As of earlier today, my washing machine drum does not spin. Its a top load whirlpool from circa 2001.
The lid switch has continuity when down.
When I put it on spin cycle, the machine runs, pump drains it, drum does not spin at all.
I hear no noise indicating the motor is trying to spin the drum.
Any suggestions?
Most of the time it's a broken belt.
Steve_Jones said:Most of the time it's a broken belt.
Oh, forgot to mention this is not belt drive. It looks like the motor is perpendicular to the spin axis and there is a transmission of some sort.
Just did this job. Pump/motor coupler. All done from the bottom.
What model?
Repair Clinic .com
Type in model number and they have a diagnostic grid and AWESOME repair videos.
I've used them often to keep my old junk working
I had to change that coupling as well.
The older Kenmore washer in the house I'm renting did the same thing.
The motor coupler disentigrated. Since I'm renting, I called the property management who dispatched the appliance repair guy. He said that this is super common and replaced it with an upgraded part that had metal in it. It took him about 10 minutes.
ProDarwin said:Steve_Jones said:Most of the time it's a broken belt.
Oh, forgot to mention this is not belt drive. It looks like the motor is perpendicular to the spin axis and there is a transmission of some sort.
Well then, probably not the belt :)
Do you have a BMW washing machine? Because that is a guibo.
Guibo thingy is fully intact. It appears to be the upgraded part (center is metal).
Should I be able to spin the drum (slowly) by turning the transmission input by hand? Or will that never work due to whatever the clutch system is?
The motor must be getting power as the the rear output of it is what drives the pump, so at this point I think it hsas to be something inside the transmission
Indy-Guy said:Repair Clinic .com
Type in model number and they have a diagnostic grid and AWESOME repair videos.
I've used them often to keep my old junk working
Yeah I do like their guides.
I haven't used their diagnostic grid. I can't find the part number on my washer anywhere :(
Related note: There is some rust near the bleach tray in this and on the door. Enough that bits are flaking off and falling into the drum. Nothing structural, but its messy and I'd like to keep it from getting on my clothes. Is this fixable with a wire brush and some paint, or is that going to be an extremely short term bandaid at best? I can't imagine it would be nearly as effective as the factory powdercoat.
Did anything get jammed between the drum and shell?
Not that I know of, but I didn't separate the two to check.
My guess right now is the clutch. But I can't seem to find any info on how to tell if it has gone bad.
I'm kinda hesitating pulling that apart right now and slowly talking myself into just replacing the thing. The more I screw with it, the more the rust is bothering me.
How funny. I JUST tore apart my washing machine to fix the rust and tackle a spin issue I have.
It took me most of the day, and the spin issue persists.
mine spins but is out of balance. Even with nothing in there.
since I can't figure out what the problem is, I'm torn between just buying another one or spending more time and start putting money into it.
yours sounds fixable and I bet you can figure it out pretty quickly
Replacing a clutch on that one is way easier than you think, I say go for it. The coupler can be replaced at the same time.
ProDarwin said:Indy-Guy said:Repair Clinic .com
Type in model number and they have a diagnostic grid and AWESOME repair videos.
I've used them often to keep my old junk working
Yeah I do like their guides.
I haven't used their diagnostic grid. I can't find the part number on my washer anywhere :(
Related note: There is some rust near the bleach tray in this and on the door. Enough that bits are flaking off and falling into the drum. Nothing structural, but its messy and I'd like to keep it from getting on my clothes. Is this fixable with a wire brush and some paint, or is that going to be an extremely short term bandaid at best? I can't imagine it would be nearly as effective as the factory powdercoat.
First picture here, with the door open. Look inside, under the door at the edge of the hole that is covered by the door.
That's where Whirlpool likes to hide the model number.
FWIW, when mine stopped spinning it was the agitator mechanism.
Sunday morning I just said berkeley-it and bought a new one. Such is life in a consumer society :(. I had a big mental battle over it because I don't like to throw things in the trash, but I just didn't feel like dealing with it anymore. I might fix the clutch and maybe sell it to someone for $50. I don't plan on dealing with the rust.
Now I have one that dries clothes better (which is good because I rarely use the dryer), and does a load twice the size with half the water.
and you have many square feet of challenge sheetmetal!
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