Kenmore 110.15942400 fix oil spray from clutch

[LecoFixit]

My 14-year-old Kenmore 110.15942400 washer has oil spraying off the clutch (I assume) as seen on the inside of the washer case.  There is a line of oil at the same height on both sides and the front of the case, and drips running down from there.  There is oil on the lower frame members.  There is oil inside of the clutch drum as well.  I disassembled the washer because it would spin on light loads but not on heavy loads.  On heavy loads, it would spin if I gave it a little spin to start it.  I was expecting to replace the clutch band, but was surprised to find the oil. 

There is space between the gearcase cover seal 3349985 and the outside of the spin pinion, but there is no oil either on the pinion or on the seal.

The spin pinion seal 356427 between the inside of the spin pinion and the agitator shaft appears to be tight, but it is wet with oil. 

There is black thick oil fouling the inside of the clutch drum and on the friction surfaces and sides of the clutch band.  I assume it's black due to being on the slipping clutch and picking up gunk. 

The washer occasionally made clunking noises when starting to spin heavy loads.  Now I don't notice unusual sounds when the washer is pumping, agitating, or spinning.  With the transmission out, I can wiggle the end of the agitator shaft side-to-side some.

Questions:

1. Is the transmission fine, but oil is leaking because the seals are worn out?  If I replace the 2 seals mentioned and refill the oil, would the transmission be fine?

2. Is the transmission worn out internally, making the shafts move around and thus wear the seals and leak oil?  In this case, replacing seals and oil would do nothing. 

3. Assuming that fixing seals and refilling oil is worthwhile, what oil should I use to refill the transmission, and how high do I fill it?

Thanks for your experience, so I can decide if I should replace the seals and oil or the transmission. 

[Lighthouse]

I would change transmission instead of trying to repair the old one. I would look everything over real good while it was apart and change anything that looked worn. This machine is worth putting some money into and getting at least another 14 years out of. 

[darren412]

2 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

I would change transmission instead of trying to repair the old one. I would look everything over real good while it was apart and change anything that looked worn. This machine is worth putting some money into and getting at least another 14 years out of. 

Yes lighthouse is correct to spend money on a new transmission  and also replace the clutch  along with the transmission  is great advice. Wipe every thing down and clean  and inspect  as he mentioned , while your down there. There is a thin counter weight spring 285901 on these that tend to break also because they rust out. On the lower bottom back frame. If that looks terribly rusted , change that out also. Also make sure the tabs on the top of the drive basket are not worn out excessively also. The drive basket tabs will cause this spin issue to an extreme. Probably not the case from your description of symptoms. The oil situation though does tend to point more towards a slow oil leak over the years causing the problem. Good luck 

[certified tech group 51]

With a "Slow to no spin' complaint and  with " the ring of sling'...Remove the gearbox, remove the cover of said gearbox  , replace the cover seal P/N wp3349985...Install a "neutral pack"  P/N  388253....Thin coating of RTV or "gasket maker" on cover ..reassemble....Install a new direct drive clutch P/N 285785.....Coupler P/N 285753A  .....Some where is a post of the gearbox jig and the tool I use to remove and install the new seal...... Takes about an hour in the customers home.......30 weight non detergent motor oil...fill to just below the lower half gearcase / cover sealing surface...Probably only lost about a few tablespoons of oil.....Once the cover is removed , you will see how the gearbox is put togeather and the movement it has....    

[certified tech group 51]

If the gear box is no good , you are out only  the cost of a seal, about 20 clam$....And a few hours of labor..Think of it as an education...The other parts will go on the new 150 clam$ gearbox......

[LecoFixit]

Thanks to all 3 of you!  I need to report on my experience.  Summary:  I found and fixed severe rusting.  I purchased a new transmission and clutch kit, which I successfully installed.  The washer has run a large load of sheets successfully, with good agitation and vigorous spin. 

Details:  Had certified tech group 51’s comment on seal replacement been posted before I acted, I would probably have tried to replace the seal.  Without that information, it was a riskier repair, so I went with the a transmission, a low-risk fix. 

As suggested, I looked over the machine carefully.  Springs, friction pads, motor, drive coupling, spin tube, brake, drive block all seemed ok. 

However, I found some severe rust.  Several inches of the joint where the bottom of the basket is welded to the center tube was severely rusted.  (This is covered by the agitator during use.)  When I chipped it, chunks of rust fell off.  Although the basket bottom was rusted, the flange on the center tube was not rusted through.  I pulled the basket, and found small dots of rust along the various basket seams on the bottom.  All the rust seemed odd to me, as the basket is claimed to be white porcelain over steel, which I would have expected not to rust so easily.  I tried to claim the limited lifetime warrantee on the basket, but Sears informed me that a technician must do the replacement, at an estimated service cost of $160 -$200. 

With the basket off, I found chunks of rust in an area about 1” in diameter on the tub center post where it protruded above the bottom of the plastic tub.  Chipping off the chunks, I found the center post to be heavily pitted there, but not rusted through. 

Working on the tub center post, I wire brushed down to tight rust, then sanded with 220 grit sandpaper, cleaned with mineral spirits and dried it, applied 2 coats of Rustoleum rust-resistant primer and a coat of rust-resistant enamel.  After it dried (24+ hours) I removed my masking tape from the tub center post and, to my horror, the tape pulled the factory-applied paint right off!  (My paint did not come off with the tape.)  No wonder there was a big rusted place! 

So I removed the rest of the factory paint with masking tape.  Then I wire-brushed, sanded, cleaned, dried and primed the area.  However, rather than finishing with enamel (which took hours to dry) I spread on a thin layer of modified silane polyether construction sealant, which is claimed to have excellent adhesion and flexibility. 

To treat both the light and heavy rust on the basket seams, I wire brushed, cleaned, dried, primed and sealed with the same sealant.

Reassembled, the washer now agitates and spins vigorously.  Success!  Thanks!

[Lighthouse]

Glad you got it going. Worth the investment 

[Jedi Appliance Guy]

Your neighbors will go through 2 to 3 more machines and yours will still be running strong.

Thanks for the detailed update.

[darren412]

Excellent !   It’s nice to know when you tackles project on your own and the results are what you were expecting. Good luck with your washer. It’s a good one. Worth fixing again if anything happens in the future.

[LearningTech]

 I find that you clean the clutch and it will be years before enough oild leaks to stop the clutch, and  you can clean it agin then. No need to replace most the time.  I dont recomend you use $ on tranny if yours functions, but what you did will be hassle free. But the seals can do it.