Despite the fact that this is one of the crappiest top-loading washers ever built, replacing the clutch (a common repair on this machine) ain’t too bad a job– about half an hour and two mugs on the world-famous SUDS-0-Meter.

Here’s the brand new clutch and pulley assembly you’ll need for this job (click the pic to order it, right here online!):

A talented Senior Apprentice Appliantologist, dh1200s, has written an illustrated step-by-step for this repair and posted it in the Samurai Appliance Repair Forum. For your reading pleasure, I’ve included his fine write-up below.

dh1200s wrote:

Tools required; 3/8 inch socket and socket wrench to remove clutch pulley bolt. Page 47 of the SM1/2 inch socket or wrench to loosen Drive Motor tension bolt; 5/16″ nut driver or 5/16, ¼” socket on an extension to remove front panel see page 41 of the Service Manual.

1. Lean the washer back and blocked up in that position against a wall for a better reach angle. Rotate 3/8” clutch Pulley Bolt CW to remove clutch bolt.

2. Follow SM page 46 & 47 to remove clutch pulley.

3. Remove 4 screws holding plastic cover on clutch, inspect clutch spring to make sure it is not broken. If either clutch spring retaining end is broken off then the clutch must be replaced. Inspect Roller Clutch bearings and clean up with WD-40 and re-lube with bearing grease. Most machine series use an Upper Roller Clutch bearing and always a lower clutch pulley Roller Clutch bearing. My series 16 machine doesn’t use the Upper Roller Clutch one way bearing. These bearings are one way rotation bearings in the Clockwise direction. Make sure the Spinner Shaft Coupler will rotate freely in the CW direction in both Roller Clutch bearings. If the Roller Clutch bearings or Spinner Shaft Coupler will not clean up with WD-40 I recommend a clutch replacement.

4. Replace white bearing plate into clutch pulley hub, insure key slot slips into clutch Spring pin in the clutch hub.

5. Replace Clutch plastic cover with 4 screws.

6. Reinstalling the Clutch Pulley assembly is the most difficult part of the process. With a tight work area try a test fitment of seating (if used) the Upper Roller Clutch bearing with the notches into the bottom of the wash tub. Then insert the Spinner Shaft Coupler into that bearing rotating CW to reseat the coupler notches to the spinner shaft. Then the clutch pulley to the squared end agitator shaft. Rock back and forth the clutch pulley assembly with upward lifting pressure to reseat the clutch assembly. When the clutch assembly is properly seated you will feel a 1/16-1/8″ gap between the Pulley face and shaft end as mentioned and shown on page 47 of the SM. On reinstallation, tighten Clutch Pulley bolt CCW to 96” pounds 8’ foot pounds (Snug no torque wrench required).

7. Do a quick wash and make sure clutch runs true with no wobble or clicking sound. If the clutch has not been seated properly it will spin off. If this happens go to page 16 of the SM Board Output Test and turn on Drain Pump in Service Mode to pump out excess water.8. Repeat steps 6&7 if the clutch has excessive noise or spins off.

Some Pics for reference; not sure what Mytag calls the coupler that drives the spinner shaft coupler so I named it.

My original clutch is on the right side clutch on the left is a new $50 replacement I wanted to try and it and it works fine in my series 16 nachine. My series 16 machine does not use the upper roller clutch bearing assembly.

Clutch opened up:

Some folks have found the spinner shaft coupler is rusted solid to the one-way roller clutch bearing.

I hope this will help others with their clutch issues on this machine type. Dick

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 16, 2009 - Release # 09-242

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (888) 345-2650, CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772, CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Viking Built-In Side-by-Side Refrigerator/Freezers and Refrigerators with Bottom Freezers

Units: About 45,000

Manufacturer: Viking Range Corporation, of Greenwood, Miss.

Hazard: The refrigerator’s doors can detach, posing an injury hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Viking has received about 57 reports of doors detaching, including four reports of injuries involving bruises, broken toes/fingers, and strains. Also, several incidents of minor damage to floors and counters have been reported.

