1980s Whirlpool Imperial Seventy - Oil on floor

[andy70imperial]

Thanks Sean for the tip on the pulley! I will check that when laundry is done.

I only hear the knock during agitation, and when it is there it is in sync with the frequency of the agitation cycle. Right now we are on load # 5 (hot/warm temps, heavy 14 minute cycle, max water level) and the knock comes and goes but is very faint. I hear it maybe 5% of the time, for about 5 or 10 seconds, early in the agitation cycle.

Really giving the machine a workout now and the knock is not there...

Near the end of load #5 (hot/warm temps, 14 minute wash, max water) I see the foamy oil slowly emerging out of the bearing around the gear fork. Not enough to drip.........but what is this??? There is water on the floor! I missed when it emerged.

Load # 6 (warm/warm temps, 14 minute wash, max water) and I keep a close eye on the machine. After 4 minutes of wash time with a full tub of water there is now a pretty good steady drip of faintly brown water falling off the bottom of the gearbox! I can't see where it is emerging from (even with an inspection mirror), but it is somewhere above the gearbox and it is a decent leak. 3 ounces of water in the final 10 minutes of wash. Failure mode as described by John in post #8! I'm gonna need to order some parts...

No leak observed during the rinse agitation cycle of load #6, I guess not enough time for the air pocket to escape? One more giant load of laundry to go...

-Andy

 

[114jwh]

285134 is the correct kit for the seals. It covers older and newer machines so there will be some parts you won't use. I wouldn't replace the bearings unless yours are badly worn, that requires a special tool.

383928 / 285896 I believe is the short post spin tube. Will likely need to find that on eBay as it is probably NLA. And for that matter, compare the price of a whole new basket drive which will include a new spin tube vs the spin tube by itself.

Agitator shaft will likely be more difficult to find.

I would also get a new agitator spring/seal kit 285672 since you are opening up the transmission anyway. They aren't usually that expensive and your spring may be rusty by now and the spring can sometimes break anyway.

But, if it were me I would still pull out the basket and inspect the outer tub real good before you start ordering parts. If its salvageable you might want to replace a couple other things too depending on their condition when you take a look.

Good luck and let us know how it goes

 

[andy70imperial]

Thanks for the guidance and the part numbers! The price of that basket drive alone ($160) is above what I would throw at this machine. I see the spin tubes on ebay though, about $50 for one of those. Looks like the agitator shafts run about $100.

I will remove the basket and give the machine a thorough inspection, hopefully sometime this week. Might just drive this machine till the wheels fall off if things look bad...

Is the knock in the gearcase a big concern? On that a-1appliance parts site I see a price of $56 for the connecting rod (76577 - special order) but only five cents for the main gear (353397 - in stock). Of course I am just guessing that the knock is due to wear of one of these components.

Sean, I checked the setscrew on the pulley and it is tight.

-Andy

 

[maytag85]

Reply #21

Ahh. Good thing the set screw is tight, not sure what that knocking sound is inside the transmission.

If you are wondering, this is what my Whirlpool looks like. Took this photo in the driveway since it was the only place I could get a good photo of them. Not trying to take the spotlight, just want to post a picture for some context.

 

[andy70imperial]

Very cool washer/dryer set Sean!!! Obviously if mine looked like that I would do whatever it takes to keep them going. I don't have any retro appliances in my place (it is all 80s vintage), but can showoff my Mom's 1950s GE Liberator stove that she kept going for 60 years. It was sold with the house back in 2021.

-Andy

 

[andy70imperial]

Back on topic, what about using a needle nozzle grease gun tip to sneak past the seals and inject grease into the upper bearing area? Or maybe packing heavy grease into the open space near the top of the drive black and trying to keep in in there with RTV silicone in strategic locations? Just trying to MacGyver my way out of this....

-Andy

 

[combo52]

Hi Andy, you should just run it till it dies or tear it apart and rebuild it. None of these stop gap measures are going to buy you more than some time, There is water around the agitator shaft and in the transmission, seal it up and sealing the water in. There will only make things worse.

If this were somebody dying of cancer, I would understand going to these Extreme measures to get them a few more weeks or even months of life, but it’s a washing machine washing machines are very plentiful in this country both used and knew alike.

John

 

[andy70imperial]

Right now I am on the run-it-till-it-dies side of the fence with this machine unless things look decent when I remove the basket and the fixes are easy. The rusty nature of the water that leaked out on Sunday is probably not a good sign. I am very concerned about any disassembly procedures that involve large hammers on 40-year old metal, but saw that I can pull the drive block up along with the basket using a 3-jaw puller so I will go that route. I will try an air chisel to remove the locknut.

I also put together a 1/2 inch diameter rubber expansion plug today and will pick up some VR1 60W tomorrow. The future drain hole location is marked in red. I think this is above the drive gear and far enough away from the connecting rod, but LMK if I am wrong about that. The expansion plug should protrude about 1/4 inch inside of the cover when installed.

-Andy

 

[114jwh]

Hi Andy

To take the basket off you just need to remove the snubber, the fill hose, the tub ring, agitator and then the spanner nut. Use a bit of penetrating oil if the spanner nut is difficult. If you don't have the spanner wrench you can sometimes just get these off with a large flat blade screwdriver wedged in one of the notches and a hammer or one of those giant vice grip pliers.

One the spanner nut is off, the basket should just lift out but might be a bit stuck due to crud so might need a bit of coaxing. You don't need to take the drive block off but it might just lift off with the basket. Its not pressed into place but again, could be stuck a bit due to crud.

It looks like you already had the agitator off. When you mentioned needing a puller are you referring to the agitator lug drive (or agitator drive block)? If so you wouldn't have that, those are on older machines - your agitator is pressed directly onto the agitator shaft.

 

[andy70imperial]

I had some time today to remove the basket and inspect the tub. Had to use an air chisel to remove the locknut and the tub lifted off easily. See photos of seals, I think I see the edge of corrosion on the shafts but IMO they don't look too bad. Pump inlet has a lot of rust. Rust on the inside bottom of the basket too.

I cleaned up the disgusting 1/2 inch thick layer of sludge at the bottom of the tub and saw even more rust. I was wondering if this was acting as a barrier so I filled the tub up and there were water leaks after a few minutes, but this time instead of dripping on the gearcase the water was leaking out of drilled holes in the platform at the front and rear of the machine. Not sure if this is the same leak or a new leak.

I drained the machine and went to work with a wire wheel to remove all the loose rust and got down to areas that were rusted clear thru. Cleaned all this with alcohol and then sprayed it with rust converter. After this cures I will spread epoxy putty over the bad areas where needed, and topcoat it with something that is flexible and seals. I think I have a can of that!

I am not going to bother changing shaft seals on this one because I think it is too much of a basket case. A rusty basket case. At this point I am just trying to get it back to the point where it works again without massively leaking so we can take our time replacing it, probably in the next few weeks. I might have to rush with a new washer though.

LMK if you guys want any more updates on this project! And thanks for putting up with me and for all of your advice.

-Andy