Inglis, Whirlpool and Kenmore belt washers - common

problems Like timers, pumping problems, leaking, spinning,

agitating and spinning & agitating at the same time....

1. Leaking troubles
2. Not pumping the water
3. Spins and agitates at the same time
4. The water pumps out too soon
5. Timer problems
6. Washer won't agitate
7. Washer won't spin




This notched-style
washer belt was used
on most Whirlpool and
Sears/Kenmore
washers before the
direct drive models





Wig Wag Assembly
commonly used on
Whirlpool/Kenmore
Brands clothes
washers. Assembly
includes control
magnet and two each
of plungers - cam bar
guides - rivets and
speed nuts






Inglis, Whirlpool and Kenmore belt washers: - common
problems: disconnect power first

Timer problems: Missing or skipping sections of the cycles is
often a timer problem, timers also can "get stuck" or not
"advance at all or you have to "jiggle" the timer knob to get
the washer to work. Remove power and remove the metal or
plastic cover on the timer. Check the timer contacts for any
burnt or blackened contacts.....this is a very common problem
with this style of washer. If the timer will not advance at all,
look for the 2 small black wires that lead to the timer motor,
check these for 120 volts with the washer running. 120 volts
to the timer motor and the timer will not advance is a bad
timer, you can have the old one rebuilt or simply buy a new
timer.



Not pumping the water: It is a good idea to check the drain
hose for any kinks or restrictions first. Next would be to
check the pump, look through the rear access panel with a
flashlight, turn the belt by hand, ( if the belt is loose, tighten it
first ) if the pump pulley does not move, the pump has seized
and you will need a new one. If the pump pulley moves, the
flapper valve inside the pump or the arm and clip mechanism
clip on the pump may have failed. How to change a common
pump.


















Pumps the water out too soon: Split your problem again in
1/2, does the machine run when the water goes out or is the
machine not running when the water goes out. The washer
runs and the water keeps running out - check the pump first,
the valve that is suppose to close inside the pump may be
broken or jammed with a lint ball ( a new pump is required ),
the right side solenoid on the wig/wag is suppose to switch
the pump arm from pump to agitate, check for a broken cotter
pin on the solenoid, broken yellow or white wire to the
solenoid, the solenoid may also have failed. The washer is not
running but the water is running out - check the drain hose, it
may be too low ( should go close to the top of the console
before going into a drain ) or pushed too far down inside the
stand pipe drain, when this happens the water is siphoning
out of the washer.




Leaking problems: Many leaks come from the pump itself. Fill
hoses and fill valves also are bad for leaks. The outer tanks
are fairly bad for rusting and creating leaks on this style of an
washer. It is a good idea to do a visual check of all hoses,
look for cracks, rub marks, leaky or rusty hose clamps. A
fairly quick way to narrow down where to look for a leak,
place a sheet of cardboard under the washer ( it should be
almost as big as the washer ) and run a short cycle. When the
washer is finished, look for the wet spot on the cardboard,
this will help point you in what direction to look for where the
leak is coming from...front...back...right side...left side. If you
find the leak to be a bad pump, replace the pump. With the
use of plastic drain hoses on many machines today, this has
Whirlpool, Kenmore
belted washer repair
manual Describes step-
by-step repairs for the
most common belt-
driven washing
machine problems










become a common leak trouble maker. The drain hose can
rub the wall or a pipe and this will rub a hole in the drain hose.