Description: This recall involves Viking built-in 48-inch wide side-by-side refrigerator/freezers and the built-in 36-inch wide refrigerators with bottom freezers with model and serial numbers with date codes listed below. The refrigerators come in stainless steel and various colors and wood finishes and are built into the kitchen cabinetry. “Viking” is written on the front of the refrigerator. The model and serial numbers are located either behind the produce drawer or on the ceiling of the interior of the refrigerators. The 42-inch wide or freestanding refrigerators are not included in this recall.

Model Numbers Starting With — Date Codes

VCSB481, VCSB482, DDSB482, DFSB482, DTSB482, DDBB362, VCBB360, VCBB362, DFBB362, DTBB362, DTBB363 — All units
VCSB483, DDSB483, DFSB483, DTSB483 — Date codes before 030104
VCSB483D, DDSB483D, DFSB483D — Date codes before 030105
VCBB363 — Date codes before 102005
DDBB363 — Date codes before 112305
DFBB363 — Date codes before 041006

The first six numbers in the serial number are the manufacture date of the unit in [mm][dd][yy] format, e.g., serial number 051903G0000000375 was manufactured on May 19, 2003 and serial number F01250210170 was manufactured on January 25, 2002.

Sold by: Appliance and specialty retailers nationwide from July 1999 through April 2006 for between $4,725 and $6,400.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers with recalled refrigerators should contact Viking immediately to schedule a free in-home repair. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled refrigerator if the door isn’t sealing properly, is sagging, or fails to open and close properly. If the door is functioning properly, consumers may continue to use the refrigerator until it has been repaired.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Viking toll-free at (888) 345-2650 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit Viking’s Web site at www.vikingrange.com

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recall product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09242.html

Diagrams and links to enlightening explanations here.

Dryer venting questions and confusions keep coming up in emails and in the Samurai Appliance Repair Forum. Lots of disinformation out there about dryer vents, too.

How Dryers Work

A dryer’s job is pretty simple: heat the clothes so that the water in the fabrics evaporates. Then get rid of all that water vapor (humidity) by moving lots of air through through the drum.

Pop Quiz: What happens if the dryer is heating OK, but it can’t move enough air through the drum?

Answer: The clothes will get warm but will not dry in a reasonable amount of time. Why is that, Capt. Ron? Because if the air inside the drum is already saturated with water vapor from the warm, wet clothes, then it can’t hold anymore water vapor. The air is what we professional appliantologists call, “saturated.”

Dryer Venting Q & A:

Q: How do you get the air to hold more water vapor?

A: By getting rid of the water vapor that’s already there!

Q: And how do we get rid of the water vapor in the air inside the drum?

A: Through the dryer vent!

Get the idea? If the vent is restricted, it won’t move enough air to purge the water vapor from inside the dryer drum. So your clothes stay wet.

When I tell people this, I invariably get the reply, “Well, I checked for lint buildup in the vent and it’s all clear.”

Ah, I see, so lint build-up is the ONLY possible way that dryer vents can become restricted? How about if the vent hose is crushed or kinked? What if the vent hood flapper on the outside of the house is stuck closed? Hmm…

Ponder these things whilst you grok on this handy guide on dryer venting requirements.

To learn more about your dryer, or to order parts, click here.

Technical bulletin from Maytag on this problem.

Service manual and tech sheet are posted here.

Links to wiring diagram and parts manual posted here.

Went on a service call for a Maytag washing machine that had overflowed and made a messy flood in the basement. After pulling the water inlet valve, the reason for the flooding was readily apparent: one of the protective inlet screens had been removed! (click for larger view)

This is called the stupid plumber’s trick. Don’t do it! If you have a problem with scale gunking up the valve and restricting flow, then fix that problem by installing a water sediment filter! Removing the protective inlet screen just creates bigger and much more expensive problems.

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

Appliances are what we in the bidness call “electro-mechanical devices.” Oh yeah, mmm hmm, we professionals can throw around all kinda two-dollah words like that– that’s why we makes the big money!

Anyway, “electro-mechanical” just means that they have both electrical and mechanical components, any of which can fail and require troubleshooting and repair. So, on any given service call, there’s at least a 50% chance that you’ll need to troubleshoot an electrical circuit to figger out why that washer ain’t washin’, that dryer ain’t dryin’, that dishwasher ain’t dishin’…. well, you get the idear.

