washer spins to slow

[Dawn]

I have a Kenmore washer that is 11 yrs old. I've been trying to figure out if this is worth repairing or if I should just buy a new one. Over the last few months it has started spinning slower and slower. It run fine in all the other cycles. It is a direct drive so there is no belt. I have been told it could be the clutch or the brake or the transmission but no one will say for sure they want me to bring it to them or let them come to my house to repair it. Yes I am female but I grew up with 3 brother and I was under the car with dad just like they were. I have never worked on a washer but had never replaced a heating element on a dryer before I did it. I have a diagram of the washer but just because I can find the parts doesn't mean I know what one does what. Can you please help me?

Thanks, Dawn

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Hi Dawn and welcome

this is a tricky one...

But at 11 years old, I would say that it was on its's last legs. If you can afford to replace it, I would do just that as even if it was reasonably economical to repair this time, next time it goes wrong (which I bet will be soon) you'd have wished you hadn't repaired it this time!

Try to only half fill the machine and in the meantime try to save up and replace it.

Here in the UK now, appliances are so much cheaper (all imported ) that the high cost of servicing (high cost of living in the UK) makes replacement more cost effective. Of course, this may be different for you?

hope that helps

PS After spending several hours and about £50 quid on parts, I gave up repairing my 5 year old washer and bought a new one for £300! (the cheapest being £200, you do the math!)

MMJ

 

[breezer]

if its anything like our top loader (this being a uk based site) I would say its the clutch shoes wearing out.

Dont ask me where they are or how much as that i have no idea,(being a kenmore m/c) but i did used to work for a company as a washer sevice engineer, and it is not uncommon for the clutch shoes to wear out

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

So what is your qualified guestimation? do you think a repair would be worth pursuing then Breezer?

Do Kenmore still support 11 year old machines etc?

 

[breezer]

cant say about kenmore, clutch shoes over here very easy to replace (and cheap)

 

[Dawn]

Thanks for the input but you'll laugh at this. My boyfriend had a used washer so a friend and I went and got it to use until we could fix mine. When we got it to my house we thought it looked kind of rough so we decieded to make sure it worked before we took it in the house. It didn'nt work so I took my washer back in the house and said "I'm Not going to deal with it right now". Later my 20 years old duaghter said she needed her work uniform washed. I told her she could hook the washer back up but I wasn't going to deal with it. Thinking better of that I went to supervise. On the first spin cycle it started leaking waster out of the bottom. When I looked inside it was still half full of water. I started the drain cycle and thought, "I wonder if this thing is draining right or if the hose is clogged". I pulled the drain hose out of the drain and wiggled it around a little and was rewarded with a gush of water. The washer has worked fine since then. You would have died laughing between my friend, my daughter and me we must have looked like the three stooges.
Thanks, Dawn