I fixed my washing machine !!!!!

[polly7]

So ... this morning I throw in a load of laundry, clean some carpets and go to check the wash ... it won't spin or drain! Nothing but the wash cycle works. I pull out the soaking wet laundry and there's water everywhere because I wasn't smart enough to find a tub big enough to hold it. I emptied out the washer cup by cup because the agitator thingy wouldn't come out and a pail wouldn't fit, then sat and tried to figure out how the hell I'm going to afford a new washing machine. Then I thought .... hmmm, maybe YouTube can tell me what to do. It was the switch on top! I took it out and it was broke - it didn't fit together like it should and the little pop-up thing wasn't popping up right, so I mixed up some of that epoxy glue stuff and it's drying now with some vice-grips holding it tight. I tried the spin cycle holding the switch down with my hand and it works!!! I'm so happy right now.

[hedgehog]

1. Good for you!

If the glue doesn't hold, you should be able to buy a new part on-line,I'm guessing for about $10 -$20.

[polly7]

3. TY! I'm glad to see they're so inexpensive.

I really should look into ordering another one right away, just in case.

[hedgehog]

5. If you don't still have it, you should be able to find the parts diagram

on the net, then find someone who sells that part. Good luck!

[polly7]

6. Good advice, and thank you again, off to do some hunting .... nt.

[lunatica]

2. That's inspired!

The internets are magical!

[polly7]

4. I know, right!?

I learned last year how to fix my lawnmower from a video. The people who put up these videos are beyond kind and helpful.

[Duer 157099]

7. Good for you!

If you're going to order parts, go ahead a get a set or 2 of agitator dogs too while you're at it. I've replaced mine twice. Little plastic things that ratchet the agitator and easily get stripped if you put something heavy (like rugs...) in the washer. Suddenly the agitator doesn't agitate so much. Easy easy fix. Like you, I learned online. Cheap! Easy! Felt great!

[polly7]

8. Thanks! That's good to know, and I'll do that. nt.

[gvstn]

16. Thanks for this idea.

My agitator hasn't worked correctly in at least a year. I just don't want to spend the money on a new one right now. (I also have the faulty top switch but mine still works by just opening and closing the lid a couple of times.)

Checking out the videos, I think my agitator problem might be as easy as the dogs replacement. I'm definitely going to give the replacement dogs a try this month.

[gvstn]

18. Mission accomplished!

Thanks for the idea on the agitator dogs, I just got them installed and the agitator is working properly for the first time in a long time. Luckily, I bought the whole agitator cam kit since when I got things disassembled I realized that both my dogs and the retainer clip had completely crumbled disintegrated. No wonder it hadn't been working. Haha!

[Duer 157099]

19. Fantastic!

Yeah, good thing you got everything. I know I had to go buy an extension for my wrench to get the agitator off. But after that, insanely simple.

[gvstn]

20. Yes, I ran into that problem too.

First, I couldn't find a 7/16 socket or my 1/2" socket set. So I bought the 7/16 socket for my 3/8" wrench but my hardware store only had the same size extension I already had so I thought it was standard. Low and behold it was about an inch too short. But with some careful angling I managed to get the bolt out. I can't believe I don't have a socket set around here, I guess they just got lost piece by piece and I only have the larger sockets that I never used.

Anyway, crisis avoided and it was very simple. I had never heard of agitator dogs and was confused why my agitator wasn't working to move the clothes properly when I could see and feel that the motor was still strong and the bottom moved well. I had no idea that an agitator had a top and bottom that sort of worked separately. Now I do thanks to you! I can't wait to try a load of wash but did everything before I started just in case something went wrong and I needed another part. I can feel the agitator only turns one way now so I know I am good and just have to wait a day or two to test it out with a larger load.

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Thank You polly7!

.
.
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Because my internet provider is so pricey, I rarely watch even short videos -

I never thought of YouTube as a source for self-help things.

Learned something today, and that's a good thing.



CC

[polly7]

10. Yvw!

It's amazing, there are videos on there to fix pretty much anything. Worth a try, anyway.

[Pool Hall Ace]

11. Good job!

Isn't that a great feeling to be able to fix something yourself and not have to contact Mr. Service Call?

[polly7]

12. TY!

Yes, it sure is! My Dad used to be my Mr. Service and things like this make me really miss him ... but I'm happy to say, the glue actually held, I managed to get it back in the right way and I've washed every curtain, blanket and everything else in my house.

[mikeytherat]

13. Here's the best website for finding appliance parts: partselect.com

This site can help you locate any part, help you find your machine's model and serial numbers, and usually has one or two how-to-repair videos for each replacement part. Truly awesome!

mikey_the_rat

[polly7]

14. Wow!

Thank you so much, that really is a fantastic site! I've bookmarked it and will definitely pass it along.

[gvstn]

17. I'll just give another site I used a few years ago

That was reliable and fast shipping, repairclinic.com. I haven't studied either site recently but have similar problems with my machine although my switch still works with some coaxing. I use the repairclinic site when I needed a control knob for an old Whirlpool machine and was happy to get one for around $25 so I could put my pliers away instead of searching for them every time I needed to do a load of wash.

I'm going to check out some videos on the PartsSelect site.

[Bertha Venation]

15. Woo hoo, polly, very well done!