Kenmore 110.20922990 Not Spinning

[strudles]

My washer was feeling neglected, that I was spending all my time with my dryer so decided to flip out.

I have been noticing for the past few weeks that my loads haven't always been getting dry enough after the spin cycle. I would just run the spin cycle again and that usually did the trick. But last week it stopped spinning at all.

I checked the drive couplers and, while they look like they will need to be replaced in the nearish future, I found them still intact and not the cause of the problem.

Next I checked the clutch and I could, with just a little effort, turn the inner part of the clutch so I decided I would try that first. 

The clutch came today and no, that's not the problem. The tub does indeed start spinning when empty, but I was able to make it stop spinning by holding the side of the tub with my hand.

Something interesting that I've never noticed before is that the tub rotates when the washer is agitating (empty load, just water for testing purposes).  It could just be that I didn't put something back together correctly, but I did rewatch the videos of how to disassemble and reassemble my washer and didn't see anything that I missed.

It does look like the transmission is leaking a little oil as there was a faint splatter line on the inside of the housing and oily dust/crud around the sides and bolts of the transmission. Fyi, the transmission is about 3 yrs. old.

I assume the lid switch is ok as my machine will agitate/drain and sort of spin (with no weight on it) when I depress the lid switch, and won't "spin"/drain when I don't.

I'm not sure what might be the problem, I'd appreciate any ideas/suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[AccApp]

How's the drive block looking?

[AccApp]

[AccApp]

Drive block is #15 in pic and 11 is the nut that holds it tight.

[AccApp]

[AccApp]

It attaches to the top of #1 in this pic, Basket drive asembly

[strudles]

I don't have a spanner wrench and the spanner nut is pretty tight; I haven't been able to budge it yet. Are there any tricks for getting it off sans spanner wrench?

[AccApp]

You don't need to remove it just yet, Just see if the "ears" on the basket drive are still engaged in the slots in the drive block. Also try to spin the tub in relation to the basket drive.

[AccApp]

The only video on youtube where they show a failed drive block. 

 

 

Lots of videos showing replacement of what looks to be a perfectly good drive block.

[TurtleRock]

When you install the clutch do use the right spring ? Also was the clutch after market or oem  ? Some aftermarket are bad right out of box.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Even with a new good clutch you can stop the basket from spinning if you hold it before you start the spin cycle it will not overcome your holding power, it will just slip the clutch.

By experience, (33 years), I can put my palm against the spin basket and start the spin and know the basic amount of pressure I can hold and let it start spinning and then try to carefully stop  by adding more pressure - I know how it should feel and if clutch is OK or not.

If you aren't holding the spin basket from the start and it just won't start spinning without a help then you may have left out parts, (the clip that slides over the agitator shaft and/or the metal thrust washer that sits on top of that), or you have something stuck between the inner and outer tub or the new clutch is bad,  (aftermarket very well could be, OEM not as much chance of that).

[strudles]

14 hours ago, AccApp said:

You don't need to remove it just yet, Just see if the "ears" on the basket drive are still engaged in the slots in the drive block. Also try to spin the tub in relation to the basket drive.

The drive block looks ok. I checked out that video and my drive block looks like a greasy/gunky version of the "good" drive block. When I move the tub, the drive block moves with it, not at all like the worn out drive block in the video. 

[strudles]

4 hours ago, TurtleRock said:

When you install the clutch do use the right spring ? Also was the clutch after market or oem  ? Some aftermarket are bad right out of box.

I wasn't 100% sure about the spring. The kit said that the spring I was supposed to use for my size washer was factory installed so I assumed I didn't need to do anything. I compared it with the size of the one I took off my washer and it was the same size/color. The clutch is aftermarket so maybe that's the problem?

[strudles]

2 hours ago, Budget Appliance Repair said:

Even with a new good clutch you can stop the basket from spinning if you hold it before you start the spin cycle it will not overcome your holding power, it will just slip the clutch.

By experience, (33 years), I can put my palm against the spin basket and start the spin and know the basic amount of pressure I can hold and let it start spinning and then try to carefully stop  by adding more pressure - I know how it should feel and if clutch is OK or not.

