Posted: 10/29/2011 6:56:13 PM EDT
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My washing machine just stopped agitating and spinning. TZried to find the model number before tearing it apart and it doesn't exist. Searched everywhere to no avail. AllI know is that its a whirlpool and most likely was OEM when my condo was built in 1994-95... Any ideas how to go about identifying the correct model before ordering parts? |
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What we have to find out if it is either a direct drive or belt driven. If you look at the back of the washer, is it a solid back or does it have an 18" x 18" tan colored access panel on the bottom half of the unit? Now do you hear the actual motor running yet there is no movement from either the basket or agitator? Chances are, from the year you are saying, it is a direct drive. The common problem is a transmission/motor couple is torn up... NOT A PROBLEM, the part is less than $10.00... YAYYYYY!!! And... while you are at it, (if this were my machine) I would change the pump as well. You have to remove the pump to drop the motor to get to the couple (sounds A LOT harder than it is) But FIRST, let us see what type of washer you have. OH and BTW, to find the model tag, open the lid and look carefully towards the back of the lid to see the model tag (dont yell at me, I didn't put it there... mmmkay?) If you can give me that, it will help quite a bit to determine your model. |
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Quoted: What we have to find out if it is either a direct drive or belt driven. If you look at the back of the washer, is it a solid back or does it have an 18" x 18" tan colored access panel on the bottom half of the unit? Now do you hear the actual motor running yet there is no movement from either the basket or agitator? Chances are, from the year you are saying, it is a direct drive. The common problem is a transmission/motor couple is torn up... NOT A PROBLEM, the part is less than $10.00... YAYYYYY!!! And... while you are at it, (if this were my machine) I would change the pump as well. You have to remove the pump to drop the motor to get to the couple (sounds A LOT harder than it is) But FIRST, let us see what type of washer you have. OH and BTW, to find the model tag, open the lid and look carefully towards the back of the lid to see the model tag (dont yell at me, I didn't put it there... mmmkay?) If you can give me that, it will help quite a bit to determine your model. Because if you dont it's most likely the lid switch. It'll cost more then the coupler but it's easier to do. ETA - Pic of my Kitchen Aid Washer, which is basically the same as a Whirlpool, your tag is probably covered with crude.  |
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Repair Clinic?
They are only good for parts breakdown pictorials. I bought parts from them that would not work properly and they were very unhelpful in getting it corrected. I suspect that the clutch was bad in the transmission that they sold me but since they already had my $200 didn't give a shit. |
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Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. |
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Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 3. The capacitor for the motor is dead, motor runs pump but can't start the transmission side. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. |
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Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. If it's a toploader Whirlpool with an agitator, there is only one motor, it runs one way for the pump impeller to actually pump and reverses to run the transmission. It may be running but with no load, it's pretty hard to hear. If the transmission was locked, you usually will hear the motor humming as it tries to rotate the transmission shaft. It is VERY easy to tear down IF you know what you are doing. Also, it could be the lid switch, it will not agitate or spin if it's broken, but the motor will run in the pump part of the cycle, it is a pretty common thing, especially if one has a tendency to drop the lid, in fact, after thinking about the symptoms, I'm betting that's the issue, it's $25 or so and easy to do also. It tends to crack the housing and the contacts separate. Are you sure the fuse/breaker actually blew? That isn't very normal with a lid switch issue unless it somehow grounded. I cheat and just have several different old ends cut off and jumped so as to make contact, I just place those in the molex connector and I can check it without ever doing more then popping the control panel up by removing two screws. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. If it's a toploader Whirlpool with an agitator, there is only one motor, it runs one way for the pump impeller to actually pump and reverses to run the transmission. It may be running but with no load, it's pretty hard to hear. If the transmission was locked, you usually will hear the motor humming as it tries to rotate the transmission shaft. It is VERY easy to tear down IF you know what you are doing. Also, it could be the door switch, it will not agitate or spin if it's broken, it is a pretty common thing, especially if one has a tendancy to drop the lid, in fact, after thinking about the symptoms, I'm betting that's the issue, it's $25 or so and easy to do also. I see. Makes more sense now. Thanks again. I did see quite a bit of what appeared to be white 'shavings' under the motor coupling. Could very well be the problem and the fact that I didn't hear the motor running was because it wasn't under load. Wish i had the model so I can just order the coupling now. That way, when I get home, I can just plop it in. $10.00 is a small price to pay should that not be the problem |
