Whirlpool Washer Repair
Today we’d like to tell you how to change the spin or drive tube on your top-load washer. It’s a really easy job. Let me show you how we do it. Now, to change this part, we will have to, first of all, remove both inlet hoses, hot and cold. We’ll also need to disconnect the drain hose and the power.
Then we’ll pull the washer far enough forward that we have access to the back and to the front.Now that we’ve disconnected the inlet fill hose and the drain hose, as well as disconnected the power, our next step will be to tilt the console back. Now, on some models there may be a screw on either side through the front or through the rear, depending on your model. Those models that don’t have a screw accessible there will actually have a little spring clip located in underneath these end caps.
Taking a thin blade putty knife, we’re simply going to press in on that area till you feel the tension of the spring. Once you release that, you can just gently lift up on that control panel to release it. We’ll do the same on the opposite side.Now, with the control panel released, we’re simply just going to tilt that completely back.
Then, our next step will be to disconnect the harness to the lid switch. Locate that and lift up on the locking tab, and remove the harness connector. Now, once we’ve done that, our next step will be to release these two clips that secure that back panel and chassis to the actual cabinet. You need a large flat-blade screwdriver to do that. We’ll take the blade of that screwdriver and go down into the opening that’s closest to the front of the washer.
You’ll meet the bottom of that clip. You’re simply going to just push down slightly and pry forward. That will release that mounting bracket or mounting clip that secures the back to the cabinet. Do the same thing on the opposite side. Release it from the back panel and then just set those aside.Next, we’ll raise the lid, and then we’re going to tilt that cabinet forward to release it from the bottom back corners and to lift it away from that chassis all together.
Now, when tilting it forward, we’ll need to clear the water inlet shoot that it’s located just behind the agitator here. Tilt it forward. Once we have it tilted enough, we simply lock the two front corners towards you, grasp that cabinet and lift it away. Now that we’ve done that, our next step will be to remove the agitator. If your model has a fabric softener dispenser on the top, I’m simply going to turn that and then lift it off. Then you’ll be able to see a bolt that is down through the center, and using a socket and ratchet we’ll remove that bolt.Now that we have the fabric softener dispenser removed, we can look down into the center of that agitator and you’ll see a 7/16 hex-head bolt. We’re going to remove that next. With the socket and a ratchet you’ll need to grasp the barrel of that agitator to keep it from moving.
It may not be necessary to pull the bolt completely out of that agitator, but you’ll need to have it at least loosened up that you can lift the agitator off the drive shaft. Now we’ll just pull that completely out. Now, next, we can remove these two pieces here, there’s a metal clip and then a plastic one that sits below it. Just take note of the shape of that. One end of it is going to fit down into that opening. Set those aside.Now, next, we’ll need a spanner wrench to remove this tub nut. Spanner wrench has little points that will sit down into those grooves. Then using a fairly heavy hammer, we’re just going to loosen that.
Then we’ll lift that hub nut off. Now, there are a couple of methods for removing that drive tube, one of which involves removing the inner basket, which would necessitate removing the top cover as well, which is fairly easy to do. Now, it’s not necessary to do that. You could also take a flat-blade screwdriver and put it down into the slotted opening on that drive block, just tap it gently to spread that enough to allow the spin tube or drive tube to pull down below it.We’re going to remove the tub so that you have a better view of what we’re actually doing, although, again, it is not absolutely necessary to do that. Now to remove the inner tub, we’re going to start by taking this tub cover off. It’s attached to the outer tub with these tabs around the edge.
Simply just press down on that tub cover to release a little bit of the tension and you can lift those tabs away. Once you release them all, we’ll lift that tub cover off and just set it aside. You should be able to rock that inner basket easily on that drive block. Just tilt the tub slightly forward so we can clear the water inlet, and then lift it out.Now, next, we’ll show you how we spread open this drive block. Again, you could have left your inner basket in place to do this, but we’ll give you a little more visual aspect of it if we removed it. Just take a large flat-blade screwdriver and just gently spread that open a little bit until it pops free, and just slide it off.
