1972 Kenmore 70 Series.

[lordkenmore]

It sounds like you got a good buy!

When using a 1969 Kenmore 500, I noticed that same tendency for the agitator to turn a bit during drain. It didn't seem to be a problem.

 

[volvoguy87]

I picked up the '72 Kenmore 70 series (it came with the Maytag E2LS) that I got on CL. The washer is BEAUTIFUL! It's not showroom new, but it is likely in better shape than any washer I have ever gotten. It still has its cone-shaped lint filter that my '72 Lady K is missing. It's my first with a Super Roto Swirl and I gotta say, that agitator is really the bees knees!

Problems thus far:
The light bulb above the timer dial is missing.
The lens above the timer dial for the light is missing.
The agitator tries to agitate a little bit during neutral drain and spin.
The bleach dispenser may have a leak, either that or I spilled a little water on the floor.

How does the bleach and fabric softener dispenser work on this one? It's in the front left corner under the lid.

I'll post pics of both machines within the next few days. Right now I'm up to my eyeballs in a water heater replacement project that has taken an unexpected and challenging turn.

Good night,
Dave

 

[appliguy]

The agitator tries to agitate during the drain.....

David my mothers 1983 Whirlpool did the same thing during the drain with no clothes in the machine....it is normal and nothing to worry about....PAT COFFEY

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Dave -

I too have noticed many a BD machine wanting to agitate a bit when in neutral. In fact I have several I could get to do that right now.

Inside the transmission, 'agitation' is always going on, whenever the motor is running. There is a gear fork which when activated by the wig wag and cam bar, pulls the agitator shaft 'out of gear'.

Through certain conditions, especially I think a minor thickening of the oil, OR a contamination thereof, parts inside don't slip as well as they did when new, and so the agitator shaft temporarily snags itself on the drive gear and it moves a little.

In a normal situation, wet laundry on an agitator in this condition should hold it down. As long as the agitator doesn't drag during spin, I would not concern myself about this whatsoever. Regular use of a machine may improve this also.

 

[mrb627]

Upper Shaft Seal

Usually, this means that the upper rubber shaft seal is failing and should be replaced.

 

[volvoguy87]

A report:

My roommate Elginkid and I ran several loads of laundry through the '72 70 series today in between working on other projects. The machine is great! It's whisper quiet for the most part and makes lots of fun Kenmore sounds. The bleach dispenser looks like it has a leak (we poured water into it, not bleach). How should I address that? This one has the dispensers in the front left corner and I have no idea how they work. The agitation during neutral is getting better or has gone away. This washer sat unused for several years, so I think it is limbering up with a bit of exercise.

The one thing of greatest concern to me is the solenoids for the dispensers. They are louder than I think they should be. The detergent dispenser solenoid started off very loud (only a little quieter then the out of balance buzzer) but has since quieted down to a soft hum. The fabric softener and bleach dispenser solenoids, on the other hand, are still loud. What would cause this?

The Super Roto Swirl is less forgiving of overloading than I had anticipated, but once it's loaded right, OH MAN! What wash action! This one has the large cap on the agi. I know that lower end models came with a smaller cap (models with the removable agitator-top fabric softener dispenser had it). Would anyone happen to have a spare small cap in gold just to make things more interesting?

Pics to come once I get my neighbor's water heater replacement finished. It's being a PAIN!
Dave

 

[kenmoreman]

Agitation during pump out etc.

I can tell you from many years as a sears tech that these machines did this from the day they were taken out of the box. It is normal. It is from the flow of the oil in the tranny when the agitate cam bar is not engaged. Don't worry about it!

 

[combo52]

SYMPATHETIC AGITATION

Is caused by the friction of the agitator out put gear { which is moving back and forth when the motor is running] on the agitator shaft. This is more pronounced if the gear case is slightly out of alinement with the center post causing a little more friction between the gear and the agi shaft. As said before it doesn't hurt a thing. The noisy fab & bleach dispenser is simple to remove and dissemble. To stop the buzzing clean and polish the plungers for the solenoids and lubricate lightly if this doesn't work you my have to replace some parts. WP used the same disp system from about 1961-1982 and pts should still be around I know I at least have lots of good used pts anyway.