Michael wrote:

I have a whirlpool washer. I replaced the transmission with shaft about six months ago. It was working fine.

The agiator goes back and forth but the top agiator that is suppose to turn the cloths down in the tub is not working. I removed the softner cup and o ring lid to check if the nut was tight inside. It was. Any suggestions.  system is about 10 years old. Also replaced the plastic coupler and rubbers.

regards

M. Hudson

If the lower half of the agitator is doing it’s back and forth thing but the upper half ain’t, then you need to replace the agitator dogs (or “dawgs” as they say at my alma mater, the University of Georgia).

Sue wrote:

We saw what you said about a Leak from a Frigidaire (Kenmore 417.xxxxx) Front Loading Washer. It appears the door is holding water. There is a slow trickle of water leaking out. Would this more likely be the door seal boot?

THANK YOU!!!!

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In vexing times like these, I turn my furrowed brow to Samurai’s 12 Laws of Appliance Repair. In accordance with the 7th Law, “All leaks are visual.” To aid your visualizations, click the washer breakdown diagram shown here for an interactive tour of the very bowels of your washer. Go ahead, I’ll wait …

Back so soon? Ok, with that crash course in washer anatomy, let’s light this candle with the simple stuff, first.

We’ll start behind the washer… oh, cut it out! … where the two water fill hoses connect. They’ll connect from the shutoff valves at the wall to the water inlet valve on the back of the washer. Lay some heavy-powered eyeball action, aided by the brilliant illumination from the halogen search beam you’re using, on both ends of those fill hoses looking for any sign of water. And, by the way, if your fill hoses look like this, well, you and ol’ Brother Noah ’bout to have something in common… ‘cept he had forewarning; but now you do, too!

Awwite, ever-thang looks good with the fill hoses, so now we pop that front kick plate, like ahso. We’re looking for evidence of leaking from either the tub boot or from the tub gasket. Here’s a thought question: since the tub boot is right up front, and if it were leaking, where would we see signs of leaking? Ooo, you’re good! If your tub boot is leaking, this excerpt from the service manual should hepya replace it.

Ok, here’s a tougher one: given that the tub gasket goes all the way around the tub, where would you expect its characteristic leak pattern to be? That’s a little less obvious, but this post explains what to look for and a minimally-invasive procedure that may fix it.

Finally, I have also seen, on rare occasions, where a bra wire pierced the pump suction boot and created a leak.

Smile! It’s a Friggidaire! (yes, I meant to spell it that way)

Went on a service call the other day for a refrigerator. And, in one of those, “While you’re here…” things, I ended up checking out the washer and dryer. Something I always, always check when working on a washer are the fill hoses. The cheap, stamped-brass fittings on the black rubber fill hoses were badly rusted and, in that weakened condition, were more prone to snap or split, causing a huge flood in this million-dollar lake house.

So I pulled those hoses off… actually, the fittings were so badly rusted that they no longer rotated so I had to cut ’em off with the big serrated-edge knife in my Leatherman Wave that I keep on my belt when I’m running service calls. Then I installed a beautiful, brand-new pair of stainless-steel braided fill hoses with stainless steel fittings. The only additional charge was for the retail price of the new hoses. Cheapest flood insurance you can buy!

Recommended Reading: Three Easy Steps to Total Washing Machine Flood Prevention

Doctor K wrote:

Your holiness,

washing machine question. (KitchenAid model#622874) I suspect the water inlet valve is faulty since water is dripping when the machine is “off”.

Where is the valve located? How do I access to replace?

With all do admiration,

Michael

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Yep, sounds like your water inlet valve can’t quite pinch it off anymore. The valve is mounted to the washer’s rear bulkhead (that’s Navy talk for “wall” or “panel” — don’t let it throw you), as seen here to the right.

Hey, don’t run off and start taking off the back panel like a kid opening a Christmas present– take a breath and read this short missive on how to disassemble your washer. You’ll be glad you did.

As you probably suspected, the valve can no longer be trusted to control 40 to 60 psi of water pressure every day, all day long; you have to replace the valve. And, if you purchase the new valve here within the next five minutes, I’ll confer a special blessing upon you.

Nolo contendere, e pluribus unum, my child.

Doc wrote:

How do I open a Kenmore Washer
Model# 110.28932790

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This is a Whirlpool-built direct drive washer. It opens up a little differently from what you might expect. Many people, thinking the top panel pops up, begin ruthlessly prying on the seam between the top and front panel and only end up with a disfigured washer. I’ve seen more adventurous types actually remove the entire back panel, getting them no closer to what they were trying for. Let the Samurai enlighten you.

The entire cabinet removal procedure is illustrated in this diagram. Even though the procedure is very straight forward, a couple of fine points are worth mentioning:

• Some Kenmore-branded versions of this washer use plastic endcaps to cover the console screws. Just remove the console end caps and the console retaining screws are right there. This technique is illustrated in this photo.
• Once you’ve removed the console screws, flip the entire control console up and back to reveal the cabinet retaining braces, shown here.
• After you pull the cabinet back and away from the washer, here’s an illustrated anatomy of your naked washing machine. The lid switch is screwed to the inside of the cabinet top panel and is easily accessible with the cabinet removed.
• Replacing the cabinet is usually very straight forward but sometimes little snags can arise. Some helpful hints for replacing the cabinet are explained here.

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