Then we’re going to set that aside because we will reuse it.Now we’ve taken the washer and tilted it on it’s back so that we have access to the motor pump assembly and the transmission. Before you do that you, should verify that you’ve gotten most of the water out of the drain hose, or be prepared so that you can collect that water as you tilt the washer backwards. Once we’ve done that, our next step will be to remove the pump from the motor. We can leave the inlet and outlet hoses attached to that. We’re simply going to pry these spring clips off. Using a flat-blade screwdriver, just pry upwards on them from the pump, give it a quarter of a turn and pull little mounting brackets out. Set those aside. Simply lift pump off of the motor, and you can tilt that back out of the way.
Now, next, we’ll have two more clips that secure the motor to the motor mount. There may or may not be screws that secure those clips to the motor. If there are, simply use a quarter-inch nut driver and remove the screws, and it’s not necessary that we reinstall those when we put this back together. Again, we’ll use a flat-blade screwdriver and we’re just going to pry that spring clamp loose, pivot it 90 degrees, and then we can lift it out of the openings. Now, the upper one doesn’t give you enough room to tilt that out of there easy, so we’ll wait until we’ll remove the motor or we could just leave that clamp in place.Now, next, we’ll remove the harness connector to the motor.
Begin by lifting up on the locking tab, then just wiggle that connector away from the motor, and then let it lie free. Next, we’ll remove the clip that secures that wire harness to the transmission. You can either slide those tabs apart from each other and pull the wire that way, or it’s easier just to depress the arrowhead fastener at the back and slide the whole clip right out of that transmission. Then let the harness hang loose.Next, we’re going to lift that motor away from the transmission.
Just grasp both sides of it and rock it free, and then lift straight up on it. You’ll see in the bottom of the motor there is a triangular-shaped drive lug and four posts. Rubber grommets will sit on these four posts. Obviously, two of them have stayed here, the other two will be still remaining on the mounting bracket. We’ll see that as soon as we remove this motor. We’ll set that motor aside, and we can leave those two grommets in place. We can then lift that spring clamp away from the motor mount. Set that aside. If you wish, you can remove this motor-mounting bracket from the transmission, but it’s not necessary.
Next, we’re going to remove three bolts that secure that transmission to the bottom of the tub assembly. Using a ratchet and a half-inch socket, we’ll loosen all the bolts. Simply remove all three of those bolts. Next, we’re going to pull that transmission completely out of the tubs. I’m going to need to hold it level for the full length of the agitator shaft. Make sure you support it. Now, with it fully removed, we’ll just set that aside. Now, next, we’re going to turn this cam follower counterclockwise to release that brake. That will allow us to pull that basket drive or spin tube drive out of the tubs.Just carefully pull that all the way out.
Next, we’ll transfer that cam brake assembly onto the new spin tube. Now that we have the old spin drive tube removed from that washer, we’ll need to transfer the brake assembly and the brake cam follower over to the new spin or drive tube. To remove the old one, we’re going to take a small flat-blade screwdriver and we’re going to remove this c-clip. Place the screwdriver in there enough that you can pop that out to remove it. Then, we’re going to slide that brake cam follower off of the assembly.Next, we’ll remove this e-ring. It’s on the pivot point for the two brake shoes. Now, there’s a fair bit of tension on this spring when you go to remove that, one of those brake shoes off of that pivot point. You’ll need to have a firm grip on that. I also suggest wearing some protective gloves.
We pop that one off and actually disengage it from the spring. Set those pieces aside. Simply lift the opposite one out. Set that aside. That center cam and spacer, remove those. You may also have found a plastic spacer on the top side of that spin tube, just remove all of those. At this point, you can discard the old spin tube.Take your new one. We’ll start by setting that plastic pushing it in place. We’ll set the cam on top of that. We’ll take one of the brake shoes, the lower one. We’ll set that in place. We want to make sure that we engage the edge of that assembly into that slot first. Pivot it around and set it over the pivot point. We can assemble our spring, putting the tube through the center of it. Slide the end caps on, then line up the slotted opening in that end cap onto that spring.
