Which makes have the most parts most-accessible and are easiest to get at? Or, at least, make working on them what might be the most-fun?
-- Dave
-- Dave
Which washers and dryers are the easiest to work on?
- Thread starter daveamkrayoguy
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norgeway
Well-known member
Filter Flo
GE.
GE.
eurekastar
Well-known member
I only have experience with working on two brands -- Whirlpool Direct Drive and a mid 60s Maytag. Both are very straight forward with plenty of online support to trouble shoot repairs. There are plenty of parts available for Whirlpool Direct Drives. With Maytag, it is hard to find parts for the older counterweight transmission, but they can be found with a little diligence. I have a GE Filter Flo sitting in the garage, waiting for some attention. Later in the Spring, I might start tinkering with it.
It took me a while to figure things out sometimes but nothing blew up!
It took me a while to figure things out sometimes but nothing blew up!
Easiest Washers To Work On.
WP-KM DD Washers By a country mile, then WP-KM belt drive machines for the more common repairs, after this there are no really easy machines.
Maytag DC and Norge for minor repairs, both bad for transmission problems
GE FF for major repairs [ when you could still get new transmissions etc ] but not easy now.
All GM Frigidaire TL washers had very difficult service problems, although the 1-18s got better for many problems.
WH FL washers were always easy to work on, and they never built a TL washer worth fixing, LOL
John L.
WP-KM DD Washers By a country mile, then WP-KM belt drive machines for the more common repairs, after this there are no really easy machines.
Maytag DC and Norge for minor repairs, both bad for transmission problems
GE FF for major repairs [ when you could still get new transmissions etc ] but not easy now.
All GM Frigidaire TL washers had very difficult service problems, although the 1-18s got better for many problems.
WH FL washers were always easy to work on, and they never built a TL washer worth fixing, LOL
John L.
I'm with John - The Whirlpool/Kenmore/Inglis belt-drive washers are the easiest to work on (do feel free to remind me just how many times I had to go back to the '65 Lady K to make it spin... LOL). Norge machines are not as bad as I had feared and although I didn't have to do major repairs on it, that 60s Blackstone of mine is certainly easy, in that access to most components is from the front when the panel is removed.
Frigidaires kinda scare me - I've not had too much experience with them and I have Phil's knowledge to rely on.
I've done a bit of work on GE's now, and I personally didn't find them all that easy to work with. Don't get me going about the older GE Combos... LOL
As for dryers, Whirlpool/Kenmore/Inglis are the ones I've run into the least challenges with. The Maytags I used to own were reasonably easy to work on, too.
GE dryers are my bane just because you have to really tear the things apart to get at the motor, for example. Not that I'm still stewing about the '57 and it's smoking motor... Ok, I am! LOL
Frigidaires kinda scare me - I've not had too much experience with them and I have Phil's knowledge to rely on.
I've done a bit of work on GE's now, and I personally didn't find them all that easy to work with. Don't get me going about the older GE Combos... LOL
As for dryers, Whirlpool/Kenmore/Inglis are the ones I've run into the least challenges with. The Maytags I used to own were reasonably easy to work on, too.
GE dryers are my bane just because you have to really tear the things apart to get at the motor, for example. Not that I'm still stewing about the '57 and it's smoking motor... Ok, I am! LOL
I know I'll get bashed ... F&P toploaders are very easy to disassemble. Easier than a DD. The only tool needed is a Philips screwdriver, although needle-nose pliers can be helpful to detach the bias spring. No transmission, no spanner nut, the hose clamps are designed to be removable without a tool, and the older-style pump is bayonet-mounted to the tub so no tools needed on it. The newer SmartPump requires the aforementioned screwdriver.
rinso
Well-known member
Anything with an easily removed front panel for access.
I’d have to go with Maytag. Maytags may not be the most exciting or most fun to watch, but Maytags are probably the easiest to work on, and have the fewest moving parts compared to all of the other machines of the era.