To troubleshoot electrical circuits, we use either a wiring diagram or schematic (or both) that come with the appliance. These diagrams are usually included with the tech sheet that’s carefully and cleverly hidden inside the appliance, safely out of sight of owners who usually just end up losing it if they happen to stumble on it. If you’re working on an electrical problem and you don’t have the wiring or schematic diagram, it’s like trying to drive around an unfamiliar city without a map. Gotta have it!

And really, that’s all a schematic or wiring diagram is: a road map for electrons. If you can learn how to use a street map, you can learn how to use a wiring diagram. Just like in a street map, you have to know what the symbols mean in order to understand what the map is telling you. Same deal with a wiring diagram or schematic.

To help you get started learning how to read circuit diagrams, here’s a handy legend of common symbols used on electrical diagrams. It’s not comprehensive– there’s a bunch of stuff that’s not there– but this’ll get you started. Click it for the larger version.

See this post for help narrowing down a problem in your washer’s drive train (motor, coupler, transmission, clutch), shown in the diagram below (click for larger view).

One sign that the clutch is slipping is that it’ll feel really, really hot after running for just a few minutes.

Once you’re sure you’re dealing with a slipping clutch, Sublime Master of Appliantology Willie B has a cheap and clever bandaid repair that’ll keep it going for a good while longer, maybe even as long as you continue to own the machine!

Related Posts:

Intrepid Apprentice Conquers a Whirlpool / Kenmore Direct Drive Washer with a Lazy Spin

Common Repairs on a Whirlpool / Kenmore Direct Drive Washer

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

…a.k.a., FTF530FJ Canadian. (Have I told you that I love Canada? Oui, oui! As a matter of freakin fact, the Samurai’s paternal family hails from Saskatchewan.)

Sublime Master RegUS has posted the wiring diagram, tech sheet, parts manual, and service manual fer ya ratcheer. Come git you some!

The condensate drains in certain models of this refrigerator repeatedly freeze over, causing water to run inside the refrigerator during defrost. If you manually clear the ice and open the drain– which you shouldn’t ever have to do– the problem will just re-appear… unless you apply the Fixite Do kata that ol’ Samurai’s about to ’splain to ya.

Here’s the inside scoop: As the compressor runs, humidity in the air inside the freezer condenses onto the surface of the evaporator. This frozen water on the evaporator is called condensate. The condensate will continue to build up on the evaporator over time, forming a white, fuzzy layer that periodically needs to be melted off during the automatic defrost cycle. During defrost, the compressor is turned off and a heater under the evaporator is fired up to melt the condensate off. As the condensate melts, it drips into the pan beneath the evaporator. Problem is that, in this particular design fluke, the defrost cycle ends and the compressor starts running again before all the water drains from the pan and, as a result, some of the water gets frozen. Next cycle, a little more gets frozen, and so on until the drain is blocked and the melted water starts backing up during defrost and running into the beer compartment below.

Pop Quiz:

What’s the heater beneath the evaporator called?

Did you answer, “I dunno and I don’t care, just get on with the friggin’ article?” Well, I’m sorry, but that’s not the right answer. The correct answer is “defrost heater.” Thank you, come again!

OK, enough high-level refrigerator quantum theory. Let’s get on with the fun stuff: The Fix! You can click the pics below for the larger view.

Freezer Anatomy and Frozen-Over Condensate Drain Pan

Here you can see Le Probleme and get the layout of the essential freezer anatomy for this repair.

To solve this problem, we’re going to rig a way to get some of that heat from the defrost heater to the drain pan and drain hole. To do this, we’ll employ the heat transfer mode of conduction. We’ll use copper wire to conduct some of that heat from the heaters to the drain pan. Come see…

Installing the Condensate Drain Heating Rig

12 ga. solid core wire is preferred because it’s slightly bigger and conducts heat more efficiently; but 14 ga., as shown here, is OK.

Make the drain heater by wrapping one end of the wire around the heater a few turns, as shown here. The other ends will be fanned out in the drip pan and run into the condensate drain hole two or three inches. Just watch out for the sharp fins on that evaporator; they’ll shred your hands like ground beef before you even knew what happened. OK, it’s not really that bad; I just wanted to talk like a crusty old timer. Would it kill you to humor an old man?