Do the same on the opposite side. Now with the tabbed end of that second brake shoe into the slotted opening on the end cap on the spring, verify that the second brake shoe is sitting over that pivot point.We’re basically going to compress that spring with the palms of our hand while pulling that top portion with the hole in it around and lining it up on that pivot point. Hold that assembly in place, verify again that the brake shoes are hooked into these two tabs, that the rollers are sitting on the flat side of that cam, our spring is in place and that both ends of that are fully inserted to the end caps. At this point, we can then put that e-ring in place on the pivot point. Line it up, then take a pair of pliers and simply press it into place. Make sure the tab on that e-ring is into that slot.Next, we’re going to install that brake cam follower. You’ll note there are two little tabs on the bottom of that that will fit into these two openings in the cam.
We’re going to position it so that the protruding part is away from the spring. Make sure it sits flush. Then we can install that c-clip to hold it in place. Line up the c-clip with the groove on the bottom of that hub and using a pair of slip-joint pliers you just carefully grab the edge of that c-clip and push it into place. Make sure that the two ends are fully engaged in that groove and that the ring is seated properly. This point, when you turn that cam follower counterclockwise, it should pull those brake shoes in.Now, we’ll tip it over. I’ll install that plastic sleeve on the top side, and now we’re ready to install the new spin tube assembly into the washer. Next, we’ll take that new spin tube assembly. First, we’ll make sure that there is no debris on the outer surface of that and also take a quick inspection of that tub seal and make sure that there’s no signs of any leaking there. If so, you’ll need to remove the outer tub and change that seal.
That’s good, we’ll simply slide that carefully into that opening. Now, once we meet the edge of that brake drum, we’ll need to turn that cam follower counterclockwise to compress the brake springs and allow it to slide into place.Next, we’re ready to slide the transmission in. We’ll carefully lift up that transmission and line it up straight with the opening through that spin tube. While supporting it, push it all the way in. Make sure the three mounts for the bolts line up properly and are sitting flush. We’ll then install the retaining bolts. Once we’ve bottomed out all three of those bolts, we’ll then use our ratchet and tighten them securely.Now. before we install the motor, we need to first of all make sure that we line up the rubber mounts into the proper openings and also we’ll need to line up that drive lug with the rubber cushion that is part of that drive block assembly.
There’s two of these nylon type triangular drive lugs and then a rubber cushion that fits in between them. We need to make sure that they line up properly. When it lines up, it will drop firmly into that motor mount.Now, when inserting the upper spring clamp, you just tilt that motor just slightly forward. It will give you a better access to that opening. Slide the end of that bracket down into place and turn it until it locks into the motor mount, then simply press it up onto the opening on top of the motor. Again, for the bottom one, just need to make sure we put it into that t-shaped opening, pivot it. It locks in place, and then press it onto the motor. Now, as mentioned earlier, it’s not necessary to put the retaining screws through these clamps, but you can if you wish. You’ve noted that we have a cloth covering this metal edge on the support below the tub. It’s fairly sharp, so we’ll leave that there until we’re completed our repair. We’ll then install the motor harness connector, line it up and press it firmly onto the motor till the locking tab engages.
The harness restraint or support, we’ll push that through that opening in the transmission until it locks in place. Then, all that remains is to install the pump onto the motor shaft. You’ll note that that motor shaft has two flat sides to it. We need to line that up with the center hub on that pump which has corresponding two flat sides to it.When it’s lined up properly, we then want to make sure that the four legs of that pump sit firmly into the openings on the top of the motor. We’ll then take the shorter of the spring clamps, put them into the slotted openings, then clip it over the top of the pump. There’s a corresponding slot on the top, we do exactly the same thing. Pivot it into position and lock that pump down. Now we’re ready to stand the washer up and reinstall the inner basket.Now that we have the washer in its upright position again, our next step will be to reinstall that drive block. First of all, make sure that when you opened that up that you didn’t crack it or split it, and if so, it’ll need to be replaced. Also, check for corrosion around this area. If there’s an excessive amount of corrosion, you should replace that drive lock.
