New Maytag Traditional Belt Drive Washing Machine

[combo52]

Whirlpool Started Using Top Mounted Supension

In their TL washers in 1949, although it was a much stiffer suspension and it did not drop with the weight of water and clothing, GE also used a modified top mounted suspension system on their FF washers from 1961-1994.

But overall these new Belt Drive WP TL washers have been very successful and have had few problems, yes WP has made a few changes and improvements, but I still maintain you will see some these washers still in use when they are 30+ years old and most will only have been repaired either once or not at all when they are around 20 or so years old.

 

[thefixer]

I've repaired lots of these VMW machines and I know a lot of techs who consider them cash cows. Poorly made junk in my opinion. The actual percentage of failures may be low considering how ubiquitous they have become but we see lots of them. We are now replacing upper transmission bearings in the "unserviceable" transmissions due to so many failures of the tub seal. People won't pay the high price of transmission replacement but will for the 30 minutes of labor, bearing and tub seal, once the transmission is removed. One of the many failures we see on them. We always carry extra shift actuators and motor capacitors. Got the idea of replacing the transmission bearings from an appliance junkyard that sees these machines coming in about every other day. So many had bearing failures that they decided to figure out how to replace them.

 

[repair-man]

I think that Whirlpool could address the weak spots in the VMW machines and they would be pretty good. But so far they are not holding up very well.