Question - New Whirlpool Toploader

[llmaytag]

I recently purchased a new Whirlpool washer after I discovered grease below my Maytag Performa LAT2500AAE washer and determined that water was leaking from the tub seal when I would wash a load at the higher water levels. (Note the grease in the attached pics.) This Maytag had the larger white porcelain tub, which isn't quite as large as the polymer and stainless steel tubs and I really loved the very basic design of Maytag washers which really had two phases. Turn the transmission one way, you get agitation, the other, you get spin and drain. Anyway...

Having the tub seal replaced would have been nearly $300 and I probably couldn't have done the job myself. It broke my heart when I discovered that Maytag was purchased by Whirlpool about a year ago. Further, I know the current models went from a two belt design to a single belt design, and understand there have been problems with getting to full spin speed which I suspect might be partly due to the single belt design. (I see someone recently got a new Dependable Care model, and if I thought I could have, I would have purchased one instead of the Whirlpool!) Well, as it turned out, and as the subject states, I purchased a new Whirlpool washer.

My two requirements in a washer is to have a white tub and an extra rinse option, so I found the a Whirlpool model with those two features. I understand that Whirlpool toploaders don't use belts, and they don't spin/drain, but instead drain, then spin. As I've used this washer, I realize how much I liked the basic-ness of the Maytag. When changing from one phase to another it seems the Whirlpool has longer delays than the Maytag, and the separate drain makes it feel like the cycles are longer overall. Anyway, the question...

On the Maytag, if I wanted to, I could hold the lid switch in, so that I could peek during agitation or spin if I wanted. The Whirlpool doesn't have an externally accessible lid switch. What's the easiest way to get around this? I can crack the lid ever so slightly and barely peek in but not really see much.

Knowing how the Whirlpool works, I know if I raise the lid during the drain, some kind of cam or something activates and when the lid is again lowered, it won't just continue draining, but will drain and spin during the drain phase, then stop and continue on to the spin. Gosh I find that irritating!

Anyway, I've carried on way too far, but would appreciate any information that will help me get around the lid switch.

Thanks!

 

[DADoES]

The lid switch likely is actuated by the right lid hinge. If you push the tub toward the right rear to make some room, you may be able to reach back there and feel it. But UNPLUG THE MACHINE FIRST! Could be some live current involved.

Some designs have a curved arm pressing up or into a recessed cam to trigger the switch, which makes it difficult to trigger manually.

A work-around, if you are up to it, would be bypass the switch completely. You'd have to remove the outer cabinet for access and splice the wires together. Doing this while your warranty is still in effect (if it still is) would likely void said warranty due to consumer tampering .... but it otherwise wouldn't harm the machine. It's "standard procedure" for folks on this board to bypass that pesky switch, LOL.

 

[gadgetgary]

And here is the interior shot

Of a Dependable Care, clean, no leak. And mine is not a 'Performa'

 

[llmaytag]

Dependable Care

Actually, my first Maytag washer was a Dependable Care/Plus, (like my dryer which has lasted about 14 years). The Dependable Care looked identical and performed identical to the Performa. The Dependable Care had to be moved and stored for a while and when it was returned had a big scratch in front which made me think it had been jared around. Shortly after it was returned it failed, which is why I had the Performa. I would have much rather had a new Dependable Care than the Whirlpool!

 

[runematic]

Llmaytag, you had a dependable care. For some dumb marketing reason, known only by the intelligent geniuses at Maytag, they rebadged the line as Performa for just a year or three. Nice & confusing when someone would come to my store from a "big box" where they sold the Norgetag Performa & my Performa was more expensive because it was a Newton Dependable Care. It was always interesting trying to explain the differences. Some people understood, most said, "yeah, but Lowe's Performa is $XXXX cheaper."

I think $300 for a tub seal replacement is a little salty as well.

 

[peterh770]

Did someone actually quote you a $300 service charge to replace the seal? It is a very easy job and can probably be done in less than an hour by an experienced tech, probably in 2 hours by a novice.

Having a dd WP do the spin drain by raising and lowering the lid during drain will put excessive strain on the coupler between the motor and the transmission and cause premature failure. While replacing a failed coupler is very easy, I wouldn't want you to have to purchase another new washer if it failed...

 

[llmaytag]

Tub Seal

Actually, I know the part would have been approximately $50.00 plus some other $20.00 item. The fellow who looked at it said that the labor would exceed $200.00 since it all has to be taken apart. I figured that with tax on the parts and everything it would have been beyond $300.00, and I would have to wait for them to get the part and schedule to do the work. I kinda regret have the delivery people haul away the old Maytag. I should have kept it in my garage and replaced it myself. I would have had to buy a new one anyway because this kind of job would likely take me weeks to complete, but at then I'd have two machines.