If you aren't holding the spin basket from the start and it just won't start spinning without a help then you may have left out parts, (the clip that slides over the agitator shaft and/or the metal thrust washer that sits on top of that), or you have something stuck between the inner and outer tub or the new clutch is bad,  (aftermarket very well could be, OEM not as much chance of that).

The basket starts spinning on its own in spin cycle, but I assumed as easy as it was for me to slow it down or stop it after it had started to spin, that it wouldn't spin out a full load of clothes. It just didn't seem strong enough. I know I put all the parts back correctly, I watched a reassembly video as I was doing it and followed every step. I'm not sure if something could be stuck between the inner & outer tub; would that just be a visual check or would I have to get the tub out to verify? Thanks!

[AccApp]

2 hours ago, strudles said:

The drive block looks ok. I checked out that video and my drive block looks like a greasy/gunky version of the "good" drive block. When I move the tub, the drive block moves with it, not at all like the worn out drive block in the video. 

Yes, but does the basket drive come with the drive block? Are the ears in good shape and not bent over?

[strudles]

2 hours ago, AccApp said:

Yes, but does the basket drive come with the drive block? Are the ears in good shape and not bent over?

The ears look straight, not bent and the whole thing turns together when I move the tub. I took a short video of it in action so you can doublecheck it:

 

[AccApp]

That looks good. I’d suspect your bootleg clutch at this point.

[darren412]

The lid switch may be intermittently working.  Try jumping the lid switch securely For a couple of loads and see what happens.  That Won’t cost you anything . Also make sure the clutch band is put into the clutch housing , right side up.   The clutch band has pads that have tabs on them and the tab side of the pads go down.  You may also want to thoroughly inspect the tubs drain outlet port on the bottom for any obstructions before the pump and in the drain line after the pump.  Also make sure the drain line is not going into the stand pipe to close to the drain trap if you have one in the stand pipe.  Also if it drains into a sink next to the washer , the sink has to drain the water Fast enough out of the sink to stay below the end of the drain hose. If there is a sink it is draining in and the sink is not draining fast enough and the drain hose end is still submerged in the drain water , the water can or may be siphoning back into the washer tub slightly. I hope this is helpful. 

[strudles]

There is a drain in the wall between the hot and cold supplies where the water drains. I won't be able to try anything til tomorrow evening. I'll let you know if I discover anything and I will double check the clutch band direction. I didn't know there was a specific way it needed to go in. Thanks!

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Try a load of towels and see how it works, it may just be OK.

Depending on how long you let it spin before you tried to stop it by hand makes a big difference, pretty easy to stop even a good clutch if you push your hand hard against the spin basket before it gets up to full speed.

If after testing with a load of towels you think they are coming out too wet you can shim the clutch spring with a #10 flat washer, (this will add a little extra load to the spring and may make the aftermarket clutch usable).   A #10 flat washer fits perfectly in either of the spring cups and gives a slightly worn clutch many more years of service.

With the cabinet off you should be able to easily see if there is anything between the inner spin basket and outer tub.

This problem has nothing to do with the drain - you are at this point just running a spin and trying to see if the spin basket spins good/fast/strong with no water, (so the drain and lid switch are NOT your problem areas).

Edited January 6, 2018 by Budget Appliance Repair

[strudles]

The clutch ring was in upside down (d'oh!). Nothing was stuck in the basket (as far as I could see). I'm running a test load of towels now and am very curious to see how it turns out. I love your idea of using a washer and I will totally try that if the spin isn't quite strong enough.

I did notice that there was a bit of residue in the clutch, black, possibly metallic in nature. I'm not sure if that's coming from something above the clutch or not and if it's something to be concerned about. 

The tub isn't rotating during agitation anymore so I take that as a good sign; not sure what caused it before.

Thank you SO much for all your help so far! I'll let you know what happens with this load.

[strudles]

It's spinning and at first I thought it wasn't spinning at all, it's so quiet. It started slowly, but I can hear it getting faster and faster; I'm hopeful.

... a little while later ...

Woohoo! As soon as it stopped spinning (before even the rinse), I checked one of the towels and it was very "dry."

Also, I have no idea what I did, but spin mode is much, much, much quieter now! It's like a different machine. I'm not complaining!

With 6 in our family, it's no fun to be without a washer for long .Thank you all for everything, I'm am very grateful!

[darren412]

Great glad to hear you solved your issue. Great start to a new year.