Amana washing machine not spinning the water out.

[jef]

The washer is a super capacity, commercial grade top loader that is 8 years old. Last year the pump, pump seal and drive belt were replaced under warranty.

I just pulled a load of sweatshirts out of the washer and I could wring water out of them. Is this a sign of the transmission going, or overloading?

For those with the new frontloaders do they really have a cost savings from water, electrical use? I am on a well so any water savings translate to electricity savings also.

Thanks

Jeff

[ProDriver18]

Does it spin at all?

Our Whirlpool washer all of a sudden would not spin. It would fill, agitate and empty but not spin. It turned out to be a broken gear on the bottom of the tub. The gear was made out of plastic....go figure.

[jef]

It spins just not long enough and/or fast enough

[ktpauley]

Just a suggestion. Check out the pump. The pump on our front loader went out. To replace you need to get ALL of the water out of the machine otherwise you are going to have a flood on the floor. Use a shopvac to get the water out. Keith

[Samuel1941]

Eight years old and having repair issues...cut your loses and buy a new one!

A few years ago I replaced a commercial Maytag (the kind the laundrymat uses) top load washer and dryer with Sears Kenmore He model front loader and dryer. And, yeah, they weren't cheap, but well worth it!!

The water use is a lot less and the washer does a better job of washing than the old washer!! (Note: I'm divorced and do my own laundry...just to let you know my observations are first hand!)

The clothes are noticably cleaner and the dryer has less lint collected...indicating to me that the clothes are not as beat up by these units. (The dryer lint screen looks similar to me so it's not the filtering action resulting in less lint.)

Also, I'm impressed that even with a slightly off balance load, it jumps around less than the old top loader. Front loaders have come a long way with improvements in recent years.

At the time I bought my front loader, Sears Kenmore was top rated by Consumer Report...I don't know the current ratings, but would guess Sears Kenmore is still a good unit.

[Copper]

My ancient Maytag did that once - it was a bad belt, close as I can tell, or else it was something hanging up in the tensioner that popped loose when I put a new belt on. That particular one had a single speed motor, and counted on the belt slipping to get it spinning. I'm guessing it was getting glazed - dumbazz me sprayed it with belt dressing, and almost smoked the motor. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif[/img]

[hapaschold]

could be a clogged drain or crimped discharge hose ..

bought a pair of duets back almost 4 years. no issues other than washer door gasket turning color and stinking a bit. but i think whirlpool has addressed that issue..

lots less water, clothes are cleaner, and full load dry in about 30 minutes...

win win...

[muntu]

well,i just put in a whirlpool front loader [costco $729]...only done 2 loads so far...advertises 60% less water and has a 1100 rpm spin.it's amazing to watch...i haven't watched the whole wash because it takes 54 mins...but the first five mins,it takes on a little water and spins slowly 10 to the left then 10 to the right,takes on a little more water and repeats. for kicks when i put stuff in the drier i tried 25 mins instead of the usual 50 and came out dry,so got to say there has to be lots of savings all around.

[NickKent]

Front loaders are the way to go. Use less water, cleaner clothes, less abuse on the clothes. Can be stacked too which is nice. If the pump is working but the clothes are still wet, then I would check the spinning parts. Gears, belt, motor, etc.

[short_stuff]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hapaschold</div><div class="ubbcode-body">could be a clogged drain or crimped discharge hose ..
</div></div> Happened to us on our 13 year old Maytag the day before the s-i-l and her family were due to arrive. Up to that, never a problem. Called a repairman/friend. He took the pump off of it and the pump was clogged from a clump of material that had broken off an old chinele(?) bedspread my wife had washed. Cleared the clog out, and the washer has been great ever since.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Samuel1941</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Also, I'm impressed that even with a slightly off balance load, it jumps around less than the old top loader. Front loaders have come a long way with improvements in recent years.
</div></div> Reminds me of when I was a kid 45 years ago, my mom had a washer/dryer combo. The washer got of balance so bad it started walking out of the laundry area as far as the water hose would stretch. I remember Mom shrieking about the washer coming after her, for someone to come help. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img] Boy, that was some cheap entertainment back then. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]

[Gandalf]

We have a Maytag Neptune, one of the original models. Of course its a frontloader. It uses less water than a toploader, gets the cloths cleaner, and spins better, extracts more water than our previous washer. The fact that the cloths have less water in them when they hit the dryer is the major cost-saving feature. That 220v power is expensive, so if the dryer doesn't run as long, we save power.

