Ask a man who just fixed his washing machine anything...

[beachguy498]

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

[frozensparky]

So for $50 I'm a hero. Everyone should try to fix their own appliances, they're not that tough.Rob

So much truth in that, a repairman would have cost you 3 times that minimum. You just saved yourself 2 5lb tubs of protein powder. Good job

I just installed my new dishwasher over the holidays, probably saved a few hundred plus waiting around for a guy to show up

[thnikkaman]

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.

[phikappa]

Yup, Youtube is awesome. I've used it for cars, appliances, air conditioners, etc. Love that place.

[commonguy001]

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!

[crupiea]

good for you. i did the same with my dryer about a year ago. youtube is a wonderful tool.

[SP1966]

Google knows all!!

Wait until you get to play inside your dishwasher, the mechanical one. It was a real pain trying to find the issue with ours but very satisfying to fix it myself for $25!! The biological dishwasher was very pleased with me!!

[bodyhard]

I redid my whole roof using youtube as a guide. Saved myself thousands of dollars

[beachguy498]

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!

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.

Rob

[beachguy498]

Google knows all!!

Wait until you get to play inside your dishwasher, the mechanical one. It was a real pain trying to find the issue with ours but very satisfying to fix it myself for $25!! The biological dishwasher was very pleased with me!!

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 $$.

Rob

[Corbi]

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.

[beachguy498]

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.

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.

Rob

[Bando]

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.

[taf1968]

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!

[IronCharles]

Ask a man who just fixed his washing machine anything...

If a man speaks in a forest, and no woman is around to hear him, is he still wrong?

[BankWalker]

Do you even lift?

[V-240]

Google and youtube are awesome. I've saved hundreds of dollars on simple car diagnostics and repairs.

Any dummy can change out a relay or module. I just have to know WHICH ONE.

[MarkS51]

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.

[beachguy498]

If a man speaks in a forest, and no woman is around to hear him, is he still wrong?

Yes, even if we THINK it, we're still wrong.. gonna steal the quote for my sig line.

Rob

[beachguy498]

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.

Appliance Pro Parts was where I did the initial diagnosis and found the part. But the video wanted me to take the whole cabinet off, which was not necessary. I bought parts from them in the past, good quality and fast shipping.

Rob

[commonguy001]

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.

Rob

very cool
nice work!

[MarkS51]

Appliance Pro Parts was where I did the initial diagnosis and found the part. But the video wanted me to take the whole cabinet off, which was not necessary. I bought parts from them in the past, good quality and fast shipping.

Rob

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.

[oldred]

Bought my Maytag pair in '87. Had to replace a plastic thingamabob about five years ago; got the instructions off the web at 'Samurai Appliance Repair'. Washer is still going strong.

[beachguy498]

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.

I was wondering if everything could be accessed from the bottom.. then I found the right video. It was probably harder pulling the cabinet straight up than what I did. Bad enough dragging it out from between the dryer and utility sink.

Rob

[dbx]

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

Sounds like a typical homeowner/DIYer story....

Been there, done that....several times, including; compressors, defrost heaters, timers, clutches (dryers), etc.....

Good job!