1974 Whirlpool Imperial

[magicchefdreams]

Hello. Eighteen months ago, I purchased a 1974 WP Imperial from a little old Polish lady's estate, who took really good care of it. Unfortunaly, a few days ago, the agitator stopped working and left my clothes in water - I was able to adjust the settings to get the water out but the agitator and spin cycle don't work. I can hear the motor working but the gears sound stuck or something. I am not mechanical savvy at all :-( AND REALLY want to keep my Whirlpool as it is the best washer I've ever had. Does anybody know of some one in the Pittsburgh/West Penn metro area that knows how to fix this for a reasonble price? I really miss my machine.

 

[DADoES]

 
If the motor runs, neither agitation nor spinning occurs but it does drain (perhaps at a slower rate than normal?) ... could be the belt is bad/frayed, or the pump is binding.  Hopefully nothing more serious than that.

Closer/detail pics of the controls and an interior shot would be a nice addition to the historical documentation of your machine. 

 

[nomess]

Hi magicchefdreams..
Your machine looks exactly like the Whirlpool washers which were made here in Australia by a company called Malleys...
If so, the likely problem is the solenoids which change the gearbox settings. (They tend to break the 'common' wire as they reciprocate) They can be accessed via the removable rear panel...
As the'wig wag' moves the solenoids which are connected to it, they slide along a bar which is notched. Depending upon which solenoid is activated it will push the bar and engage either 'spin' or 'agitate'.
As viewed from behind the machine the 'spin' in on the left and the right-hand solenoid is obviously to engage 'agitate'
I hope this helps.
Cheers
Nomess