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Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. If it's a toploader Whirlpool with an agitator, there is only one motor, it runs one way for the pump impeller to actually pump and reverses to run the transmission. It may be running but with no load, it's pretty hard to hear. If the transmission was locked, you usually will hear the motor humming as it tries to rotate the transmission shaft. It is VERY easy to tear down IF you know what you are doing. Also, it could be the door switch, it will not agitate or spin if it's broken, it is a pretty common thing, especially if one has a tendancy to drop the lid, in fact, after thinking about the symptoms, I'm betting that's the issue, it's $25 or so and easy to do also. I see. Makes more sense now. Thanks again. I did see quite a bit of what appeared to be white 'shavings' under the motor coupling. Could very well be the problem and the fact that I didn't hear the motor running was because it wasn't under load. Wish i had the model so I can just order the coupling now. That way, when I get home, I can just plop it in. $10.00 is a small price to pay should that not be the problem White bits are the fingers of the coupling, black rubber is the "bushing" between the two sides. |
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Quoted: Quoted: What we have to find out if it is either a direct drive or belt driven. If you look at the back of the washer, is it a solid back or does it have an 18" x 18" tan colored access panel on the bottom half of the unit? Now do you hear the actual motor running yet there is no movement from either the basket or agitator? Chances are, from the year you are saying, it is a direct drive. The common problem is a transmission/motor couple is torn up... NOT A PROBLEM, the part is less than $10.00... YAYYYYY!!! And... while you are at it, (if this were my machine) I would change the pump as well. You have to remove the pump to drop the motor to get to the couple (sounds A LOT harder than it is) But FIRST, let us see what type of washer you have. OH and BTW, to find the model tag, open the lid and look carefully towards the back of the lid to see the model tag (dont yell at me, I didn't put it there... mmmkay?) If you can give me that, it will help quite a bit to determine your model. Because if you dont it's most likely the lid switch. It'll cost more then the coupler but it's easier to do. ETA - Pic of my Kitchen Aid Washer, which is basically the same as a Whirlpool, your tag is probably covered with crude. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/brentwal/DSC00770.jpg Yup. Mine has the same label sans the model # info. May very well be covered up by crud. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. If it's a toploader Whirlpool with an agitator, there is only one motor, it runs one way for the pump impeller to actually pump and reverses to run the transmission. It may be running but with no load, it's pretty hard to hear. If the transmission was locked, you usually will hear the motor humming as it tries to rotate the transmission shaft. It is VERY easy to tear down IF you know what you are doing. Also, it could be the door switch, it will not agitate or spin if it's broken, it is a pretty common thing, especially if one has a tendancy to drop the lid, in fact, after thinking about the symptoms, I'm betting that's the issue, it's $25 or so and easy to do also. I see. Makes more sense now. Thanks again. I did see quite a bit of what appeared to be white 'shavings' under the motor coupling. Could very well be the problem and the fact that I didn't hear the motor running was because it wasn't under load. Wish i had the model so I can just order the coupling now. That way, when I get home, I can just plop it in. $10.00 is a small price to pay should that not be the problem White bits are the fingers of the coupling, black rubber is the "bushing" between the two sides. Definitely white bits/shavings. Is that indicative of a bad/sheared coupling? ETA:Did not see anything that resembled a black rubber bushing. Just what looked like two plastic disks with about 1/2" space between them. |
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Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. If it's a toploader Whirlpool with an agitator, there is only one motor, it runs one way for the pump impeller to actually pump and reverses to run the transmission. It may be running but with no load, it's pretty hard to hear. If the transmission was locked, you usually will hear the motor humming as it tries to rotate the transmission shaft. It is VERY easy to tear down IF you know what you are doing. Also, it could be the door switch, it will not agitate or spin if it's broken, it is a pretty common thing, especially if one has a tendancy to drop the lid, in fact, after thinking about the symptoms, I'm betting that's the issue, it's $25 or so and easy to do also. I see. Makes more sense now. Thanks again. I did see quite a bit of what appeared to be white 'shavings' under the motor coupling. Could very well be the problem and the fact that I didn't hear the motor running was because it wasn't under load. Wish i had the model so I can just order the coupling now. That way, when I get home, I can just plop it in. $10.00 is a small price to pay should that not be the problem White bits are the fingers of the coupling, black rubber is the "bushing" between the two sides. Definitely white bits/shavings. Is that indicative of a bad/sheared coupling? Yes. