Funny story about the basket drive retainer clips we discuss
One of the machines in my current collection is a 1986 Kenmore 70. It is not a machine of notoriety, but I've rescued this same machine from scrap twice, once in 1993 and again in 2003. That secured it a place with me...
The machine was only 7.5 years old when I got it in 1993, in very nice shape, and it would have gone within a day to the scrap yard had I not grabbed it and five others. I was surprised at the time that a used appliance store let a seven year old belt-drive out of their clutches, as these were instant sellers on the floor as long as they were in nice physical shape and not avocado, etc.
I got it home, then I knew why they didn't want it. Outside of a tub leak, the later designed yoke retainer clip, which replaced the spring and cotter pin as discussed above, had cracked and come out of its snapped position on the support post. This allowed the rear side of the basket drive yoke to flop around. It eventually came completely off the support post, and was riding pivoted, above it, side to side as much as the limited play would allow. Other than a sluggish spin like Duke described, the moving parts of the clutch plate and brake drum etc. would rub on this yoke, thrashing it around, etc. That yoke is not meant to move around, that's for sure.
Doesn't sound so remarkable, but the machine made sounds I had never heard before, and have not since. Since the yoke is under some pressure, especially during operation, and is heavy gauge steel, it was making some incredible racket which reminded me of a muffled gun shot or the sound of a shoed horse trotting on a cement paved street.
This is one of those repairs that is really satisfying, because you get instant gratification as the problem thus forth was fixed with no funky sounds.
I sold the machine soon after and it did laundry for 9 or 10 years for a newlywed couple who went on to have two babies before the machine developed centerpost seal failure. I'd have liked it to serve longer, but it made it longer than its original term by 25%. The buyers called me and asked if I wanted it back.
In 2009 I re-sealed it and refreshed a thoroughly nasty spoiled transmission which had been full of water, among other work. The water in the gearcase evaporated in the six years previous, but left this unholy black molasses like goo in the gearcase. I use it now fairly regularly. My best memory of this washer though is that broken tiny plastic clip which rendered the whole machine useless....
Gordon
