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Melvin -

NEAT DD washer. Is this an early enough machine to have the pump in the back? I know that the first production did not have the pump centered in front, instead they were toward the back, at about 10 o'clock or 11 or so (I think).

As to the part numbers you asked for on your awesome belt-drive, they are:

For a complete basket drive and spin tube, the last part number was 383923 (NLA)

The complete transmission is 362901 (NLA). This is a universal replacement that fits all belt-drives except the pre-1974 super-tall centerpost machines.

You will need an 18-1/4" spin tube, which I believe is also NLA but is part 383921. Be careful not to get the tall spin tube which goes with the above tall transmission (doubtful you'd find one) or the very common 13.5" spin tube which is used on the 1978 and later models.

The agitator shaft is part number 285036. Same thing, most likely NLA.

Some of these items are still around, you'll just have to look for them.

Gordon
 
Thanks Gordon.
This machine is not early enough for the pump to be in the back. The first machine that I saw in 2000 was. However, it was in BAD shape, cabinet off, frame rusted Very bad.

Electrically speaking, this machine has had some patch work done to it, to which if it were not my machine, I would tell the owner to get a new one. I have gotten the machine working, however, the electrical patching done to this machine, I don't feel comfortable with. Before I get done with this machine, I will have to fix the existing patches. The frame looks very good for a machine this old. Tub spring was missing, took care of that. The main issue was the timer. The contacts for spin and agitate were so badly scored, the circuit was open. A little sand paper, electrical degreaser, and contact cleaner, causes the timer to work properly FOR NOW.

Here is shot of first wash. Machine is VERY quiet!!

supremewhirlpol++2-13-2011-19-04-29.jpg
 
Neutral drain pause?

I've noticed that this machine does not pause for a neutral drain. Instead, The machine pause, then agitate, then pause, agitate, pause, spin. Transmission does not go to neutral drain, but engages the cam driver. Is this the correct behavior of this machine?
 
 

This is a 3rd model-year machine, and at least a 2nd-revision design.  It has a clothes guard ring on the basket, which was not on the first introduction model.  When working at the Whirlpool dealer, the first model we sold was LB5500XK.  If I am not mistaken, LB5500XK (1982 model-year) was the only model Whirlpool offered initially.  I have a service school book that covers it (dated 1981).  It had four water levels, three temps, four cycles (Regular/Heavy, Knits/Gentle, Perm Press, Soak/Prewash.  The console did not have wood-grain decor.  More model choices were added later.  XL is the next model-year (1983).  XM follows that (1984).

 

The sequence you state, which I assume is following the designated agitation time on the Normal cycle -- pause, agitate, pause, agitate, pause, spin -- does not seem normal to me.  Doesn't seem there should be a sequence of pause, agitate, pause and agitate again.  One pause for motor reversal should occur between agitate and drain.  My grandmother had an LA7400XM bought in November 1984.  I could be wrong, but I vaguely recall that it didn't pause between "drain" and "spin" on Normal being as there was no need to shift the transmission.  It did pause very briefly (long enough for the basket to brake to a stop) between drain and spin on Gentle & Perm Press for the motor to change speed (high-speed spin-drain, low-speed spin).

 

The machine you have there LA5430XM is a one-speed model, thus the Short cycle instead of Gentle.
 
EARLY WP DD WASHERS

The timers in the early machines did have several pauses near the end of agitation in both wash and rinse, this was the point in the cycle where the lid switch came into use in the cycle if you opened the lid after this first pause the agitation would stop. When WP first designed this machine they thought they could get away no neutral drain and just make a cheaper to build washer like everyone else. But because of all the complaints about redeposited lint on clothing from trying to spin drain the washers they came up with a very clever way to make this new washer design do a neutral drain. WP started the change to ND in 1985 and by 1986 all DD models had this improvement. WP actually had to take back many early DD washers and give the customer a BD machine as WP & KM owners had always been used to better performance in regard to this linting problem. All other makers of perforated basket machines had this problem to one degree or another. This is why GE changed the hole pattern on thier wash baskets in the late 1960s, and Norge pumped out 1/2 of the water before trying to spin, and Frigidare 1-18s would start spinning at low speed to minimize this problem of water sloshing back over the clothes as draining and spinning started. MT never really did anything to solve this problem in thier machines but when they started promoting the Norgetags they claimed in thier own literature that you were going to see cleaner brighter clothes because of the more powerful pump and the small holes in the sides of the tub would allow the water to leave fast enough that your clean clothes don't become a lint and sediment filter for the dirty water as it leaves the machine.
 
John / Combo -

I remember comments made about Whirlpool having to take back a bunch of DD machines in the early days. I am not sure where I heard this, but something tells me that the technician from Sears mentioned it in 1986 when he came out to level my BD machine (the steel pan it was in was causing issues), and I believe my mentor and friend told me this in the early 90s too. I think many of the service folks in the field didn't like the new DDs and were lamenting the loss of the BDs, so any failure in the DD was celebrated, until more people realized the DD's benefits.

I have never once had a linting problem in a BD machine, but then again every one I've used has had some sort of lint filter, be it the mesh screen or bed of nails manual, the cone shape or tub-mounted self-cleaner, OR the seemingly cheesy but functional tub mounted disk. I do have a nice BOL machine that I will be playing with soon that has no filter at all -- should be interesting to see if it delivers different results.

Gordon
 
Noisey Motors

Hey John.I would love to meet or talk to you sometime also as we have much to discuss.As far as my theory on noisey motors goes I noticed a distinct pattern to them early on.Most of the noisey motors I saw were on 14 pound Whirlpools which are far easier to overload than 18s.The water level on the noisey machines was always too low also.Water level adjustment is something I have never seen covered here which is critical for any topload to wash properly.Clothes should be submerged.The motors that were loud were always in situations where I knew for a fact the machine was being overloaded as the customers came right out and told me or did so after I gave them the bare bulb treatment.(I think people who overload washers should be thrown in jail.)When I was servicing whirlpools in a home where I could tell the people were concientious about loading the motor was always quiet.Most importantly of all the drive belt tells the tale.Every very loud motor I saw the belt looked terrible.Also just about every beltdrive coin op washer I have ever seen had an extremely loud motor and we certainly know THOSE machines are being overloaded and had low water levels.You mentioned those GE motors they used to use,those were the loudest of all and I replaced hundreds of them with quieter emersons or round ones.However I installed many a new Whirlpool washer in the 70s and 80s and never saw one I thought loud new,I felt they got loud from overloading later.As far as vibrating bearing noise I have always attributed that to motor vibration more than anything else.If you grasp the agitator cap when the machine is running in neutral there should be little or no vibration if there is more than that the motor is the problem.Those Emerson motors were relatively quiet but nothing like a round one.The ones from 1977-80 were pretty quiet but then after that they got alot noisier and that is when the trouble began.My other point is that you dont often see a noisey motor on a Maytag or ff GE because when those machines are overloaded the motor doesnt take the the brunt of it because the belt slips.You will also see alot of loud motors in Amana washers as it a similar design as a beltdrive Whirlpool,When overloaded the motor and belt are absorbing the beating. As far as that blue whirlpool goes,I wouldnt change a thing you cant improve on perfection and there could be unforseen difficulties.Regarding the centerpost bearings you never will do better than the ones it came with and they are either bad or they are not.At least when you replace them you can install the upper one to a lower depth then install 2 upper seals which is why they went bad in the first place there used to be only one seal.
 

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