1985 Whirlpool LA7680

[repairguy]

I found this machine listed on Facebook and it turned out being at an estate sale a little over an hour from me. It looked so good in the pictures I couldn’t turn it down. It’s a 1985 model and runs really smooth. You can’t hear it shift for drain or spin. It does however have a water leak from the tub seal. I believe this machine has sat unused for the last 5 years. The first 3 pictures are from the listing.

Model LA7680XPW1

Serial C54012185

 

[DADoES]

 
Yay!

 

[bradfordwhite]

An authentic super capacity belt drive Whirlpool.

If this has actually sat unused for 5 years, it's possible the seal dried and shrunk just enough so the first time it was used it leaked. Given a bit of time, with exposure to water the seal may swell enough so it reseals.

Here's hoping for it. It looks great. Looks almost new.

 

[ryner1988]

Could someone provide a picture description?

If someone wouldn't mind to provide a brief description of the controls on this machine, cycles, etc, that would be great. I've always loved belt drive WP/KM machines and would probably own one if they weren't so old and hard to take care of due to unavailability of parts, etc.

I hope that the fact that I've just started asking for descriptions of pictures isn't annoying. I find that it really helps me be able to participate better on here.

Ryne

 

[DADoES]

 
It's labeled on the console as a Supreme model.

Rotary water level, infinite choices from Hand Washable (lowest) to Ex Large, and Reset (to change the level if necessary after agitation begins).

Four pushbuttons for temperature:  Hot-Warm, Hot-Cold, Warm-Cold, Cold-Cold.

Four timer cycles. Regular, wash time of 14 to 2 mins.  Permanent Press, wash time 10 to 2 mins, I'm guessing a single partial-drain cool down.  Knits-Gentle, wash time 8 to 2 mins.  Soak, 20 to 2 mins, probably includes 4 mins of post-soak agitation, drain and spin.

Super capacity 18 lbs so has the winged Double-Duty Super Surgilator.  Agitator-mounted softener dispenser.  Diluting (non-timed) bleach dispenser.

 

[repairguy]

I expect every belt drive washer I pick up to have problems even if the seller says it works fine. I ran a couple of loads in it yesterday and it functions mechanically as it should. It actually runs really nice and quiet but(there’s always a but with these machines) it was leaking water through the tub seal and was worse with the second load but I had already expected this. I tore into it today and although I didn’t think so at first it looks like it’s going to be restorable. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a hard water build up so bad before.

 

[goatfarmer]

Looks good! Give 'er hell!

 

[bradfordwhite]

It just gets me. lol

"...would probably own one if they weren't so old and hard to take care of due to unavailability of parts, etc."

 

In the 80s and 90s when I was refurbing most all I had were WP and KM belt-drives.  It was rare to come across a DD.  So the belt drives were abundant.  It seems like not that long ago, but ...

It's true, you really don't see them as often.

 

I expect that the DD volume is also declining these days.  Imagine that.

 

 

 

[repairguy]

I find usually one belt drive a year within an hour and a half from me. Direct drives in this area are definitely not the dominant machines that they once were. The most common here these days are VMW and I let those remain on their path to the landfill. Most of the direct drives are rusted out and unsellable as far as I’m concerned and they get stripped for parts and the metal goes to recycling.

 

[ryner1988]

Declining direct drives

This is true where I live as well although I know plenty of people who still own one, including myself, my sister, and a church friend just to name three off the top of my head.

 

[combo52]

Whirl, pool belt drive LA 7680

Great find Melvin, this was a very popular model. I’ve even sold a couple of these in the last five years to selected customers who take good care of things, and are light users of them.

There’s still plenty of parts around to keep a belt drive like this working and with good care and a thorough going over, it could last another 20 years or more of light use

It’s always a shame that people use so little detergent as to cause machines to be damaged like this, however, this is one of the big problems with continuing do use a top loading washer. You have to use so much detergent, and people are just unwilling to do it ,

these kooks online and repair people that say oh, you only need a tablespoon of detergent and this is what you get, when you get the bad mineral buildup, it stays wet all the time around the seal, causes the tub to rust and causes all sorts of other problems .

John

 

[ryner1988]

Reply #10

John,

I agree with all of your points above. I would love to have a machine like this one as it was my aunt's exact washer and I always loved that machine. Gentler wash action than the direct drives but still very powerful.

Those customers that you sold this machine to are very fortunate and I hope they treat it well, I know I would. We don't have a lot of laundry, about 3 loads a week on average, but what we do have is sometimes demanding being a disabled household, more spills, food stains, etc, so the wash action of this machine would be great for us.

I agree with you about detergent use. I was having some major issues with suds a while back, but I switched from Arm and Hammer to Tide, sometimes liquid sometimes powder just depending on what's available at the store, and that seemed to fix the problem of suds except on towels. For some reason, there's still a heck of a lot of detergent in the rinse water when I wash towels so I generally have to run a second rinse on those loads. Wonder why the heck that happens, maybe because washrags have soap in them already from showering? But anyway, it's not a matter of how much detergent is used but the quality of the detergent, Arm and Hammer sucks!

Ryne

 

[repairguy]

The tub has been removed and in the repair process. There were a few small rust issues but not as bad as I was thinking when I found what you saw in the pictures above.

This features sticker was tucked into the Bac-Pak by itself without any other paperwork.

 

[peteski50]

Whirlpool!

This is a really Great find
Best of Luck

 

[e2l-arry]

My Mom had this model.

She bought it when the folks retired to Florida. She had a 20 year old Maytag Highlander. Not a TOL. Not sure the exact model but it had no lights, a skinny post wringer style agitator. I was a 2 speed and suds saver. It still worked like a champ but due to it's age Mom decided not to take it with her. She said she'd buy a new Maytag when they got to Florida. For some reason, probably Maytag pricing, she got this Whirlpool instead. As much as she loved her Maytag, she said she liked her Whirlpool better!

 

[repairguy]

This past weekend I was going to replace the spin tube and top center post seals but of course found more than expected. The agitator shaft and spin tube both had scoring in the wrong places. I wasn’t going to do that much to this washer but by the time I get finished it ought to last many years.

When I removed the basket drive it scored the bearings a little and I didn’t like that. So the washer now has new bearings installed, a new spin tube with new agitator shaft seals, a new agitator shaft, and since I opened the gearcase it was cleaned and oil changed. With a new belt the super structure was reinstalled. I’m on the downhill slide now. The outer tub has been cleaned up and a new tub gasket installed. I just have to reinstall it, the wash basket, tub ring, and agitator to complete the job.

There’s been a few gearcase rebuilds documented here but here’s this one being put back together.

 

[repairguy]

The basket drive and new and old agitator and spin tube shafts .

 

[combo52]

Nice belt drive repair job

Nothing like knowing what you’re doing it having new parts this machine should be good as new Melvin.

The original scored, agitator shaft can be used in an older machine where the bearings and seal what’s up higher, the spin tube is pretty much useless.

John.

 

[ryner1988]

If I lived close I would totally ask to buy this machine off you and would pay almost whatever. I like my direct drive a lot but the old belt drives are my favorite top load washer ever. They are durable, relatively quiet, and give a very powerful clean without thrashing the laundry too much.

As I've said many times on here I can't repair machines myself but it would be a treat to buy a fully rebuilt washer like this from someone who took such time to go over it as you did and use it for years as my daily driver. I would understand the work that was put in and would treat a machine like this with the respect it deserves -- it would last years with me because I don't abuse appliances.

As such, I don't think there are people who do full refurbs like this near where I live.