Do I have neutral drain ?

[TAG]

My Kenmore/ Whirlpool direct drive washer is from the mid 90's ... reading the posts I think it should have the neutral pump out of the tub prior to spin. If it does -- has not worked for a couple of decades. How do I check .. and fix? New trans/ gear box?

110.92599200 S#1606333

 

[combo52]

Your machine was built with neutral drain. You might have a transmission problem , it was fairly common for certain periods of production of direct drive machines to have a problem with the transmissions neutral drain pack.

The machine will go on working fairly well without doing the neutral drain of course you’ll have more lint in your clothing and smaller loads are more likely to go unbalanced but many tens of thousands of these machines go on working the rest of their life just fine without the neutral feature.

John L

 

[TAG]

Thanks for the information. Is it worth trying to fix the original one or should I just buy the whole gear case? If I want to fix it.

Does not look too hard when viewing the many videos out there. The OE neutral kit and the shaft seal for the upper case is about $50 + the oil and the sealer needed to put the case together. Seems you can get the whole OE assembly for $120-150 on ebay. If the new ones are still quality parts -- not worth fixing the old one IMO.

That's always the question with older items -- sometimes fixing the old even when used is better than new if it's all plastic inside.

 

[phillymatt53]

Thanks for the information. Is it worth trying to fix the original one or should I just buy the whole gear case. If I want to fix it. Does not look to hard when viewing the many videos. The OE neutral kit and the shaft seal for the upper case is about $50 + the oil and the sealer needed to put the case together. Seems you can get the OE assembly for $120-150 on ebay. If the new ones are still quality parts -- not worth fixing the old one IMO.

That's always the question with older items -- sometimes fixing the old even when used is better than new if it's all plastic inside.

Yes, the quality of the iron and steel processing was strict in the past.

 

[qsd-dan]

New gear cases are noisy as hell and don't last as long due to worn out tooling. Just pull yours and do the job.

 

[TAG]

New gear cases are noisy as hell and don't last as long due to worn out tooling. Just pull yours and do the job.

Interesting -- My thought was more plastic. Maybe the aftermarket are better since my guess from China ?

 

[combo52]

New gear cases for direct drive washers

Are still just fine they’re made exactly like they always were. There are no more plastic parts than they used to be.

That said they did try a new oil about five years ago that was much lighter and it made them very noisy. They have switched back to a regular oil.

We were given 28 gear cases by the local parts distributor about three years ago. They thought they were leaking oil, but it turned out they were just fine. A lot of the boxes had oil on them and they assumed that the gear cases were defective.

We inspected them resealed the covers. We have used about 20 of the 28 by now and have had zero problems with them so I would not be afraid of buying a new one, but I do believe new ones are more than $250

Current part number is 3360629 and in the DC area list for $262 but you may be able to find a deal, I would not be afraid of fixing your old one, however.

John L

 

[TAG]

Thanks John -- did they change the part number when they returned to the heavier oil? My luck if I buy one it will be an old stock with the light oil!!

What's the best stuff to seal the case -- automotive gasket type sealant ?

 

[vacerator]

Iron and steel making quality is far better now. I had uncles who worked in the steel industry from the 1940's through 1980, a high school buds dad, and my brother until he became an electrician. Crucible steel, Colt industries, J&L, Allegheny Ludlam, and Great Lakes National/US.
The auto makers were stamping body panels with steel coils that already were beginning to corrode. My uncle at Ford Rouge told me that. He was quality control but they didn't allow him much control back then.

 

[TAG]

I recently purchased a vehicle on e-bay and they gave me 10 x $50 coupons as a thank you for using the new system. They only work for items over $100 and only good for 2 months. There were a couple sellers w/ new OE gear cases for $120 ... with my $50 off. Too good to pass up for $70. I'm always buying stuff off e-bay ... always amazing what is around. I will keep the old one just in case