Closeup of the Condensate Drain Heating Rig

The Completed Condensate Drain Modification

Muy domos to Senior Apprentice Appliantologist TMR777 for the beautifully annotated photos of his fine craftsmanship.

To learn more about your refrigerator, or to order parts, click here.

Leaking Pump in a Whirlpool DU810DWGQ1 Dishwasher

These are cheesy, inexpensive dishwashers that are prone to leaky pumps, as shown here (click the pic for the larger, annotated view).

Whirlpool DU810DWGQ1 Dishwasher Pump and Motor Diagram

The problem is usually a leaky shaft seal kit, shown here as Items 7 and 8 (click the pic for the larger, annotated view).

Fortunately, the shaft seal kit is inexpensive; but it can be a booger to install, depending on how much rust you’re dealing with. May require a destructive removal of the impeller, too, but ain’t no thang ‘cuz the shaft seal kit comes with a new impeller. Here’s a nice, purdy picture of a brand new shaft seal kit. And just to help motivate you a little more, the money you save from replacing just the shaft seal vs. replacing the entire motor-pump assembly is well over a Benjamin. So you go ahead and drill, cut, and chisel all you want on that old impeller!

And Whirlpool just came out with a spiffy new DIY repair manual for this dishwasher, which will assist you mightily in the many repair adventures you are certain to have with this dishwasher:

To learn more about your dishwasher, or to order parts, click here.

Next time you need to open up your Whirlpool-built direct drive washer (also sold under the Kenmore label), be sure to check the motor shaft and pump drive hub for rust. If you’re replacing the drive coupler– a very common repair on this otherwise fine machine– then you have to remove the motor and pump anyway.

Rusty Motor Shaft on a Whirlpool Direct Drive Washer Motor

Rust on the motor shaft is a tell-tale sign of a leaking pump. Where else would the water come from? The pump fits directly onto this motor shaft.

Rust Inside Pump Socket = Leaking Pump

Sometimes, the rusting on the motor shaft can get so bad that you can’t pull the pump off. In these cases, you may need to resort to a destructive removal. The pump is just plastic and can be removed with hammer, chisel, drilling, whatever works. Doesn’t matter how ugly it gets because the pump is being replaced anyway. The motor is pretty sturdy– just avoid getting plastic shavings down in the winding– could melt and smell funny.

If your washer needs a new pump, come git you one!

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

GE washer goes,
“Click-click,” when starting to spin.
Needs motor upgrade.

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

The two most common causes of knocking noises and instability in this washer during high speed are: 1) a bad shock absorber and 2) a bad “drum support spider“.

On these washers, if a shock absorber is bad, it’s usually obvious — you just need to get some eyeballs on ‘em. Just remove the rear panel from the washer and there you be, as shown here. Click the pic for a larger, annotated view. If one of the shock absorbers is bad, replace ‘em as a set. Easy fix!

The drum spider, OTOH, ain’t quite so obvious ‘cuz it’s attached to the drum and is hidden from view by the outer tub. So we have to use special Zen Techniques to diagnose it.

The main cause for failure of the drum spider seems to be galvanic corrosion. You can see the corrosion at an early stage on this spider. Click the pic for the larger view.

The drum support spider in this Frigidaire washer had corroded so much that the hub and drive shaft actually broke off. Note the pitting in the metal. That’s from galvanic corrosion. It weakened the spider structural strength so much that it failed during use.

Whence cometh this galvanic corrosion? Not certain at this time but distinct possibilities include: 1) dissimilar metals between the spider assembly and the drum setting up a galvanic reaction– which would be a design flaw, 2) some combinations of detergents, fabric softeners, and water conditions may set up a galavanic "cell" inside the washer during use, 3) improper, poor, or no grounding at the outlet the washer is plugged into could result in small, stray voltages in the drum during wash inducing stray currents and causing galvanic corrosion (could I have said that with anymore geekspeak?).