Our Neptune quit once, just washed up to a certain point (can't remember where it stopped), and wouldn't continue. I bought a manualand started in on it. Turns out that the machine has a motherboard controlling the entire operation. I started down the troubleshooting tree with a multimeter, and determined that the motherboard was dead. A new one cost $125.

We love our Neptune. It washes well, saves us money, and is pretty quiet.

[mike1000001]

I wouldn't replace that machine just yet. If its 8 years old its one of the last of the good ones before Amana screwed everything up. If it has a greenish-brown colored steel outer tub with the motor mounted to the bottom front of the tub that will confirm its the good machine.

With that perticular washer the pump is a direct drive mechanical pump with the motor so I wouldn't suspect that to be a problem. Basically if it pumps any water out that means its working. If the washer is not spinning more then likley its a belt problem since the belt is the only thing that connects the motor to the drive pulley on the transmission. Since it pumps the water out we know the motor is running, so don't look for any problems there. Or the belt may possibly be getting wet from a leak in the pump or tub seal too. That will make it not spin very well. That belt is also a clutch which is designed to slip in the spin untill all the water is pumped out of the tub, so because of that it doesn't get a very good grip on the motor pulley. Add any extra resistance to the tub or lube that belt up with some water and it probably won't do anything but burn that belt off. Also a bad transmission will not cause any spin related problem on that machine since the transmisison isn't doing anything to make the tub spin.
If you havn't done it yet, pull the front panel off (loosen the two 5/16" screws on the bottom of the panel, then use a putty knife to push in and release the clips on the top of the front panel about 3" in from each side) and see whats going on. Under the motor you will see a gold colored lever on the left side with a spring crossing under the motor and hooking on the right. That is the belt tensioner. Be sure that spring is there, and reach under the motor on the right and make sure the tensioner wheel spins free. Take a look at the belt too. Spin it around and if you see any burnt spots, that means the belt was slipping when it was trying to spin. Like I said a water leak will cause that, or anything adding resistance to the tub. Also I've seen belts just wear out enoufgh that one time they just don't decide to spin and then they burn up like that. Chances are you will see your problem there with one of those things. Theres many other things it could be, but 99% of the time its related to the belt or tensioner on that machine with a no or slow spin problem.

Also, if you find a burnt belt, pop it off the transmission pulley and make sure the transmission and tub spins free. All you need to do is turn the transmission pulley by hand. If I remember right, turning the pulley clockwise (looking down on it) will make the washer agitate, and turning it counter clockwise will lock the transmission input shaft which will make the drive pulley ride up on the helix cam right on top of it which will release the brake. After about 1/2 turn the washer tub and the whole transmisison along with it should start to spin freeley. If its got any resistance to it that may be your problem. Problems like that are pretty rare with that machine though.

[Rick M]

We bought a front loader about 9 years ago and we would never go back to an agitator type machine if it could be avoided. Our clothes last much longer, don't fade as much, and I believe we use somewhat less water.

[Kaliburz]

The original Whirlpool in our house from 79 was replaced a few years ago. Started to leak water from under it, somehow, the "gear box" getting water into it. Figured by the time a repair person came, it would cost WAY more then we wanted.

The new one would not agetage once. It would spin (when manually set on that spot), but not agetage. I just started fiddling w/ the rotary controls and it started to work... go figure.

[eagleeye]

In my experience, there is a 3 pronged gear on both the motor shaft and the agitatior shaft that are both made of plastic and are joined by a rubber boot that enables both of them to have some shock absorbing capability. In time, one of these gears will spin on the shaft, but normally will only do it under load. In other words, you'll have to inspect it very carefully because you will not notice it at first glance. The two gears and rubber boot come in a kit and cost under $20. In my opinion, this is the weakest part on these washers. Don't be afraid to take these appliances apart, there is not much to them at all. Good Luck.