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DADoES

DADoES

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May 21, 2001
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RJ's Imperial Seventy developed some trouble a few days ago. Spin solenoid. Upon investigating, I found the pump is also dripping. There's a floor drain under the machine so leaking hadn't been noticed. It has been mentioned that pumps (among other parts) for belt-drive Whirlpools are getting scarce, but I had no trouble finding both a wig-wag and pump at RepairClinic.com. But weeeooooo, a wig-wag is $25, and a pump $45 (3-port with a rubber plug for 2-port use). That's $75 for parts (with shipping). If the typical consumer also had to pay trip & labor and local taxes, that could easily double the cost, if not more. $150+ for a pump and wig-wag! I remember when pumps were $16!
 
Interesting, this being the first repair. Hopefully it will be the only repair!

I have a couple of brand new 3-port pumps and wig-wags on hand from eBay. eBay offers parts pretty cheap, much cheaper than new if you can believe that! If you're interested let me know!
 
Parts Availability

I have noticed that Ebay has a lot of washer parts too. I plan on keeping my Whirlpool TL for at least 25 years, if the tub doesn't rust first. It seems that the DD Whirlpools are pretty easy to work on, and I've only done one simple repair on a washer before. Do it yourself is definitely the way to go! I wonder how many washers are tossed just because they need a simple repair?
Whenever we get ready to move again, we will make sure we have a home that has a laundry room big enough to house multiple washers. I would love to have a Fridgidaire 1-18!
 
Many washers are tossed that need simple repairs,or nothing at all. I picked up a newer matched set of Kelvinators the other day behind Lowes. They needed nothing,both worked fine. I don't know how many DD Whirlpools I've picked up that need a drive coupler replaced. Sadly,(or lucky for me!),it's a throw away society.

kennyGF
 
#%@#$*!

I got the pump changed and the old wigwag pulled, no trouble, but now I can't get the #%@#$*! new wigwag pressed all the way down onto the sector gear shaft. There's not enough working room to get much leverage on it. I don't recall having that much trouble with it years ago. Am I missing a trick, or have I gotten too weak and wimpy to do the job?? Only thing I can figure is file out the mounting hole just a bit.
 
I felt the same way about pressing the drive coupler on in my DD...LOL! But that was before I saw Leslie's post about using a deep socket.

I wonder what could be the problem? Whirlpool/Kenmore didn't vary the diamater of the sector gear shaft or wig-wag, did they?
 
The shaft is split for a tight fit. Apparently it's too tight. I lubed it with Vaseline and don't feel any burrs on it. I can get the wigwag rocked/jammed down enough to barely see the hole beginning to appear. Refuses to go any further. If I had the tranny out I could beat the idiot thing down with a hammer, but there's no reason a tranny should need to be pulled to change a simple wigwag.
 
If the pump leaked it may have sprayed some water onto the transmission and other parts corroding them a bit. If the shaft had a little corrosion it could make it difficult to put on. Use some steel wool on it. Lube it first with some wd40. Sometimes you have to work it bach and forth while pushing it on. Just will take some work. Also be sure the bore in the wigwag is clean with no burrs.
 
Got the repair finished this evening. Just a slight bit of grinding with a Dremel tool inside the wigwag mounting hole, and it slipped into place. The 20-year-old belt has a surprising lack of wear. Snugged it up, all appears well. There's a bit of oil drippage on the floor, but I suppose that's not unexpected after this length of time.

Question: The wigwag plungers should of course not be lubed, but should the guides and cam bar slots have a touch of grease? The guides have the plastic inserts ... so perhaps not? I'm thinking that might cause them to stick.
 
The cam bars should be greased. A dab on the bottom where they meet the transmission case and a dab on the plunger slots. Use silicone grease.
 
Interesting and distressing development. Again, suddenly this evening, no spin. I haven't yet investigated, but either the wig-wag has gone out again, or there's broken or disconnected wire.
 
Check for broken wire near wig-wag. They often break inside the insulation so you can't see it. Also the lid switch operates the solenoid. The timer can be the culprit too. Put the machine in spin and jiggle the timer knob.

I remember when pumps were about 5 bucks. I thought that was pricey. Of course this was in the late 60's. Anyway I would avoid buying anything from Repair Clinic. Prices are extremely high.
 
Already tried by-passing the lid switch. I *know* the spin solenoid was bad on the original wigwag, checked it. The machine *did* spin with the replacement wigwag. Solenoid, wigwag wires next to check, then timer. And the console wiring harness -- the console got broken loose some years ago from grabbing it when moving the machine. The owner tends to still dislodge the console when moving it, which pulls the harness plug loose.
 
What *are* the odds??

Confirmed, the spin solenoid on the new wigwag has gone dead on the 2nd load after replacement. Are there any extenuating conditions that could cause that to happen?
 

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