On the Whirlpool, what really bugs me is that I know the machine was not designed to spin/drain at once and yet if I raise the lid drain I've then forced a spin/drain which of course will cause undue stress on the machine. That's bad design. A power outage or raised lid should not change the drain, to a drain/spin!

Oh well....

 

[DADoES]

As we all know, the original WP direct-drive design DID spin-drain. Are the couplers different now, unable to handle the strain? My grandmother's Design 2000 never had the coupler replaced during the 13 to 14 years she used the machine.

 

[peterh770]

I know that a few years ago, WP beefed up the domestic coupler using a harder rubber. The commercial line has a different coupler, made of nylon reinforced hard rubber. John Lefevre replaces couplers with the commercial grade one when he does service calls on WP's.

 

[smokey2367]

I was just wondering if the tub seal problem was common with this Maytag model #LAT2500AAE, which is the same as mine. I have been confused about the "Performa" aspect of this machine -- I keep hearing how junky Performa's are. I bought my machine from the local authorized Maytag dealer, so I guess mine is really a dependable care model. I thought they had mastered the tub seal by the time I bought mine (July 2002). From the looks of the machine pictured above, I now have my doubts. Doug

 

[appnut]

doug, yours was bought at an authorize Maytag dealer. It's a Dependable Care model if it has the porcelain tub. I believe it's going to be a case-by-case basis as far as tub seal potential issues. Wouldn't worry unless it surfaces.

 

[whirlcool]

I don't like the "neutral drain" on the WP's either, I usually lift the lid and close it again to get a spin drain. I think that all this neutral drain does is redeposit suds on the top of your clothes instead of draining it out. Been doing this on our WP DD for the past 10 years, and no problems yet. But that's not to say that it isn't good for the machine, either.

 

[agiflow]

Even with the neutral drain, these machines start spraying water on to the load as soon as the machine goes into spin...it shouldn't be a real worry.

 

[appnut]

Yeah, but how long is that intial spray, 7 seconds? 10 secondes? I never thought it was effective at all in my Lady Kenmore and mine starts about 4 seconds after the spin began. Personally, I thought rinsing was horrible on towels & underwear. I have noticed a significant improvement in rinsing with my front loader.

 

[agiflow]

The DD KM i am using now does 2 15 second sprays in both spins. It is pretty effective on most loads except an all towels load. Even when using the 2nd rinse, i still find some foam, though the water is pretty clear. It will spray 2 times again in the 3rd spin.

 

[appnut]

Taht's what Sears called the Ultrarinse system.

 

[llmaytag]

Actually, the Performa replaced my "Dependable Care/Plus" washer. My original washer was a Dependable Care/Plus which never leaked a drop of water and I preferred the original 12 vane agitator and the overall look of the exterior and console. I think this was the first line with the larger porcelain tubs. Unfortunately my home underwent major reconstruction when I had that machine and I had to have pretty much everything in my house moved and stored for about three months. When the washer was returned, the moving company provided a small $$ amount to replace the panel. A few months after it was returned, the transmission seized and wouldn't move. When the repair guy had the front panel off, the inside didn't show any leakage or grease as in the two pictures I posted. It was about seven years old and though the transmission was still under the ten year warranty, Maytag offered my $90 credit on a new if I opted to replace the machine.

I opted to replace the machine, but if I recall correctly, the "Dependable Care" line was no longer available and "Performa" machines had a different console and front panel, but the tub, agitator, (other than the spiral top section), looked identical. The "Performa" still used two belts instead of one, and the transmission pulley was still metal or steel, (maybe aluminum). It seemed to me that the "Performa" was just a rebranding of "Dependable Care." Then again, I didn't purchase the "Performa" from a genuine Maytag dealer. May there is a difference that I didn't realize. The Whirlpool I have now is okay, but I really liked the Maytag much better. In fact, if I could find a "Dependable Care" now, I might still consider buying it.

 

[smokey2367]

I guess I should listen to appnut & not worry about it until something happens. (I tend to obsess) I haven't had any problems since I bought it. I ditched the corkscrew agitator & replaced it with a 12 vane one that has a lint filter. Works much better, although I'd still rather have my old A206 Maytag back. It's still sitting in the garage; maybe someday I'll try my hand at fixing it! doug

 

[llmaytag]

Not to worry

If I were you I wouldn't worry about it. By the way, isn't the lint filter part under the agitator with both the corkscrew and the 12 vane?