Repair help....

[bosch2460]

Hey guys. I hope you can help me out. I have a friend who has an old, probably late 70's/early 80's, Kenmore washer. I am assuming it is belt drive. She was telling me that the washer would not drain or spin, but would wash just fine. It would fill and agitate, and then just stop. So, what do you experts think might be the trouble? She really does not want to invest a lot of money in it, nor does she want to pay a repairman, in addition to parts. She said that she could TRY to fix it herself, if she had instructions, and knew the parts. Can ya help? TIA.

Joel

 

[fredfred9633]

um...
she might be able to get a person to come out there and look at it and et an estimate

 

[tuthill]

OK, first of all, I am no expert (although I do enjoy this kind of stuff). KenmoreGuy will probably (and others) help you for sure.

But maybe one of the solenoids on the wig wag is bad?

 

[goatfarmer]

When it stops, try wiggling the timer knob. Had several BD Kenmores over the years that had bad timers, and would stop mid cycle. Tapping the knob would get 'em going again.

 

[tuthill]

Does the motor continue to run when the timer is in spin cycle?

 

[volvoguy87]

No drain, no spin?

Are you sure its a belt drive? This sounds a lot like a broken coupler on a direct drive. Check out the Appliance Samurai's test to determine if its a belt drive or a direct drive. Check the link below.

Dave

Appliance Repair Revelation: Is Your Washer Belt-Drive or Direct-Drive?

If you have a Whirlpool or Kenmore washer and post a question about it in The Appliantology Group or call me on the Toll-free Appliance Repair Hotline about a problem with it, the first thing I&#82…

fixitnow.com

 

[bosch2460]

Man, ya'll are on the ball!! I will check and see if it is the knob/timer first. I am not completely sure if it is belt drive or direct drive. And I have no clue if the motor continues to run when it is supposed to be spinning. The only people who pay attention to that kinda stuff are people like us. I guess I will know more when I know for sure if it is belt or direct drive. I gotta get some details, I guess. Thanks for the help guys. I am on this site several times a day, reading most everything here. I rarely post, but you guys always come through!!

J

 

[kenmoreguy64]

I agree with both Jed and Kenny....

If the machine is indeed a belt drive and it won't drain or spin, but continues to idle, then my first suspect would be the wigwag (aka control magnet) just like Jed said.

If the machine just stops dead, then Kenny is likely right as well, as dead spots do commonly develop in timers when contacts wear/burn out, especially machines of that era. When timers begin to go bad, they will first exhibit momentary pauses in motor operation as the timer advances, but they resume and continue on. As the failure of the timer progesses, the momentary pause turns into a full-blown dead spot. This is usually worst in a cycle used frequently. For example, if your friend uses the Perm Press cycle mostly, there may not be the same dead spot on the normal/cotton sturdy cycle. If her machine is truly shutting down completely, suggest that she try another cycle to see if it will complete one she doesn't use much. As Kenny says, giggling the timer knob can make the machine re-start, but as the spots get worse, sometimes even that doesn't help.

The wigwag is not a big deal to replace, however I would recommend a repair manual for a reference (they can be had cheaply on ebay). If the problem is the timer, that is an easier repair, but possibly more costly.

RE timers: From 1976 thru 1986, I'd guess 95% of all belt-drive Kenmores used one of three timers. Because so many bazillions of machines were made during that time, there are lots of timers available. Balcum on ebay sells tested and guaranteed used ones for as low as $10 (you have to make an offer). I bought two recently, which would be a great way to go for your friend if money is an issue. She can change a timer easily (the repair manual is a help there too).

If you can get us the model number, I'll tell you what timer to look for (if that's the problem) and exactly how to swap it (one of the newer replacements of the three requires a jumper wire to be spliced for spray rinses to work properly).

Good luck - I'll check back from time to time to see if I can help further.....

Gordon

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Dave, a broken coupler would cause a d/d machine to not agitate or spin. It would still fill and drain.

A bad wigwag could indeed cause it but I've gone on many a service call where the wire(s) to the wigwag break, usually right at the metal wire guide right above it. All that bending back and forth as the wigwag move causes the wiring to break inside the wire sheath sometimes without visible damage...

RCD

 

[laundromat]

posible EZ fix

If it's a direct drive(and its symtems make it sound like it probably is)the main cause of that comon problem is a faulty lid switch.It fills to wash,agitates up to the fianal 6 minutes where its agitation slows down and the lid switch is activated,then drains and spins.If it has a faulty lid switch,when it goes to activate it,the washer comes to a complete hault.The motor shuts off and no water is drained and no spin is going to come on.You can tell its a direct drive by looking at the rear of the machine If there is no bottom plate or opening at the base of the back and you see black or gray plastic strips on the left and right sides going vertcaly up either side,it's direct drive and you can either splice the wires to make it never stop again when its spinning or replace the lid switch($7 at Sears).I think so many people that had this problem and could have fixed it so cheaply,had no clue and had "Mr Fix It" come and tell them they had a bad trans.then sell them a used one taking the broken one and fixing it for a few bucks and reselling it for a lot more.

 

[volvoguy87]

Thanks for the correction.

I'm always eager to learn accurate information.
Dave

 

[brisnat81]

If it's a belt drive

It should drain as soon as it stops agitating as the agitate solenoid and cam bar controls the function of the pump.

If its a direct drive and the motor doesnt run at all in any of the drain/spin periods, the lid switch is a great place to start. Mum's cracked the plastic mount where the switch assembaly screw onto the machine top and the activating pin didnt protrude far enough to engage it. It was a $120 part over here and took 4 weeks to arrive.

 

[whitekingd]

On my belt drive, I once had the drain hose kink. It caused the machine to not drain completely. If it was kinked enough, and did not drain enough, that could cause the machine to not spin. It is just a thought!

 

[bosch2460]

Well, she emailed me today. And her partner talked to a repair guy, and said that it might be the pump. Mind you, he did not see the washer, he was just guessing. I asked her for the model number so that it might be easier to pinpoint and troubleshoot. Maybe I should just go out there and look for myself. Anyway, once I get the model number, I will post here, and hope that someone can advice me. Thanks again.

 

[bosch2460]

OK. so I got some info if any of you can advise. It is a Kenmore 80 series. MODEL 110. 82983110. That is what she gave me. So hopefully it will be easier to find something out. Any advice or details would be much appreciated. She is missing her washer more and more the longer it is out of commission. Thanks.

 

[cleanteamofny]

It's a direct drive washer, and the problems that you've decribed is the lid switch. Start there but at the same time you have the cabinet off the base, replace the coupling at the same time. if you do the work yourself, the total bill for parts shoud be no more than $60.00 or less......

 

[xyz]

Well I would say that the solenoid is bad on the spin side. If you can determine which solenoid is bad and you don't want to buy a new set then just take a solenoid off a water inlet solenoid and replace the bad one on the wig wag. This is easy if you have seen it done before but mostly folks like me and cubans go to the extent of saving money. But I do what I gotta do. I just enjoy converting things from one function to the other. i'm not a purist when it comes to things. Some people can't afford to buy everything in the box.