Then take note there’s two little cutouts that will match two tabs on the top of that spin tube, so I’m going to set that down, I want to rotate that till those line up and then just press it down into place. That will lock it to the spin tube.Now we’re ready to put the inner basket in place. Just lower it down and just rock it back and forth to make sure that that dry block is seated, and then we put the tub nut on. Again with the tub nut, make sure that it’s not heavily corroded. Now we’re going to put the beveled side down. Start the threads by hand, make sure that we don’t get it cross-threaded. Just as we’re tightening that by hand, we’ll just rock that tub back and forth to make sure it centers it properly. Then line up the tabs on our spanner wrench and tighten it securely.
Next, we’ll install that plastic guide into that opening, and the spring clip above it.Now we’re ready to install our agitator. If you inadvertently drop the bolt out of the center of that agitator, the easiest way to put it back in is to take the bolt, set it on the socket on the extension, hold it upright, then lower the agitator down on top of it until it fits through the hole. Then, while keeping pressure on that extension, we’ll just flip that agitator over, line up the splines and then we can tighten the bolt. Just grasp the base of that agitator, make sure it’s nice and tight. You can then install the fabric softener dispenser if you removed one on your machine. There’s a slotted opening where that tab will fit into. Then, while grasping the top portion of the agitator, we’re just going to turn that a little bit counter-clockwise to lock it in place.Now, next we’ll need to put the tub cover back on. Now, with the tub cover you’ll note all the tabs have a large opening on them with the exception of one.
That one will go to the left side of the tub. Pop it in underneath the water inlet, line up the back, make sure that those tabs are all sitting on the outside edge of the tub. Rotate it into position. Again, we’ll start with the narrow one, make sure it’s lined up and then snap it in place. Now that we’ve lined up all of those tabs, particularly the narrow one, we’re just going to squeeze that tub cover down onto the outer tub until all those tabs engage all the way around.Now, with all those in place, we’re not ready to put the cabinet back on the washer. Now, when installing the cabinet back onto the base of this washer, we need to line up a couple of things.
First of all, there’s a tab all the way across the front, which is actually the cabinet that is folded back, towards the back. That is going to fit underneath the base frame. As well, there are two slotted openings on either side of the cabinet. One towards the front, one close to the back. These slotted openings are going to fit onto two tabs on either side of the base frame. One tab at the front and one near the back on both sides.Again, the lip on the inside of the front of that cabinet will go underneath this portion of the base frame. Now, to accomplish that, we’ll tilt the cabinet back towards us. We’ll hook that lip at the bottom of the cabinet in underneath the base frame and slowly tilt the washer cabinet back. We’ll also need to just lift up slightly on it, pull the back of the cabinet towards us so the water injection slides in underneath the main top. Then verify that both the front and the rear are set on those two little tabs on both sides, and then we can put our mounting clips in place on the top.
Make sure when we’re tilting that cabinet back that the water inlet tucks in underneath the main top and that the tabs on the bottom rear corners of the cabinet lock into the base. Next, we’ll take the mounting brackets for the main top attached to the rear cabinet. Straight edge into the rear of the cabinet and we’re simply going to press that down into those openings, and that will lock it in place. Do the same for the opposite side and make sure that we reattach the harness for the lid switch.
Push it all the way in, making sure that the locking tab engages.Now, we’re simply going to roll that console forward and we’ll line up those two hooks, one on either side, with the rear openings in the main top. The center tabs will go into the center hole, and then the spring clips on this particular model will fit into the front holes. On this particular one, we have a spring clip.
Then the hook will fit down into the rear opening, tab will go into this one, and the spring clip will walk into the front opening. Line up both sides, then simply press it into place. We’re now ready to push the washer back into position and reconnect our fill hoses. We’re now ready to reconnect the power and our repair is complete.