Kenmore/Whirlpool washer leaking oil?

[panasonicvac]

Hey everyone, my sister just sent this picture to me the other day wondering what this brown stuff is from underneath her washer. She owns a Kenmore, I don't remember what model it is but I think it's a 70 Series top loader that's made by Whirlpool. Anyways, I'll be heading over to her place tomorrow and take a look at it. She thought at first that somewhere in the drainage is leaking but if I were to take a guess by judging from the photo, I think her transmission is leaking oil. If that's what I think it is, we would likely just end up replacing the washer. She's not going to spend over $50 to get it fixed. So far the washer isn't making any weird noises or smells, but I've already warned her to be careful using it until I take a closer look at it.

Any thoughts or opinions on this?

 

[repairguy]

Yes it is oil from the transmission probably leaking from the front shaft seal. I’d run it until it fails if you’re not wanting to fix it as it will run for a long time like this if it is only leaking a small amount.

 

[panasonicvac]

Update

I went over to my sister's the other day and got a closer look at it. It is in fact leaking oil from the transmission. And the oil leak looked bigger than I thought it was going to be. Since the washer has still been running fine, we'll go ahead and just use it until the washer fails. My next question judging from the oil spill is how long do you think the transmission would last until? Because my sister still wants to plan ahead and order a new washer when the time comes to replace the Kenmore, she's still not going to fix or replace the transmission. I already recommended her a Speed Queen TC5 since she wants something that's built like an old school washer and something that would last for a very long time, plus it's right around her price range she's willing to spend on for a good brand new washer. She also asked if replacing her dryer with a matching SQ DC5 dryer is worth getting as well? She has an LG and I already told her that her dryer still works fine, especially since that LG used to be ours and it's the one that was recommended to us when we originally got the dryer. I also told her that if she can get a discount for the DC5 from a holiday sale, trade in, or receive a unit that's already got a dent or scratch on it, then I wouldn't rule out getting the DC5.

 

[repairguy]

Every machine is different when it comes to how long it will last with an oil leak. I replaced a drive coupler on one 4 years ago and noticed it was leaking at that time and the machine is still in operation. That certainly doesn’t mean that would all last that long in it’s condition but these were good machines in their day.

 

[maytag85]

Whirlpool/Kenmore transmissions can run for awhile with little to no oil in them and going off topic slightly but I do remember that John/Combo52 posted somewhere in the archives where he saw a Whirlpool belt drive washer run for a few years under heavy use with no oil in the transmission and it finally did ruin all the gears inside from what I remember reading in the archives.