and a couple days later it was fixed!*MFC Elder Statesmen Cabinet Crew*
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01-08-2013, 05:18 PM #15
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01-08-2013, 05:42 PM #16
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01-08-2013, 11:20 PM #17
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01-09-2013, 04:06 AM #18
- Join Date: Oct 2012
- Location: Jupiter, Florida, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 245
- Rep Power: 1054
Good job. Like you, I found it wasn't too difficult and in the last couple of years have fixed my washer three times (pump, clutch & lid switch), fridges' freezer defroster once and dishwasher main panel once saving perhaps over a $1000 or so. With six teens, three of them girls, the washer takes a beating at around 10-15 loads a week.
A great site is here: www.appliancepartspro.com
They make their own professional how-to vids, sell every part under the sun at cheap prices, have a forum moderated by pros to ask for advice AND, best of all, display the MFR part numbers as well so you can check local suppliers for availability if you need it right away.Last edited by MarkS51; 01-09-2013 at 04:16 AM.
It's 80% diet, 20% workout and 100% in the mind.
If you can read or carry on a conversation, you ain't working out.
To be different the only thing you have to do is stand fast when the herd moves.
Parking your s**t on a bench ain't the same thing as using it!
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01-09-2013, 04:32 AM #19
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01-09-2013, 04:53 AM #20
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01-09-2013, 05:56 AM #21
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01-09-2013, 11:59 AM #22
- Join Date: Oct 2012
- Location: Jupiter, Florida, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 245
- Rep Power: 1054
Yeah, I found I could change out the clutch and pump by simply laying the washer on its back since all the machinery is at the bottom. My guess is they give full instructions as a liability mitigation thing. That and not everyone is a He-Man like us who can muscle the machine around however we like.
It's 80% diet, 20% workout and 100% in the mind.
If you can read or carry on a conversation, you ain't working out.
To be different the only thing you have to do is stand fast when the herd moves.
Parking your s**t on a bench ain't the same thing as using it!
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01-09-2013, 12:17 PM #23
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01-09-2013, 06:57 PM #24
- Join Date: Feb 2009
- Location: Brightwaters, New York, United States
- Age: 69
- Posts: 5,934
- Rep Power: 13576
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01-09-2013, 07:16 PM #25
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