I have an old (1986), Whirlpool Design 2000 washer which has
never failed until now. The symptom is that during agitation,
the agitator (a single-piece design) moves in one direction
only, rather than back and forth. This causes grinding noises
and clothes trappage at the agitator base. All the other cycles
work fine. During spin, the agitator spins freely as it should,
and there is no oil or clutch dust coming out the bottom of
the machine.

I have one opinion that this is likely a transmission failure
and if so I need to junk the thing. Is it possible that
there's some lesser problem in the agitator mechanism (dogs,
ratchets, etc.) that is causing this? I'm trying to evaluate
if it's worth having a go at repairing it.

Thanks for any advice,

Steve

On Mar 22, 10:47*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
I have an old (1986), Whirlpool Design 2000 washer which has
never failed until now. *The symptom is that during agitation,
the agitator (a single-piece design) moves in one direction
only, rather than back and forth. *This causes grinding noises
and clothes trappage at the agitator base. *All the other cycles
work fine. *During spin, the agitator spins freely as it should,
and there is no oil or clutch dust coming out the bottom of
the machine.

I have one opinion that this is likely a transmission failure
and if so I need to junk the thing. *Is it possible that
there's some lesser problem in the agitator mechanism (dogs,
ratchets, etc.) that is causing this? *I'm trying to evaluate
if it's worth having a go at repairing it.

Look up "Whirlpool washing machine parts" using Google and see what
you find. Some of the repair part sites have schematics so you can
see the various parts and assemblies. You can price out possible
things you'd have to replace and maybe get an idea of the difficulty.

Given the age of your machine repairing it may not be very cost
effective.

We had this happen on a different brand and they had to replace the
whole motor assembly but fortunately it was under warranty at the
time. Exact same thing happened some years later and based on what we
didn't pay the first time (the cost was on the form I signed) I just
got a new washer.

"Steve Pope" wrote in message
...
I have an old (1986), Whirlpool Design 2000 washer which has
never failed until now. The symptom is that during agitation,
the agitator (a single-piece design) moves in one direction
only, rather than back and forth. This causes grinding noises
and clothes trappage at the agitator base. All the other cycles
work fine. During spin, the agitator spins freely as it should,
and there is no oil or clutch dust coming out the bottom of
the machine.

I have one opinion that this is likely a transmission failure
and if so I need to junk the thing. Is it possible that
there's some lesser problem in the agitator mechanism (dogs,
ratchets, etc.) that is causing this? I'm trying to evaluate
if it's worth having a go at repairing it.

Thanks for any advice,

Steve

Sounds to me like it is worth fixing. You can order a DIY manual from
Whirlpool and if you google appliance parts you should find several places
you can get washer parts on the cheap.


--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

Based on the symptoms you noted, your gearcase has failed, and you
would need to replace it as the fix. The other posters who talk about
agitator dogs are referring to when an an auger doesn't index during
agitation; not all agitators have augers, and I doubt yours does. The
Design 2000 is the name of the very early direct drive machine that WP
produced. If you replace the gearcase, make sure you match the exact
part required, as your machine might require one of the uncommon non-
neutral drain gearcases that were used in early models. On the other
hand, your machine is old enough to prompt you just to purchase
another one.

Thanks for all the replies on this. My conclusion is
the transmission is almost certainly out, and I need
to replace the machine, much as I would prefer a repair.

Steve

"Steve Pope" wrote in message
...
Thanks for all the replies on this. My conclusion is
the transmission is almost certainly out, and I need
to replace the machine, much as I would prefer a repair.

Steve
Replacement transmissions for many machines are available from appliance
parts stores.

Don Young