My New Whirlpool

[eurekastar]

I know its not a rare find, but I'm excited to begin work on my new acquisition! A friend gave it to me today. It's been in her garage for years after she inherited it from her Grandmother. Beyond installing a new pump on a Whirlpool direct drive, I've not done much in the way of washer repairs. But I wanted to begin with a model that has greater potential for finding parts.

It fills and agitates but it doesn't spin, so I'll need to investigate that. I plan to disassemble it at least down to removing the agitator and wash baskets in order to give it a thorough cleaning. Then, I'll see what kind of other issues that need to be addressed, including cosmetic stuff.

I'm guessing this model is circa the early to mid 1980s.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Perhapsit needs a coupler...
I have one just like it that needs a new wash basket.

 

[jasonlittle]

The first thing I would check is the lid switch. If the Coupler was bad it would not agitate or spin. Those older direct drive whirlpools would allow you to open the lid when it is washing but once it is time to spin the lid switch kicks in. If the lid switch is bad it will still fill and run through the wash cycle because the lid switch is not required but as soon as it is time to spin it will not go any further because it thinks the lid is open. I have changed dozens of lid switchs with those same symptoms .

 

[DADoES]

 
The lid switch may be the fault if the motor does not run for drain or spin.  It's not the problem if the motor does run but there's no spin.

Give us the model and serial numbers to confirm the age.  The model number is coded for the year of market introduction.  The serial number is coded for the year and week of manufacture.

 

[eurekastar]

Thanks for all the troubleshooting advice! I'll get the model number and serial number when I get home this evening.

 

[iowabear]

Good luck!  I love that it still has the stickers on it after all this time.

 

[washerlover]

My ex-wife and I had the exact same model (and matching dryer) we bought brand new the year we were married: 1986. I was so surprised with the direct drive vs belt-drive. I had been in the “appliance closet” (along with being in the gay closet!) for a couple years and didn’t know about the change-over to direct drive. Still a pretty good washer, nonetheless.

 

[dustin92]

If the motor runs, and it agitates and drains but won't spin or barely spins, you most likely have a bad clutch. Inexpensive part and super easy repair (even though you do have to pull the transmission) that took me less than half an hour the first time. Definitely worth fixing.

 

[eurekastar]

I finally had a chance to put it through its paces this evening and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it! I ran it through every cycle and it operates as it should. So I don't know exactly why she thought it wouldn't spin. However, it sat in a storage building for 20 years, following her grandmother's death. But it fired right up. I can only run cold water from a garden hose.

The model number is LA5500TWO. The serial number is C91227286.

 

[eurekastar]

I haven't seen any rust on the cabinet at all, even under the lid. Unfortunately, things were piled on it and the top has some deep scratches and discoloration. So I plan to remove the cabinet, sand and prime it, and then repaint it with some Rustoleum Appliance Epoxy. It should look virtually brand new after that!

 

[eurekastar]

Once I get it repainted, I think I'll move it into the house and use it for a month or so. The wash basket is pretty small but with no kids at home, it will be just fine! I've never seen an agitator base quite like this one. I'm wondering if a fabric softener dispenser can be added.

 

[iowabear]

It really cleaned up nicely.  The chrome accents on the control panel just make it look so much nicer than modern all plastic machines.

 

[eurekastar]

One of the things that I really like about this washer is that it begins to spin as soon as the wash basket starts draining as well.

 

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>EurekaStar:  One of the things that I really like about this washer is that it begins to spin as soon as the wash basket starts draining as well.</blockquote> It shouldn't do that.  The motor should pause for a few seconds after the wash (and rinse) agitation, then it restarts and should drain without spinning for 2 mins, the motor pauses again and restarts for spin.  Spinning immediately with water in the tub indicates the neutral drain components in the transmission are worn.  There's a low-cost repair kit (WP part number 388253) available, requires pulling and opening the transmission to swap the parts.  The non-spin situation may be erratic and related to this problem.

LA5500TW0 ... maybe LA5500XTW0?
W = 1990 model year.

C91227286
12th week of 1989.

 

[eurekastar]

So I found a decoder ring on the internet and the best I can tell, the washer was manufactured in March 1989.

 

[eurekastar]

@ DadoES

That is correct! I left the X off the model number! And thanks for the heads up on the transmission issue.

 

[eurekastar]

@ DadoES

That is correct! I left the X off the model number! And thanks for the heads up on the transmission issue.

 

[iowabear]

HD video that shows the repair.  Doesn't look too bad, but a lot more work than just swapping the transmission.

 

So are the options are to order the neutral drain kit for $30 or just replace the transmission for $150?