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. If it's a toploader Whirlpool with an agitator, there is only one motor, it runs one way for the pump impeller to actually pump and reverses to run the transmission. It may be running but with no load, it's pretty hard to hear. If the transmission was locked, you usually will hear the motor humming as it tries to rotate the transmission shaft. It is VERY easy to tear down IF you know what you are doing. Also, it could be the door switch, it will not agitate or spin if it's broken, it is a pretty common thing, especially if one has a tendancy to drop the lid, in fact, after thinking about the symptoms, I'm betting that's the issue, it's $25 or so and easy to do also. I see. Makes more sense now. Thanks again. I did see quite a bit of what appeared to be white 'shavings' under the motor coupling. Could very well be the problem and the fact that I didn't hear the motor running was because it wasn't under load. Wish i had the model so I can just order the coupling now. That way, when I get home, I can just plop it in. $10.00 is a small price to pay should that not be the problem White bits are the fingers of the coupling, black rubber is the "bushing" between the two sides. Definitely white bits/shavings. Is that indicative of a bad/sheared coupling? Yes. Excellent. One more thing that I just recalled is that I not see anything that resembled a black rubber bushing. Just what looked like two white plastic disks with about 1/2" space between them. I'll order another coupling when I return and hunt down the model number. Are they absolutely model specific couplings or are they generic? i.e. can I order one without knowing the model number? Again, thank you immensely for your help... |
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Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. If it's a toploader Whirlpool with an agitator, there is only one motor, it runs one way for the pump impeller to actually pump and reverses to run the transmission. It may be running but with no load, it's pretty hard to hear. If the transmission was locked, you usually will hear the motor humming as it tries to rotate the transmission shaft. It is VERY easy to tear down IF you know what you are doing. Also, it could be the door switch, it will not agitate or spin if it's broken, it is a pretty common thing, especially if one has a tendancy to drop the lid, in fact, after thinking about the symptoms, I'm betting that's the issue, it's $25 or so and easy to do also. I see. Makes more sense now. Thanks again. I did see quite a bit of what appeared to be white 'shavings' under the motor coupling. Could very well be the problem and the fact that I didn't hear the motor running was because it wasn't under load. Wish i had the model so I can just order the coupling now. That way, when I get home, I can just plop it in. $10.00 is a small price to pay should that not be the problem White bits are the fingers of the coupling, black rubber is the "bushing" between the two sides. Definitely white bits/shavings. Is that indicative of a bad/sheared coupling? Yes. Excellent. One more thing that I just recalled is that I not see anything that resembled a black rubber bushing. Just what looked like two white plastic disks with about 1/2" space between them. I'll order another coupling when I return and hunt down the model number. Are they absolutely model specific couplings or are they generic? i.e. can I order one without knowing the model number? Again, thank you immensely for your help... It's the same part for all models, hang a sec and I'll get you the part number, the bushing goes between the two white dics that USED to have fingers on them. If you pull the motor, do not lose the rubber grommets between the motor and the plate, they are not a typical replacement part and are a PITA to get. Part number is 285753A, Motor coupling kit. The new finger part will have a metal center and can be a pita to drive on, clean the ends, oil it a bit [the shafts] and drive it on with a metal 1/2-3/4 rod til the coupling discs are flush with the ends of the motor and transmission shafts. the rubber coupling piece goes on the transmission side and then the fingers on the motor side fit into the other three holes in it. It usually take a few tries to get it lined up and on right, make sure the motor grommets don't fall off putting the motor on. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Thanks Gents. Your assistance is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, I will be away from home for a week and won't be able to check the machine until Saturday. From what I can tell it is a direct drive and I did not hear the motor working. All I know is that the machine tripped the breaker on the electrical panel and, upon breaker reset, it wouldn't agitate or spin. The pump, however, is working fine. Stay tuned until Saturday. Either good or bad news. 1. The transmission is locked up, not worth fixing. 