If the drum support spider is ate up in your Friggidaire (not a typo) washer, and you want to repair it instead of buying a new one, you’ll need to replace the entire inner tub assembly– not a job for the loose of bowel or slim of wallet:

If you decide to take this beast on, here’s some complimentary teardown information that’ll hepya. And if you’re looking for some good reading material for the outhouse, you can buy the complete service manual for this washer.

Related Posts:

Frigidaire-built Front Loading Washer Goes Thumpety-Thump During Spin

High Efficiency Detergents, Front Loading Washers, and the Great Unwashed

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

If those little clips break, the spray arm won’t turn and the water will just shoot straight up to the lower rack. You can’t just replace the clips because GE doesn’t make enough money that way. Instead, you get to buy the entire lower spray arm assembly. Thank you, GE!

To learn more about your dishwasher, or to order parts, click here.

This range had two complaints. One was that the gas grill module wouldn’t ignite.

The other complaint was that the cooling fan would come on at 100F and stay on– very annoying, also very common in this model. In addition, the temperature on the display would never increment beyond 100F even though the actual oven temperature could be 350F. Both of these problems point to a bad Power Relay Board (PRB).

Corroded Spark Electrode

This corroded spark electrode is one of the reasons the customer called me– no spark at her grill module. The cause is obvious but you still make sure that you’re at least getting spark to the electrode. In this case, the spark was being delivered but getting grounded out by the broken hood. The hood was so corroded that it actually separated from the rest of the assembly. It’s positioned this way in this photo just for your viewing pleasure.

Jenn-Air Range Rear View and Cubby - 1

Notice this range has both gas and 50 amp, dedicated 240vac power supply– that’s ‘cuz it’s a combi-range: electric oven and gas stove. Ranges that are gas-only just need a conventional 120vac wall outlet (for the oven lamp, spark module and/or ignitor).

[This picture has instructive and illuminating annotations, click the pic to see 'em.]

Jenn-Air Range Rear View and Cubby - 2

Usually, on these Jenn-Air jobs, you need to shut off and disconnect the gas supply. Got lucky in this case– they had used a generous length of flex tubing for the "last mile" connection to the range. SoooWEEET! All’s I had to do was unplug the electrical, remove the vent duct from the downdraft fan (remove the kickpanel from the front bottom, you’ll see it right there) and pull ‘er back. Good to go beaver!

[This picture has instructive and illuminating annotations, click the pic to see 'em.]

Back Panel View

The PRB is located in the back of the range behind this rear panel. Back panel is held on with 4 1/4" screws. Comes right off and exposes… (that’s your cue to go to the next pic)…

Back of Range with Rear Panel Removed

… a big ‘ol hairy mess o’ wires! And the component of interest: the Power Relay Board.

[This picture has instructive and illuminating annotations, click the pic to see 'em.]

Power Relay Board

Bunch of connections on this board! Best way to change it out is to do one wire at a time. Helps if you have another pair of arms. In my case, that other pair was attached to my son, Stephen, who was a big help on this job. Also helped with the electrode changeout– more on that in just a bit.

Side View

Now, according to the service manual, in order to remove and replace the spark electrode for the surface modules, you need to tear down the entire top assembly of the range. A royal pain in the gluteous because it involved about a gazillion screws and it’s fraught with danger because any of the screws could be rusted and stripped, especially in a range that age. All of this can slow you way down. But, thankfully I had an extra pair of hands with me on the job and I put ‘em to good use.

Underside of Top Pan Showing How the Electrode Attaches

That’s the nut that has to come off, unstring the spark wire, re-string the new electrode and then secure it with that nut. Yeah, it’s as narrow as it looks.

[This picture has instructive and illuminating annotations, click the pic to see 'em.]

New Spark Electrode Installed

There it is all shiny and purdy!

Parts Used in this Repair Job:

Power Relay Board (PRB)

Spark Electrode

To learn more about your range/stove/oven, or to order parts, click here.

Bought a Samsung fridge.
Looks slick, french doors, “special deal!”
Defrost nightmare lurks.

To learn more about your refrigerator, or to order parts, click here.

Hard to read? Click it for a larger view. Still not great but whaddya want fer nuttin’, r-r-r-r-rubbah biscuits?

To learn more about your refrigerator, or to order parts, click here.