My washer, which is about 14 years old and is a top-of-the-line Kenmore has stopped agitating or spinning. It seems to do everything else (fill and drain). Does anyone have an opinion that the machine is or is not worth fixing, or is it time to just buy a new machine?
Thanks. H
Fix it yourself yes. Have it done, well ....
'Pends on what's wrong. Tranny, maybe not so much. Belt/clutch/flexible coupling/etc., sure...
Only after you learn something about "why" and "what" will you be able to ascertain much at all about cost.
Mine's about that old, and did that last year. It was the timer - a contact had burned up. It cost about $100 for a new timer, and has run fine since.
A bit about washing machines which few know. When the automatic machine came on the market Maytag was one of the very last. Due to the fact they experminted with they other brands and got to know their faults. They in turn designed a machine that did a good job with a minimum number of parts. The Maytag transmission for operation is as simple as it can be, has few parts to wear or break. The big secret is they use a reversible motor for p[ower. I've known of a Maytag which ran for 29 years before it needed repair, which was a new drive belt..So before buying a washer , check out the iside workings first and see how much can go wrong first..
Fixed my 30 year old Kenmore for under 60 about 4 years ago. The water pump seized and I also replaced belts.
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Where is this extra efficiency coming from, pray tell?
The "throw the fixable on out" a priori route seems the more expensive to me by far until at least know what the problem is...
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I disagree. My 13-year-old Whirlpool washer stopped working a couple of years ago. I immediately started shopping for a new one, hoping that technology and efficiency had improved. All I found were insanely-priced machines that did far more than I needed. The machines that were similar to what I already had were higher in price and lower in quality. I truly dislike what has happened with washing machines lately.
In the end, I had my old one fixed and it continues to do the good job that I have grown to expect. My guess is that I will continue to have this one fixed until the parts are no longer available. I just don't see any benefit to the consumer from buying new washing machines, unless you don't have an old one. Even then, I'd buy an old, used washer and have it fixed before I'd take one of the poor-quality new washers.
Bernardo
Indeed. I don't think basic electric motors have improved much in efficiency over the years, and the efficiency of a washing machine is dictated by the efficiency of its motor because they all work in pretty much the same way -- add water to clothes, agitate, spin water out of clothes.
could be a belt . transmisson or the wigwag , hard to tel from here , but certainly cost effective to repair if it isnt the transmisson
snipped-for-privacy@backpacker.com wrote:
Folks,
I moved the washer out so I could work on it, and beneath where the center of washer was was a pile of rubber filings and a few pieces of solid rubber. I therefore suspected that it is merely the belt that has been fried.
However, I checked the Sears web site for the model I have ( 110.92595500 ) and I cannot find a drive belt, or any other kind of belt, in the parts list.
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Most rather than a conventional belt use a flexible coupling that looks like a piece of rubber radiator hose with slits lengthwise around it on the middle section and the two ends solid. It goes on one end of the drive and the transmission drive and is the shock absorber as well as the drive for the reversing action of the agitation. More than likely that's what's worn out and it finally broke. It's relatively easy fix...
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Thanks...can you, perchance, identify which number on the part list is the part to which you refer?
Well, that's different w/ the horizontal shaft motor. Looks like about the only choices if that's what you got would be the clutch band or the motor drive coupling and isolation (13).
Probably have to try to look at your machine more closely and determine where the pieces actually came from to tell what you need.
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If you think you can fix it yourself, then I'd investigate enough to find out what is shot and how much a new one will cost. If you have to call for service, IMO, at that age, it's not worth it.
399 is a "bit" more than 100?
COUPLING, MOTOR AND ISOLATION 3364003
Just a guess though without being able to eyeball the original.
You do NOT need Sears parts. You machine is a Whirlpool badged by Sears.
Here is some good advice:
I found the pictures on this site to be particularly helpful when replacing a drive coupling. Made the job go much quicker.
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