Kenmore 600 weak agitation


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Old 04-25-14, 01:27 PM
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Kenmore 600 weak agitation

Hello all,
Working on a buds washer. It will fill, spin and drain. It will also agitate but very very weakly. I checked the dogs and they seem ok but I can spin the agitator easily and when I do it makes a plastic grinding sound. Coupler looks fine and I even opened the gearcase and the plastic and steel gears are all ok. Nothing broke down there and the shaft spins ok. Could it be the clutch? When you open the lid during spin it stops quick but its pretty loud doing it, makes a BANG (guess thats the brakes working?). Or are the dogs really the culprit even though they are not broke and don't really look that worn out. The agitator is 2 pieces, I can turn the whole thing back and forth both ways but the top only spins one way (which is why I thought the dogs are ok).
Thanks for any help with this strange problem!!
Doc
 
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Old 04-25-14, 01:59 PM
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Agitator should only turn in one direction, If you can turn it both ways you need the dogs.
 
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Old 04-25-14, 04:15 PM
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The top half only does turn freely one way, clockwise. When I turn it counterclockwise the entire agitator and I guess the shaft will turn but its not free, its somewhat tight and makes a grindy noise. I just checked my Kenmore 90 and it does the same thing, top free spins CW entire thing goes CCW but without the noise. Maybe I've got the terminology wrong. Is the agitator just the top half (looks like a spiral) or is it the whole thing?
 
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Old 04-25-14, 07:17 PM
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The agitator is working right. Gearcase is ok than the only thinj left is motor, Don;t think I have ever seen motor bad that way.
 
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Old 04-25-14, 07:55 PM
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Yes I'm kinda stumped myself, I guess I'll put a meter on the motor and see what its reading.
Really strange.
 
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Old 04-27-14, 06:52 PM
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Solution

Thought I'd post the solution in case anyone else is having the same issues. Upon further inspection of the gearcase and removal of the agitation cam (on the bottom of the drive shaft), I found the splines on the bottom of the of the shaft were stripped near the top of the spline area. This enabled the shaft to grip enough to still agitate weakly but be turned by hand (hence the grindy noise). Easy enough fix to replace the shaft itself.

By the way can I use 90W gear oil in the transmission or does it require the Whirlpool oil?

Thanks for your help!
 
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Old 04-27-14, 07:03 PM
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Unfortunately Whirlpool transmissions require a 60-weight non-detergent gear oil.

90W gear lube is too heavy for this application.
I read somewhere that a straight 50W racing motor oil could be used but I'm not sure I'd try it.
 

Last edited by PJmax; 04-28-14 at 06:37 PM. Reason: corrected description
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Old 04-27-14, 07:29 PM
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OK I'll see if the local sears parts place has it in stock, if not order some online.
Thanks!!
 
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Old 04-28-14, 03:27 PM
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Yes, you can use 90 weight non-detergent gear oil. Gear oil and motor oil have different viscosity ratings. 90 gear oil has about the same viscosity as 60 weight motor oil.
 
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Old 04-28-14, 06:40 PM
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I corrected my post. I had posted 60W motor oil not gear oil.

I've only ever used the Whirlpool oil...... have you ever had any problems with the correct operation of the neutral drain with the use of 90W oil ?
 
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Old 04-29-14, 05:44 AM
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There isn't any 60 grade gear oil. Motor oil grades run from 0 to 60. Gear oil, 70 to 250. Never heard of a problem with neutral drain when using 90w gear oil. It has been a common replacement for the Whirlpool 60 grade oil. Do not use gear oil that has the GL-5 rating as it has extra EP additives that you should not use in this transmission.
 
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Old 04-30-14, 12:12 PM
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Thanks regular 90W is alot easier to find locally than the Whirlpool stuff!
 
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Old 05-01-14, 06:27 PM
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Man I can't find any gear oil around here that does NOT have a GL-5 rating. Everything from the cheap brand to the high end stuff. This washer isn't a heirloom model if it lasts another 5 years it'll be fine. What will those additives do?
 
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Old 05-02-14, 06:14 AM
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The GL-5 oil has way more EP additives with a higher sulfer content that can damage any soft metal parts in the transmission. This is a concern in some Maytag transmissions that have bronze/copper clutch washers. I'm not sure of the soft metal content in direct drive transmissions however you can use Royal Purple Maxgear oil which is rated for GL-4/GL-5. It has the GL-5 rating but is specially formulated to be non corrosive to soft yellow metals that may be in the transmission parts. You should clean out all of the old oil if your going to use other than Whirlpool oil as you should not mix oil types even though they may be "compatable".
 
 

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