Kenmore 80 Series (Year 2000) Neutral Drain Delicate

[blockeight88]

Hello,

I have purchased a "refurbished" Kenmore 80 Series washer from a local appliance shop. The unit is from the year 2000, per the model number and serial. The machine is in very good condition. I opened it up to clean and had my friend install a new lid switch.

Every time I set the machine to delicate, or extra slow it does a drain spin. I was told this is not normal. I then read that the machine may need to warm up or something, I am not sure. But on regular and heavy duty speeds it's fine.

Is this something to worry about?

To add, when it delicate it will start neutral draining for about 3 seconds, then make a loud clunk noise then spin/drain.

I have a 3 month fully covered warranty on the unit. However, I would prefer to gather some input from washing machine experts first.

 

[DADoES]

 
Neutral drain failure, of course, is not normal operation but it won't damage the machine.  It will cause improper release of fabric softener if the machine has a centrifugal, agitator-mounted softener dispenser and you use it ... softener will release when drain-spin pauses after 2 mins (the point at which spin would normally begin after neutral drain).

Contributing factors are

1) Thickened transmission oil.  Can be caused by age and/or operating the machine in a cold environment.

2) Worn neutral-drain components in the transmission.  A low-cost repair kit is available.  Requires pulling and opening the transmission which is a messy job but not difficult.  Draining and replacing the transmission oil during the repair (which is a good idea but may also be considered optional) takes care of that factor.

Both factors are more likely to cause neutral drain failure at slower agitation speeds, less-so at high speed, but all speeds (eventually) may be affected.

 

[blockeight88]

Thank you. I have the machine running now on regular and it just did it. Perhaps I'll have it serviced.

 

[DADoES]

 
Be aware that some (many?) servicers won't do the neutral drain kit, they replace the transmission instead which is more cost but hopefully your 3-months warranty would cover it.

 

[blockeight88]

I read that. So wouldn't technically replacing the transmission be better?

 

[DADoES]

 
Personally I'd do the neutral drain kit (but I can DIY it).  All "new" transmissions now may be refurbed by either Whirlpool or I've heard Corecentric is/has been/was doing them.  I've run across reports that replacements sometimes run noisier, it's a crapshot on that point.

 

[repairguy]

I’ve installed several new or rebuilt, however they come from whirlpool, direct drive transmissions over the past couple of years and every one of them was noisy.

 

[blockeight88]

I’ll just leave it then and use the downy ball. As long as it’s not hurting the machine. I tend to wash small loads, so maybe that’s contributing to it. Maybe I’ll run the machine in spin mode before actually starting the wash. Maybe that can help since it needs to warm up?

 

[toploadloyalist]

The same happens in Whirlpools of that time.

 

[blockeight88]

So if I wanted to replace the old transmission with a new one, that would fix the issue? I see this unit is brand new? Can anyone advise?

https://partsdr.com/part/3360629-transmission

 

[qsd-dan]

A complete transmission may be your only option now. Up until recently, $20 would get you an entire kit to rebuild these transmissions (Part# 388253A) but Whirlpool discontinued them and no aftermarket company that I know of has offered one yet. It appears that Whirlpool is aggressively trying to force these machines into the scrapyard so they can sell you a new one.

 

[blockeight88]

Thank you. So would I need any other parts, or would just the transmission in the link above cut it? I ask because the company I want to use for the repair does not supply parts.

So I am not sure if the transmission would include everything, such as the oil.

I know nothing about any of this.

 

[DADoES]

 
Oh my ... wasn't aware the neutral drain kit is gone NLA.  Sucks BIG TIME how many parts are going away.  Direct-drives were produced late as 2012 for the coin-op market.

Leastwise I have one neutral drain kit on-hand, unless maybe there's another stashed in one of the closets that I don't recall.

 

[DADoES]

 
Yay, I found another neutral drain kit.

Replacement transmissions are filled with oil, ready to install.  I didn't recall for sure if a coupler is included.  The photo at PartsDr shows the transmission half of a coupler on it, assuming that's accurate.  Your motor will have the other half already on it (and the rubber bushing to be reused), if a full coupler set is not included with the new transmission.

 

[repairguy]

I guess since it is close enough to me he 10 year mark since the direct drive machines have ceased to be built there will be a lot of NLA parts. I hate to see it as much as the next direct drive enthusiast but in this day and age I feel whirlpool was gracious to continue the parts as long as they did.

 

[maytag85]

Whirlpool is evil for discontinuing parts for the direct drive washers and like QSD-DAN said they are deliberately trying to force good machines into the scrap yard. Whirlpool clearly no longer cares about customers anymore and they only care about the gullible consumers and customers that don’t know any better. I feel bad for the repair techs who have to put up with this crap since the newer Whirlpool top loaders use the cheaply made transmission/gearbox in them that tend to crap out after 5 years of use and AW user Eurekastar has had to deal with the transmission crapping out in his newer Maytag commercial washer.

 

[repairguy]

Not “me he” should’ve been “the”

 

[whitewhiskers]

lots of rebuild kits available on eBay

There's a seller on eBay who is selling the kit 388253A for $25, free shipping, claims to have more than 10 available.

My 30 year old DD, my profile picture, seldom does a neutral drain after the wash cycle, but always after the rinse. It's all very random. I had assumed the fault was with the mechanical relays on the timer board, which have been a source of problems for many years. Now reading this thread I'm not sure.

What happens is the machine will proceed after a brief pause from wash agitation to a spin out of water which may last a minute. Then the machine stops, as if the lid had been lifted, then spin starts again for the normal time.

I keep thinking I should have a spare coupler on hand as spinning the basket with a full load of water must place a large strain on the coupler. But so far there haven't been any faults so things just keep going and going.

 

[blockeight88]

@ DADoES

So replacing the entire transmission will fix the neutral drain, correct? Do you know if this transmission is likely to be more noisy than the original, like other posters have stated above?

Also would this be the coupling set needed:

Coupling 3364003 parts | Sears PartsDirect

Coupling 3364003 (replaced by 285753A) parts - manufacturer-approved parts for a proper fit every time! We also have installation guides, diagrams and manuals to help you along the way!

www.searspartsdirect.com