 

The DD that came with my house had this problem (went right to spin without drain period) and it operated for some time that way.  (Only doing laundry for two.) I think eventually (after 3 years) it got to the point where occasionally it would stall and wouldn't spin and opening and closing the lid (or using the timer) would "restart" it and it would spin and continue the cycle.  I can't remember exactly, it's been quite a while ago.

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUOH67WisHU

 

[eurekastar]

@ IowaBear

Thank you! I love Youtube! It looks like a straightforward repair. I found another video that shows how to remove the transmission. Once everything is out, it makes sense to install a new motor coupler just to be safe. Although, the clutch assembly looks like a pretty solid part and should hopefully be good.

 

[DADoES]

 
To clarify about neutral drain (as you may know) ... the transmission must operate in agitate mode (~1 minute should normally be enough, longer may be needed when the parts get worn or in cold ambient temperatures if the transmission oil is thickened) before a drain period occurs to preset the neutral drain components.  It won't neutral drain if the timer is set directly to the drain period after a cycle (or spin) has ended (without agitation occurring first).

There's really no need to change the motor coupler unless it's broken, cracked, loose on the motor or transmission shaft, or otherwise obviously deteriorated in some way.  However, you may want to change it anyway if the machine still has the old-style coupler that's all plastic (without metal inserts).  The newer style fits tighter, requires more "pounding" to get properly seated (must be flush with the ends of the shafts).  Be sure to pound directly on the metal insert, not on the plastic part (I use a hex socket of appropriate size).

 

[iowabear]

When the neutral drain components start to wear, exactly what is happening?  I cannot remember if my machine always failed the neutral drain or just most of the time.

 

How bad is it when the neutral drain doesn't work consistently?  Obviously it puts a lot of stress on the rest of the machine but mine kept on chugging away until I replaced it (and I did full loads most of the time.)

 

I've linked to a video that shows the neutral drain.  I like this guys videos.  Not thrilled about the computer generated speech but they are good otherwise.

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LVaj-mK-nQ

 

[eurekastar]

That video illustrates exactly what the transmission is doing. I think I'll try my hand at repairing the existing transmission!

 

[DADoES]

 
I did that repair on one a few weeks ago.  I also changed the agitator shaft so more disassembly was involved and it was a bit messy.  Changing the oil and cleaning out the residue may not be necessary for just the neutral drain components but still is a good idea.  90-weight gear oil can be had at an auto supply.

 

[eurekastar]

Agitator Dogs

I have a neutral drain kit on order, so I started the process of disassembly. As I inspected the agitator dogs, one of them easily broke. Would it be better to buy the whole kit or just the dogs?

 

[eurekastar]

I think I answered my own question. The kits on Ebay are about as cheap as the dogs themselves.

 

[DADoES]

 
Only the dogs are needed unless some other part is worn.  Some have a plastic thrust washer/ring that sometimes gets worn to the point of non-existence.  If you found a kit for a steal-price ... then there you are!

 

[eurekastar]

Painting Question

Unfortunately, the porcelain top has a few deep scratches, along with some minor ones. Would it be best to sand those out and spray the surface will Rustoleum Appliance Epoxy or to try and touch them up? I've never painted a porcelain surface before. I'm assuming the entire surface would need a light sanding to provide a good surface for the epoxy to adhere to. It is in such good condition otherwise and I'd really like to make it look as close to new as possible.

(That's what happens from years of sitting in a garage with other stuff being stacked on it!)

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice!

 

[eurekastar]

Lint Filter?

I finally got the wash basket off this evening with a new spanner wrench and a little coaxing. I was surprised to find this on the bottom of the basket. A couple of questions: 1) What is it? The lint filter? 2) Is it designed to come off? I don't see it on any parts diagrams.

I'm concerned that it might be quite brittle with age. The only thing that I can think to do is treat it with CLR and soak it in hot water. I see some rust on the bottom of the basket but I'm sure there's more under this filter. Therefore, I want to remove it in order to take care of the rust.

Thanks for any answers and help!

 

[eurekastar]

Well, I see it on this parts diagram but it seems that another part (style) is being substituted. It looks like they just insert into the four holes beneath the agitator as a substitute for the filter on the bottom of the wash basket.

 

[DADoES]

 
Lint filter, yes.  There are holes in the base of the basket, little fins under the agitator help move water through the filter fingers, then the lint is supposed to flush off during spin extraction.

It is removable but there were different designs through the years and some can be tricky.  There may be a retaining wire/spring up inside the neck of the basket that keeps two (or four?) anchor tabs locked into holes in the basket neck.  I had one saved from a refurbed Kenmore as an example but can't find it, so here's a parts diagram capture indicating the tabs.  If it's of this type you may have to either press all four tabs at the same time from inside the basket while pulling on it from the bottom, or try to reach into the neck from the bottom to find and release the spring clip.  One of the tabs broke off the one I had.