KM Direct Drive help needed

[extmaxspin]

Hey guys,

My mom's 25ish year old direct drive Kenmore has quit on her. I went to check it out yesterday and got a couple of videos. The first is it attempting to agitate and the second is a neutral drain (which is does not do) and then I open the lid switch to start the spin, which obviously it does not do either.

She said when it initially quit, it would still agitate, but when it got to drain, it made a loud almost machine gun noise. When I checked it out yesterday, the noise it was making was consistent regardless of the direction the motor was running, and it won't do anything.

I have a pretty clear understanding on how these function, but don't really have any experience with trouble shooting problems with them. Could someone point me in the right direction? I'm assuming it's likely a transmission issue.

I've not yet done any actual major mechanical work on any of the machines I own, but my understanding is that these are fairly easy to work on. So it's not out of the question that I'd attempt to do the work myself, I just don't know where to start.

TYIA!

 

[extmaxspin]

video of drain/spin

second video - drain/spin

 

[whitewhiskers]

Coupler

Time to pull the cabinet and operate......

 

[DADoES]

 
Seems consistent with motor-transmission coupler failure.

It'll drain with a failed coupler, even if no spin.  The pump mounts directly to the back of the motor (toward front of the machine) on a second drive shaft, no coupler involved there.

285852A Heavy-Duty Motor Coupling

H-o-w-e-v-e-r .... you might try to locate the older style without the metal center bushings (assuming the machine still has the old style).  The metal bushing can cause trouble in wearing-down the motor shaft in a future coupler failure.

285852 Coupler w/o Metal Bushing (if that's what the source really offers)

This is a reasonably-simple repair on a DD.
- Flip the console back.  The anchor screws on this KM may be hidden beneath trim pieces that (carefully) snap off the sides of the console.  Be careful when handling the console to avoid breaking the plastic hinges at the upper rear corners that allow it to swing back.
- Disconnect the wires on the lid switch.
- Remove the two spring clips that anchor the outer cabinet to the rear panel.
- Tip the outer cabinet forward and remove it.
- Remove two clips that anchor the pump to the motor, swing the pump out of the way, wedged against the left side of the base.
- Remove the motor wiring harness and capacitor wires.
- Remove two screws on the motor anchor clips.  Hold/support the motor, remove the two clips, remove the motor.
- Get the broken remnants of the coupler off the motor and transmission shafts.
- Press the new coupler onto the shafts.  Use a hex socket of suitable size to fit between the coupler fingers and a mallet or hammer to carefully tap the coupler halves onto the shafts such that the ends of the shafts are flush with the surfaces in the middle.
- Place the rubber bushing onto either side of the coupler and turn them to align for mating.
- Set the motor in place, secure the clips and screws, reattach the wires.
- Set the pump in place, attach the clips.
- Replace the outer cabinet, anchor clips, lid switch wires, console.

There are many videos on YouTube ... but beware of some in which a DIYer doesn't know how to detach the outer cabinet and may go in from the bottom or even from the rear panel (enacting destruction in the process!).

 

[maytaga806]

It’s as simple as replacing the motor coupler!! Very easy job and no expensive parts!! I got a Kenmore like this last year that had a bad coupler with the same symptoms and replaced it and the machine has been working like new ever since. Very common issue on these direct drives. That sound it makes is so notorious when the coupler fails, it usually will split somewhere on the two plastic pieces that join together to connect the motor to the transmission. Glad you asked and didn’t throw it out!

 

[extmaxspin]

Thanks Glenn and Dan!

Thanks guys! It sounds pretty straightforward, and I'm happy it doesn't involve pulling or cracking the transmission. Not at all opposed to getting into things of that depth eventually, but I wouldn't want to use my mom's machine as a guinea pig and things go poorly!

Glenn, just a question to clarify... You mentioned that it would still drain with the bad coupler. She says she couldn't get it to drain and had about 4" of water left that she shop-vac'd out. I unfortunately wasn't watching the drain to see if it was pumping anything out in the time I tested it, and I don't feel she has enough knowledge of timer positioning/machine function to say that it truly wouldn't drain.

What I DO remember seeing is that when I set it to dry agitate, the remaining water below the basket level was pushed up into the basket by the reverse action of the pump. So I assume that would be a good sign (I hope)?

Thanks again!!

 

[combo52]

2000 Kenmore Broken Dr. coupling

This is not too difficult to replace don't overthink the symptoms, the one caution when you're pounding the drive coupling onto the motor you need to hold the motor upright, so the shaft is against a hard surface so you're not pounding against the thrust washers in the motor when you're putting the drive coupling on.

Even though the current whirlpool Drive couplings with the metal insert have been known to cause the motor shaft to wear and ruin the motor eventually, this really only happens in machines that are used a lot, I doubt your mother uses this washer that much as the drive coupling lasted 24 years so I would probably go with the genuine whirlpool Drive coupling.

The all plastic drive couplings are junk and some of them don't last a month so you'll just be doing the job again if you get a non-whirlpool Drive coupling.

Good luck let us know how it goes, John

 

[extmaxspin]

Reading my mind

Hi John,

You were reading my mind on both points, overthinking the symptoms and the replacement coupling with the insert.

The way she does laundry, this is the most babied machine out there. If the original coupling lasted 24 or so years, I'm not going to concern myself with potential damage caused by the failure of the replacement with the metal insert. I DID order the Whirlpool OEM part.

Thanks for the additional tip on attaching the coupling to the motor shaft! I'll give you an update after the part gets here and I have a chance to go get 'er done.

Thanks all!

 

[DADoES]

 
Post pics of the problem and your repair of it.