Washer won't spin: This is a little about how your washer
spins. When time to go into a spin cycle, the motor is already
running and the washer is in a pump out mode. The timer
advances and closes contacts in timer that make electrical
circuit through the lid switch to the spin solenoid. This is
normally done through a gray wire from timer to lid switch
and then a red wire from lid switch to the spin solenoid. A
white common wire completes the circuit. This spin solenoid
is on a magnet bar with the agitate solenoid also on it. You
will see it under the machine moving back and forth as the
motor runs. This magnet bar is called a wigwag in the
appliance trade. When the spin solenoid is energized, it sucks
a plunger pinned to the spin cam bar up into the solenoid.
The plunger pin goes to a different level in the cam bar and
pulls it in the direction of the motor and keeps it there until
spin cycle is over. When cam bar is pulled back, it allows the
clutch to drop down and engage the spinning center pulley
attached to the spin tube. The spin tube turns, the wash
basket is locked to spin tube, therefore it spins. Now for your
question. What goes wrong?
1. The solenoid can be open. Watch it and if it
doesn't suck the plunger up, check with an ohm
meter. If solenoid good, assume no power to it.
2. No power to solenoid. You will need to check
the circuit from timer, through lid switch, to
solenoid. Most likely place seems to be lid switch.
check it.
3. The wires coming to the solenoid are
constantly moving back and forth as the machine
runs. This puts tension on the wires and they
tend to break inside the insulation of the wire. To
check for break internally in the wire, read from
one end of it to other with ohm meter. Another


Belt length 47 3/8,
width 1/2,
characteristics, v-
shaped cog-tooth,
most common
Whirlpool - Kenmore
washer drive belt




Belt length 47 5/8,
width 1/4,
characteristics, small
v- shaped, small cog-
teeth on back



way is to grasp wire (unplug the washer) about 8
inches back from end and pull hard on end of
wire. If broken inside, it will pull apart and stretch
insulation. Replace wire. There are mechanical
operations that can give problems, but most spin
problems are in the area that I just addressed.
Another common trouble maker has cropped up in the last
few years. The set screw on the clutch assembly backs out
and this will keep the brake on all the time and the washer will
either spin very slowly or not spin at all. Sometimes the hole
in the spin tube will become damaged and requires the clutch
to be replaced, but sometimes the sets screw can be
reinstalled. (unplug the washer) You must remove the set
screw and line up the holes by slowly turning the inner basket
around. I usually use a piece of hard wire pushed into the
hole, once the set screw hole and the spin tub holes are lined
up you will be able to push the wire in...add some lock tight to
the screw threads and reinstall the set screw. Picture of
where this set screw is.



Washer won't agitate: This type washer has a transmission
that causes the agitation to take place. It is put in agitate
mode when the water fill is completed by a solenoid that
actuates a cam bar and puts transmission in gear. This
solenoid is mounted on a bar with another solenoid that
performs the spin function. When time to agitate, the solenoid
is activated, pulls a cam bar toward the rear of the machine
and in effect puts the drive shaft in gear. If you look in bottom
rear of machine with washer in agitate mode and running you
can observe this action. You will see the magnet bar moving
back and forth just like your agitator in the washer should be.
The solenoid and plunger that operates the agitate cam is on
the right side of the bar and has a white and yellow wire on it.
When it is operating right, the solenoid will pull the plunger
up into itself and hold the cam bar toward the rear of the
washer. If it pulls the cam to the rear and then goes back
forward each turn of the bar, then you probably have a broken
wire going to the solenoid. It will be broken inside the
insulation. It can be the white or the yellow wire. Unplug the






Analog Volt/Ohm Meter
- Basic meter for
measuring most
appliance voltages,
resistance, and
continuity. It features a
fuse protected Ohms
circuit and 12 ranges:




washer, grasp the wire as far back as you can from the end
and pull hard on the end of the wire. If broken inside, it will
stretch the insulation and you will know it is broken inside.
This is a common problem with these machines. If the
solenoid pulls the cam bar backwards and keeps it there and
you are getting 1/2 agitate, then the problem is in the
transmission. It may not be cost effective to repair an older
transmission. Sometimes the inside of the agitator can wear
out and the agitator will no longer go back and forth to wash,
also the metal transmission shaft can rust and wear away.




