Lei

Operating on the washing machine.

***REVISED ON NOVEMBER 10th, 2007***

The Easy Way...

The washing machine broke down. So I called the appliance repairman, set an appointment for the following week, told the tenants to hold off on all their laundry for the next five days or so, and I went off on my weekend getaway.

The Slightly Less Easy Way...

The day before I was to leave for a weekend getaway, I got a call from the tenants. The washing machine had died. I went to the house to look at it and found out that the transmission was seized. What we have is a direct drive transmission on an Inglis washing machine. To get this fixed by calling in someone would run around $275 or so with the weekend just hours away. A new basic model would cost almost double that. So I decided to tackle this one myself in the short time that I had.

Replacing this piece of machinery isn't very difficult. I got some tips from the local appliance parts store over the phone and just did it.

Step 1. Unplug the power cord to the appliance.

Step 2. Turn off the hot and cold water supply lines, then disconnect them from the machine.

Step 3. Open the top lid and remove the cap of the center agitator. Remove the screw inside the top of the agitator with a socket wrench and a socket extension.

Step 4. Turn the whole machine on its side to gain access to the bottom guts.

Step 5. Unplug the white molex connector to the electric motor. Undo the two tension hooks which hold the water pump to the motor. There is no need to remove the two water hoses to the pump.

Step 6. Locate and undo the three screws which hold the transmission and motor assembly to the bottom of the washing machine.

Step 7. Pull out the whole assembly. It should slide out smoothly.

Step 8. Disassemble the transmission and electrical motor assembly. There will be two tension hooks similar to those which held the pump to the motor except these two will be screwed to the body of the motor and are a couple of inches longer.

Step 9. Pull the electrical motor off. In between the electric motor and the transmission is a plastic spider gear assembly which transfers power from the motor to the transmission. If any of these two plastic parts are broken, then replace them too. They are press fit lightly into place.

Step 10. Remove any remaining washers and clips off the transmission shaft.

Step 11. Run to the local shop and buy a rebuilt model giving them your old one at the same time.

Step 12. Run back, quickly and install everything in reverse order.

Step 13. Relax and wash some clothes. Don't forget to clean up the mess you've just made doing all of this.

Staring down the barrel of a gun. In the photo is the transmission with the shaft pointed up. Besides it is the motor along with the two motor attachment clips. The washing machine lies dead on its side in the background.

The rebuilt transmission gear assembly costed $99. Once again our trusty slave labourer/appliance repair person aka myself *cough cough* is just pennies a day. This fix will work for other washing machines which have a direct drive transmission made by numerous brands. There are lots of brands out there but only two or three manufacturers. So clever of them in making people think one brand is better than the other. So this part will work for other Inglis models as well as Whirlpool, Maytag, kitchen Aid, Hot Point, Norge, etc. etc. Even on washing machines costing two to three times the base model. The guts are all the same. You're only paying for the fancy electronic interfaces.

The Not Easy At All Way...

I got a call from the tennants telling me that the washing machine was not working so I went over to take a look to see what was wrong.

The room was dim as the tennants had not replaced one of the flourescent tubes which had blown. Only the other one continued to flicker unable to shine completely. I replaced the blown lamp so that I could look at the machine with good lighting.

With power and water still connected, I tested the machine in all of the different cycles.

At the beginning of the wash cycle, both hot and cold water poured into the tub. I turned the water level to low so that I wouldn't have to wait for the whole tub to be filled before it would start to agitate. It didn't however. No check. I advanced the timer dial to a point just before the rinse cycle and all the water starting exiting out through the hose at the back. So we know that the pump is working properly. Check.

New water then started to fill up the tub for the rinse cycle which was expected but again, when the low level had been reached, the tub would not spin. Instead there was just a noise which sounded as though the motor was trying but not getting anywhere.

I pulled the machine out and removed the hose from the drainage pipe. With the machine lying partially on its side and the power cord still plugged into the wall, I turned the advanced main control knob through the various cycles. I could see the electric motor turning and running the pump on one side but when the spin or agitate cycle came, the electric motor spun but the tub did not rotate. It looked as though the transmission was seized while it whined on and on. I moved closer trying to get a better view when one leg of the plastic coupler between the electric motor and the transmission broke and the sleeve of my right arm suddenly ripped off. Soon my whole shirt was off and entangled in the motor.

The faint smell of smoke appeared along with a spark and a zap. I slipped back onto the floor which was partially wet from water which had leaked from the seized bib taps which feed the machine. From my right hand which was touching the metal motor frame of the machine, I felt a medium frequency vibration travel through my body to my other hand which was planted on the wet floor.

As I laid there on the floor unconscious naked from the waist up and hair sticking out in all directions, the washing machine which previously had been balanced on an angle shifted and fell down on top of me. A few tiny arcs of electricity jumped to the floor and a final plume of smoke formed in the shape of a small mushroom slowly rising to the ceiling of the tiny utility room. The flourescent lights began to flicker when one blew and the room grew dim once again.