washer sounds like its spinning but isn't

by Ben
(Halifax)

I have a Kenmore 700 series washer that was working great but recently hasn't been spinning water out of the cloths properly. the motor goes and sounds like it spinning but the basket is not moving at all. what could cause this and is it easy to fix?

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Answer

Hi Ben,
I am going to assume it was made by Whirlpool (most Kenmore’s washers are whirlpool) but without the full model number I will not know for sure.

The coupling is the most common thing that will cause this problem. The coupling is very easy to replace with the help of the page below. But the clutch and the timer can cause this as well.

The timer is least likely but lets eliminate it first. Start the washer and wait for spin (make sure you do not stop the washer before it gets to spin) when it gets to spin and starts to pump the washer out wait 3 minute. If it doesn’t start to spin in 3 minutes open the lid and let the motor come to a complete stop, then close the lid and if it then starts to spin the timer is bad. The timer is supposed stop the motor after 2 minutes of the spin cycle to allow the gear box to go from pump out mode to spin mode.

If that doesn’t seem to be the problem dissemble the washer Whirlpool Washer Disassembly

Once you have the motor out you should be able to see if the coupling is broken or not. The coupling is the plastic coupling that connects the motor to the transmission. If the coupling is broken replace it and if not the clutch is most likely the problem.

Thank you,
Shawn/administrator