I have about a 5 year old KitchenAid (Whirlpool) top loading, direct drive
(no belt), washing machine that rapidly progressed from vibrating on all
cycles to no tub or agitator motion at all. I got a book from the library
titled "Washing Machine Repair Under $40" which is quite good -- I had used
this series of books before for dryer belt replacement. I've found that the
motor is fine but the three plastic teeth of the coupling between the motor
and transmission are sheared off. The book says this would typically be
caused by transmission lockup but the transmission turns freely in both
directions by hand which the book suggests is indicative of the transmission
being OK. So there's a gap in the guidance given by the book. Is there a
way for me to evaluate transmission function? Would an appliance repair
shop do this for me? Is it possible that I need do nothing more than
replace the coupling because shear force from repeated stops and starts
simply caused it to break?

Roger


My wife's washer did the same thing. I replaced the coupler and I noticed it
shook like crazy when in the spin mode. When I put the machine on it's side, I
misaligned a part in the bottom, a triangular shaped metal plate under the tub.
After I got it lined back up, the vibration went away. If you've have the
machine shake excessively, or have transported it on it's side, it's a likely
culprit.

Either way, replace the coupler, it's not that expensive of a part, and the
replacements are tougher that the originals anyhow.

Raymond