Spins and agitates at the same time: This is often a worn
clutch or broken t-bearing support. If the t-bearing support or
ball cracks and breaks or comes out of place the clutch will
drop and the brake pad will not be able to engage. The other
common problem is the clutch may be adjusted at the clutch
This is often a worn clutch or broken t-bearing support. If the
t-bearing support or ball cracks and breaks or comes out of
place the clutch will drop and the brake pad will not be able to
engage. The other common problem is the clutch may be
adjusted at the clutch support shaft. Some of the support
shafts have a nut on them and some just have washers. You
will have to raise the nut a little or add 1 washer to help push
the clutch up and engage the brake pad to stop the spinning
and agitating at the same time. Sometimes a new clutch and
brake pad is the only repair or a new t-bearing and ball.
A readers tip:
A few days ago, it began agitating & spinning at the same
time but when I investigated, the problem looked more like it
just wouldn't spin. So I followed your instructions and
checked continuity of the wiring, switches and solenoids,
plus the tightness of the set screw on the clutch assembly,
only to find that they everything was fine. So I watched the
wig-wag solenoids operating from underneath and noticed
that, occasionally, the machine would agitate and spin at the
same time. In other words, the problem seemed intermittent -
with one turn of the timer to a 'spin' setting, it would agitate
only; on the next turn of the timer it would agitate & spin
simultaneously. However, it did look as though the plunger in
the agitate solenoid wasn't dropping as it should - suggesting
that the agitate solenoid (which I had already checked for
continuity) wasn't being 'de-energized' for some reason. At
this point, the only electrical thing I hadn't checked was the
timer box. When I removed it, I heard the 'ping' of a small
metal piece hit the floor. It turned out to be one of the 3-inch
long, thin metal contact 'reeds' - one end of which moves up
and down as it rides along the surface of the timer cam; the
other end is moulded into the male quick-disconnect fitting. It
had likely failed by fatigue, consistent with twenty years of
being moved up-and-down by the timer cam. This also
explained why the problem would appear on one turn of the
timer knob and not appear on the next. I managed to find a
reconditioned timer box which, with a trade-in credit for the
old one. Everything works fine now. So I thought that you
might want to add this type of timer box failure to your
description of what to check, especially with older machines.
The timer box comes apart very easily and a missing 'reed'
would be obvious. Checking for 'reeds' that are broken, or
about to break, would probably require nothing more than a
pair of tweezers. Hope this is useful - and thanks again. A.D.
Smith Vancouver
Webmaster - Thankx for the tip!! :-)

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Appliance Accessories - "What's on Sale Now"??

Purchase a 2 hose
pump
Purchase a 4 hose
pump
Purchase a 3 hose
pump



How to replace the pump....

How to replace the pump: disconnect power first Drain the tub.
remove the back panel, loosen the motor mounting bolt and
remove tension from the belt. Lean the washer back against the
wall, put a bucket underneath the pump and remove the hoses.
remove the 2 mounting bolts (1/2" bolt heads) and remove the
pump. Rocking the pump away from the belt will help disengage
the belt, and also the pump lever from the cam bar. Don't move
the pump lever yet. Check the belt for glazing or cracks, if belt
looks bad replace it as well. Set the pump lever in the same
position as the pump that came out. Rock the pump in place, the
same way way as you pulled out the old one. make sure the pump
lever goes into the slot for the cam bar. Reinstall the 1/2" bolts
and reset tension of the belt by moving the motor mounting bolt
back into place.
The above is how I would change a pump on a belt driven
Whirlpool/Inglis built washer, below is some extra good info on
replacing the 2 hose and 3 hose pump.
2 hose pump....
2 hose pump help 1 click here
2 hose pump help 2 click here

3 hose pump....continued on the next page



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rights reserved.


Purchase a 2 hose
pump
Purchase a 4 hose
pump
Purchase a 3 hose
pump


Universal Stainless
Steel Water Fill
Hose



3 hose pump change helps....


3 hose pump help 1 click here

3 hose pump help 2 click here

Appliance
Repair Aid
sections
Appliance &
Household tips
Appliance Fun
Stuff
Appliance news
Headlines,
Appliance recalls

Due to high costs
for keeping this site
running, please
consider making a
donation
FAQ Links section
Manufacture
Phone #'s &
Locate a
warranty dealer/
service
Manufacture
Web sites
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Need Parts? See
our ever growing
Appliance Parts
sections
Need to
complain?
Purchase help /
compare prices
links
Q&A Forum Repair manuals
Search
Some parts
breakdown sites,
use&care
manuals
Tools,
Accessories &
maintenance
items
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model # ??

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Aid Home Page
Copyright
2000-2005 All
rights reserved.