Back on November 23, 2003, our Kenmore Series 80 washing machine died mid-load...
Well, it happened again yesterday, although with different symptoms. This time, the tub drained, but the washer would not spin. I could hear a noise like a motor running when the spin cycle was engaged, but the basket would not spin. I tried running the wash cycle. The tub filled with water, but when the agitator should have started agitating... nothing.
Fortunately, the link from my previous entry to Appliance Aid still was active, so I avoided a lot of hassle, as I would have first tipped the washer onto its side to try to access the motor had I not had this entry as a reference.
Jeanie helped me get the washer onto our hand truck and move the washer into the garage. The pile of black "dust" on the floor where the washer had been did not appear to be a good sign.
After removing the cabinet,
Note: do NOT remove the screws shown in the first two pictures (the ones on the top back of the control panel) only remove the screws shown in the picture below (on the front bottom of the panel).
pump and motor, I was able to identify what appeared to be the problem: the rubber coupling between the motor and transmission was mangled, and the plastic drive pins on the motor and transmission drive plates were snapped off.
Jeanie jumped on the Internet and accessed the Sears Parts Direct web site. I was pleasantly surprised that a search using the part number stamped on the drive plate - 62672 - actually came up with the proper replacement part# - 285753A. I was even more surprised to learn that there was a Sears Parts Store in Jacksonville, and that they had the part in stock - although confirming that they had them in stock and finding out what their hours were was a two hour frustrating experience that involved multiple calls to the store, only to have our call answered by a fax machine, multiple calls to the Sears 800 number, and finally looking in the white pages and calling the Sears Sewing Center, which just happened to be located in the same building as the parts center.
Once we confirmed that our trip would not be for naught, Jeanie and I drove to Jacksonville and picked up the part. Turns out they had quite a few, as this part apparently is prone to failure. I did notice that the replacement part had a number of design features that were different than the original including a metal insert at the center of the drive plate and more robust drive pins.
Cleaning and installing the new parts was a fairly simple affair. Fortunately, I had thought to take photographs as I disassembled the washer, so between the Appliance Aid site and the pictures, I was able to figure out what went where.
The good news is that the washer appears to be working correctly. I much prefer the $16.57 in parts and a few hours of driving and manual labor to the thousand or so dollars that we would have spent on a new washer.
Other notes...
When placing the cabinet back on the washer, the majority of the cabinet sits on TOP of the washing machine bottom frame member. Only the very front of the cabinet slides under the frame. In order to get the cabinet to align with the tabs on the frame, you must tip the cabinet forward quite a bit as you slide it back the last inch or two.
It doesn't take much to jam the impeller on the drain pump. Before pulling the motor to check the drive coupling, remove the impeller and check that it will spin freely. Be aware that way may appear to be a small amount of water in the washing tub, turns into quite a lot on the laundry room floor. Be prepared with a large bucket when you pull the hose that goes from the tub to the pump.
Post updated 4/10/09 to add lessons learned on that day.
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Posted by David at February 17, 2008 06:14 PM | Categorized under: A day in the life, Reference