Should I repair my washing machine or not?

[Wayne4910]

I own a Whirlpool washing machine that’s became very loud during the spin cycle with no vibrations. Works fine, it’s just very noisy during any spin cycle.

I don’t know how old it is. Still cleans my clothes and works.

The model number is WTW4816FW0.

 

[henene4]

A loud, sometimes described as "freight train like" sound usually points towards a bearing issue.
As far as I understand, the bearings are integrated into the gear case assembly.

A quick google search points towards anywhere between 160$ and 260$ for the part.
Question then is if you can do the repair yourself - if not you can probably say about the same im labour charges.



Given similar washers from a Whirlpool brand (Amana, Maytag, Whirlpool) or competitors can be had for 500-600$, it really depends on the circumstances.
If you can't do the job yourself, it's probably not worth it.
If the machine is older, the risk of other failures is higher makeing it probably not worth it.
If the machine is pretty new, you can do the job yourself and you can get the part cheap, it might be worth it.

If you find the serial number on the service tag, some on here might be abled to decode it and tell you how old it is.

 

[qsd-dan]

VMW, needs a transmission which will exceed the price of the entire machine. Time to go shopping. DO NOT get another one of these, look into a Speed Queen TC5003 if you want a top loader or an LG for a front loader.

 

[vacerator]

Shot bearings.

 

[DADoES]

VMW, needs a transmission which will exceed the price of the entire machine.

Is that referencing the cost of it when it was purchased/new, or the used resale value?

The parts source I typically use, I can get a transmission for $193.55, incl shipping & tax. There are other sources for less, including eBay (used and new).

 

[qsd-dan]

Is that referencing the cost of it when it was purchased/new, or the used resale value?

The parts source I typically use, I can get a transmission for $193.55, incl shipping & tax. There are other sources for less, including eBay (used and new).

The OP does not mention fixing it themselves (they couldn't even bother to do a quick search for a very well known problem) so with the cost of the trans + labor, it will exceed the resale value and come close to the price of a new one. A repairmen generally will not use owner supplied parts but if they do, it will not cover the warranty of the part nor the repair....making it pretty big gamble. Repairmen ALWAYS up sale parts, sometimes by a significant margin. Factor in at least a $100 service call + up sale of a transmission (and maybe other necessary parts) + labor, and you're getting into new machine territory on a crap washer.

These are cheap, under designed throwaway machines also known for many other problems, particularly control board issues. It's just not worth the financial gamble on a steamy pile of shit.