2. the motor coupling sheared, cheap fix, $10.00 Thanks. Looks like I'll spend the week researching new washing machines (just in case). Also, would a sheared motor coupling result in the motor not working? I did not hear it running/making noise at all after the breaker trip.. Just the pump was working. If it's a toploader Whirlpool with an agitator, there is only one motor, it runs one way for the pump impeller to actually pump and reverses to run the transmission. It may be running but with no load, it's pretty hard to hear. If the transmission was locked, you usually will hear the motor humming as it tries to rotate the transmission shaft. It is VERY easy to tear down IF you know what you are doing. Also, it could be the door switch, it will not agitate or spin if it's broken, it is a pretty common thing, especially if one has a tendancy to drop the lid, in fact, after thinking about the symptoms, I'm betting that's the issue, it's $25 or so and easy to do also. I see. Makes more sense now. Thanks again. I did see quite a bit of what appeared to be white 'shavings' under the motor coupling. Could very well be the problem and the fact that I didn't hear the motor running was because it wasn't under load. Wish i had the model so I can just order the coupling now. That way, when I get home, I can just plop it in. $10.00 is a small price to pay should that not be the problem White bits are the fingers of the coupling, black rubber is the "bushing" between the two sides. Definitely white bits/shavings. Is that indicative of a bad/sheared coupling? Yes. Excellent. One more thing that I just recalled is that I not see anything that resembled a black rubber bushing. Just what looked like two white plastic disks with about 1/2" space between them. I'll order another coupling when I return and hunt down the model number. Are they absolutely model specific couplings or are they generic? i.e. can I order one without knowing the model number? Again, thank you immensely for your help... It's the same part for all models, hang a sec and I'll get you the part number, the bushing goes between the two white dics that USED to have fingers on them. If you pull the motor, do not lose the rubber grommets between the motor and the plate, they are not a typical replacement part and are a PITA to get. Part number is 285753A, Motor coupling kit. The new part will have a metal center and can be a pita to drive on, clean the ends, oil it a bit [the shafts] and drive it on with a metal 1/2-3/4 rod til the coupling discs are flush with the ends of the motor and transmission shafts. the rubber coupling piece goes on the transmission side and then the fingers on the motor side fit into the other three holes in it. It usually take a few tries to get it lined up and on right, make sure the motor grommets don't fall off putting the motor on. You, Sir, are a savior. Plenty of Youtube videos that walk you through the process. Looks easy enough... |
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Quoted: I changed the coupler on my kenmore a few years ago. it takes longer to get the washer apart then it does to change it. Quoted: It's the same part for all models, hang a sec and I'll get you the part number, the bushing goes between the two white dics that USED to have fingers on them. If you pull the motor, do not lose the rubber grommets between the motor and the plate, they are not a typical replacement part and are a PITA to get. Part number is 285753A, Motor coupling kit. The new part will have a metal center and can be a pita to drive on, clean the ends, oil it a bit [the shafts] and drive it on with a metal 1/2-3/4 rod til the coupling discs are flush with the ends of the motor and transmission shafts. the rubber coupling piece goes on the transmission side and then the fingers on the motor side fit into the other three holes in it. It usually take a few tries to get it lined up and on right, make sure the motor grommets don't fall off putting the motor on. You, Sir, are a savior. Plenty of Youtube videos that walk you through the process. Looks easy enough... |
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Quoted: There's another coupler, a heavier duty one part #285852A, it's used on commercial washers and they are interchangeable.It's the same part for all models, hang a sec and I'll get you the part number, the bushing goes between the two white dics that USED to have fingers on them. If you pull the motor, do not lose the rubber grommets between the motor and the plate, they are not a typical replacement part and are a PITA to get. Part number is 285753A, Motor coupling kit. The new finger part will have a metal center and can be a pita to drive on, clean the ends, oil it a bit [the shafts] and drive it on with a metal 1/2-3/4 rod til the coupling discs are flush with the ends of the motor and transmission shafts. the rubber coupling piece goes on the transmission side and then the fingers on the motor side fit into the other three holes in it. It usually take a few tries to get it lined up and on right, make sure the motor grommets don't fall off putting the motor on.  |
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Gentlemen, Your diagnosis and repair instructions were right on the money.Took me less than 20 minutes to repair it this morning.... Than you very much! One day, I will return the favor... Excellent!!!! Pretty ingenious how W-pool designed the washer to come apart, isn't it? Simple, durable, and easy to work on. |