I now have HOH experience, and working on HOH dryers isn’t all that bad, but one thing I will say is if you have the tension too tight on the HOH dryer belts, but ther shaft will require a lot frequent service, and the air will “skip” over the heating element causing the hi limit thermostat to heat up and switch the heating element causing long dry times, and if the tension is too loose, the blower won’t pull enough air over the heating element causing the hi limit thermostat to switch off the heating element, and those observations won’t make sense, but I had to adjust the tension on the Maytag DE306 dryer I got awhile back to get it dry properly.
WP/KM belt drive washers aren’t too bad, and the WP/KM 29” dryers aren’t bad either, but the lint trap plenum can clog up if the dryer gets a lot of use
I now have HOH experience, and working on HOH dryers isn’t all that bad, but one thing I will say is if you have the tension too tight on the HOH dryer belts, but ther shaft will require a lot frequent service, and the air will “skip” over the heating element causing the hi limit thermostat to heat up and switch the heating element causing long dry times, and if the tension is too loose, the blower won’t pull enough air over the heating element causing the hi limit thermostat to switch off the heating element, and those observations won’t make sense, but I had to adjust the tension on the Maytag DE306 dryer I got awhile back to get it dry properly.
WP/KM belt drive washers aren’t too bad, and the WP/KM 29” dryers aren’t bad either, but the lint trap plenum can clog up if the dryer gets a lot of use
The whirlpool built direct drive washer is far and away the easiest and cheapest to keep going. Literally everything is still available, parts are dirt cheap. Minimal electric (and mostly no computer) make it easy for the lay person to handle. Thousands of videos on YouTube literally for every single repair imaginable.
The older belt drive ones are certainly straight forward, but I won’t say they are super easy to work on. You definitely need a tool set for it.
The rest of the above mentioned machines can have quirky electronic issues or have difficult to find parts
The older belt drive ones are certainly straight forward, but I won’t say they are super easy to work on. You definitely need a tool set for it.
The rest of the above mentioned machines can have quirky electronic issues or have difficult to find parts
MT HOH Dryer Service
Hi Sean, There is no adjustment possible on the belts on a MT HOH dryer, they are self adjusting.
It would be impossible to have the air move over the heater element so fast as to cause the hi-limit to trip and increase drying time, that simply makes no sense.
John
Hi Sean, There is no adjustment possible on the belts on a MT HOH dryer, they are self adjusting.
It would be impossible to have the air move over the heater element so fast as to cause the hi-limit to trip and increase drying time, that simply makes no sense.
John
supersurgilator
Well-known member
I agree the Kenmore/whirlpool direct drives are easiest to work on. Not to many parts inside and everything is serviceable from the front once you get the cabinet off. Plus, its nice not to have any belts to worry about breaking or adjusting!
I think the first machine I took apart was my Suzie Homomaker washer-drier....with a simple Philips screwdriver...
I think I was in kindergarten when I got it for Xmas 1969...you know, a few years before YouTube
finding a store that was open past 6 on a week night was a beYatch though if you needed those hard to find "D" batteries!
not to mention trying to replace them if the machine was full of water....
thank goodness the matching blender was there with a pitcher full of Kool-Aid!
changing the light bulb in that oven was no easy task either!...
I think I was in kindergarten when I got it for Xmas 1969...you know, a few years before YouTube
finding a store that was open past 6 on a week night was a beYatch though if you needed those hard to find "D" batteries!
not to mention trying to replace them if the machine was full of water....
thank goodness the matching blender was there with a pitcher full of Kool-Aid!
changing the light bulb in that oven was no easy task either!...
Combo52, pulling the air so fast over the element doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but the blower will have more than enough suction to pull items onto the lint screen, but restricting the air flow and that does make more sense though.
MT HOH Dryer Service
Good Morning Sean, Yes good point about something getting stuck over the lint filter causing the air flow to be restricted and causing the hi-limit to start tripping, that can happen.
But that can happen when small unusual loads are dried in many dryers, it is not possible to have the blower turning too fast unless you have modified the dryer by using a larger motor pulley.
Keep us posted, John
Good Morning Sean, Yes good point about something getting stuck over the lint filter causing the air flow to be restricted and causing the hi-limit to start tripping, that can happen.
