'83 Belt-Drive Whirlpool leak problem

[saltysam]

Hi everyone,
I've had my wife' '83 belt drive Whirlpool Imperial 70 with the Super Surgilator tucked away in a corner in the basement for approximately 3-4 years now because we liked the Frigidaire 1-18, '65 Roller-Matic, and '65 Maytag better for daily use.
Well, the seal around the top of the outer tub on the Roller-Matic is pretty much gone and was starting to leak like a sieve when the machine spun out. (Will have to find something that can be substituted as a replacement seal)

Until then I thought might as well give the Whirlpool a workout for a change. Having sat idle for so long the tub was filled with hot water and let it sit for about an hour or so to soften up the seals, then let it agitate for a bit. This is when I noticed a puddle of water on the floor. When I opened up the back there was water dripping from the tub mounting plate. Would a worn agitator seal cause this sort of problem or am I looking at a complete tear down to replace the tub seal.
Would like to get some opinions from the experts before I tackle this one. I am familiar with 1-18's, Roller-Matics and Maytage but have never tackled a belt-drive Whirlpool before. Opinions or suggestions anyone?
Thanks guys (and gals)
Mark

 

[saltysam]

Super Surgilator

Pic of the agitator

 

[saltysam]

Agitator shaft and tub

Here is what the agitator shaft looks like.. Doesn't look to be in bad shape for its age.

 

[cfz2882]

i had some leaking on my'86 70 series and it was leaking from
one of the rubber grommets where the outer tub bolts to the
baseplate.

 

[launderess]

Same Problem

Came with my "vintage" Whirlpool little portable/convertible.

You can read the tale of woe and misery here in the group archives, but long story short it was indeed a tub seal problem.

Didn't do the job myself (hired a repair service), but from watching the man going about his work (muttering and cursing under his breath most of the time *LOL*), it wasn't "fun".

Repair service "tested" for the problem by allowing the machine to fill without the agitator on. After a bit of time elasped we could see bubbles coming up from the center post, indicating air was seeping down, hence the leak.

Others with more experience in these matters will probably chime in, and you can read some of their responses on this in the threads regarding my woes.

In a way you will be lucky if it is just the tub seals that have gone, as those parts are still out there. I nabbed several NIB bits, but you may have to go with after-market/generic as things can be hard to find.

OTHO if it turns out the leaking is coming from the center bearings/spin tub, then you may have problems as those parts are NLA and very hard to find.

In any event you want to get at the source of this leak and have it repaired before water damages the transmission.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Mark -

If water is coming off the baseplate, on the top side of it in between the tub and the plate, the leak is very likely to be coming from the centerpost gasket.

This is a VERY common leak, and I replaced those gaskets on literally every machine I sold in the 1990s because if they weren't leaking then, they would eventually, especially on later machines.

You are not looking at a major job to replace that seal, but it's not a 5-minute job either. A Whirlpool or Kenmore repair manual from Sears or WP will show you a step-by-step on how to do this repair. You will need 383727 centerpost gasket, and I would recommend 76673 tub repair kit. That name is a bit misleading for the repair kit, but it offers four new tub mounting bolts and enlarged seals, which cover-up some common leak points. Most of all, these kits are much cheaper now than the individual 21365 bolt gaskets (there are 4) which used to be 20-cents each but are now several dollars each! I also recommend a tube if 3M sealer.

If you would like me to summarize tub removal and replacement procedures, as I do it anyway, I would be glad to do that here for you. Just say the word...

If you try to tackle this yourself, whatever you do be careful with the tub on removal - it is possible to crack or break the sidewall of the seal area in the tub and if this happens, it can render the outer tub useless or difficult to re-use.

Gordon

 

[saltysam]

Same Problem

I remember when you posted that Launderess! I remember you mentioning the repair guy wasn't a happy camper to have to work on such an old machine.....lol.......

Thanks for the part numbers, Gordon.....Tearing the machine down shouldn't be that big of a problem but if you could shoot me an e-mail with some hints on what not to do I would appreciated it.......

Thanks again!
Mark

 

[launderess]

RepairMan

Wasn't a happy camper for many reasons that day!

Methinks much of it had to do with the fact his bosses gave me a rate well south of the $400 he quoted/wanted to charge. Hey, that's not my problem! *LOL*

As Gordon stated, the job isn't *that* difficult (provided one has the proper tools and knows what one is doing), and if push had come to shove, after watching the man do his thing, could probably get the tub out myself.

Main thing is making sure one removes things carefully and with a system to prevent damage, as so many parts are NLA or at least darn hard to find. Next is getting the inner tub out, which probably is more than 75% of the work. Know our repairman stood there for what seemed like ages wrestling with the thing, until it finally shifted. If your unit hasn't had those tubs separated since they were put together, count on years of detergent/soil residue, rust and god only knows what else to create an epoxy that rivals "Krazy Glue". *LOL*

Important again to go slow, so as not to damage anything. Take care with splash/tub guards and the small bits, as they are some of the hardest bits to find new.

Whilst you have the tubs apart, examine both the inner and outer tubs for rust or such, and deal with anything found accordingly.

Have a box of NIB parts and a few pumps lying about. Was going to have repair man change the belts and pump, but he said neither was required, and given his then current mood, didn't push the matter. So everything got packed away.

Had purchased two different "seal kits" but cannot remember which one was used. IIRC the guy took seals from one packet and "rings" from another, or just used one packet.

Oh, and another thing. Fun as it is getting the tubs apart, there was even more in store easing the inner tub back onto the new seal.