But that can happen when small unusual loads are dried in many dryers, it is not possible to have the blower turning too fast unless you have modified the dryer by using a larger motor pulley.
Keep us posted, John
Believe it or not, my Asko washer is pretty easy to access for the few things I've had to do to it in 22 years. My GE dryer is really easy to disassemble and reassemble for bearings, front bulkhead, or belt. Changing the boot on the Miele was surprisingly easy as well.
Dadoes is right, F&P top loaders are incredibly simple to work on. Elegant simplicity. The main problem I see on the electronic boards is failed microswitches and they are easily replaced with microswitches from other dead boards.
Miele front loaders I have looked at in the past have also clearly been designed for easy maintenance. Asko too to a degree, though the door switch/lock on mine was a bugger to get at. In the cheaper price front loaders, LG have been very easy to work on in the past.
I have repaired a couple of Bosch front loaders recently and they have been OK, the drum is assembled with dozens of one time only plastic barbs holding the two halves together, but you can split the drum by removing all the barbs with a multi-tool saw, the two halves have unused screw holes and sockets to reassemble with screws instead of the barbs. Apart form the horror of having to remove the whole drum before the disassembly, it was pretty easy. I have recently acquired a Bosch Logixx 8 needing repair, its drum is back to a conventional two halves joined by screws which is better.
I did a couple of Electrolux front loaders last year, they are clearly designed to be as hard as possible to work on, with hidden screws and a truly awful design, I will avoid them in future. These ones have a side seam with a front half and a rear half, no removable rear access panel or simple front panel. Removing either half is a nightmare enough, some tasks require you to remove one half, do some disassembly, then refit the first half and remove the other half. Best binned.
Miele front loaders I have looked at in the past have also clearly been designed for easy maintenance. Asko too to a degree, though the door switch/lock on mine was a bugger to get at. In the cheaper price front loaders, LG have been very easy to work on in the past.
I have repaired a couple of Bosch front loaders recently and they have been OK, the drum is assembled with dozens of one time only plastic barbs holding the two halves together, but you can split the drum by removing all the barbs with a multi-tool saw, the two halves have unused screw holes and sockets to reassemble with screws instead of the barbs. Apart form the horror of having to remove the whole drum before the disassembly, it was pretty easy. I have recently acquired a Bosch Logixx 8 needing repair, its drum is back to a conventional two halves joined by screws which is better.
I did a couple of Electrolux front loaders last year, they are clearly designed to be as hard as possible to work on, with hidden screws and a truly awful design, I will avoid them in future. These ones have a side seam with a front half and a rear half, no removable rear access panel or simple front panel. Removing either half is a nightmare enough, some tasks require you to remove one half, do some disassembly, then refit the first half and remove the other half. Best binned.
candyd10_14x
Well-known member
UK Hoover and Hotpoint (GEC).
Over in the UK, I'd say these 2 gems from 1978 and 1986 would be the easiest machines I have ever worked on. Hotpoint's (Model 9530A in this pic), you could do with your eyes closed. To change the bearings on these, the front panel comes off and you don't even need to remove the tub, it opens at the front with a removable ring and out comes the drum. The motor is mounted on the top of all Hotpoint FLs from 1973 - 2004, which makes for quick carbon brush changes.
Hoover A3060 - these are worked on and accessed from the rear due to the cabinet being a "wraparound" with no removable front. Completely gutted that machine and fitted the innards of an Aussie Electra to it with ease.
Over in the UK, I'd say these 2 gems from 1978 and 1986 would be the easiest machines I have ever worked on. Hotpoint's (Model 9530A in this pic), you could do with your eyes closed. To change the bearings on these, the front panel comes off and you don't even need to remove the tub, it opens at the front with a removable ring and out comes the drum. The motor is mounted on the top of all Hotpoint FLs from 1973 - 2004, which makes for quick carbon brush changes.
Hoover A3060 - these are worked on and accessed from the rear due to the cabinet being a "wraparound" with no removable front. Completely gutted that machine and fitted the innards of an Aussie Electra to it with ease.
