Ask Me Help Desk - Whirlpool Washer doesn't spin fast

Had trouble with spin cycle on Whirlpool Ultimate Care Washing Machine. Lid switch was bad so we replaced it. Worked fine for several weeks. Now, washer will spin slowly during spin cycle and empty most of water in tub. Tub will not spin at fast speed & some water is left in the machine. Can you help me with this problem?

Whirlpool washers are not usually supposed to spin and drain at the same time. If the tub is full of water when it's trying to spin, it will spin very slowly. It's supposed to drain all the excess water out and then start spinning. Of course, this is based on the assumption that you have the most popular design of their washer. I can tell by model number if we're on the right track. The model/serial tag is under the lid at the back of the tub opening. Post back with the model number, and we can go from there.

My husband & I have a Whirlpool Ultimate Care Washing Machine. The model number is: LSR5233EQ2. The serial number is: CH2532701. As stated before, we replaced the Lid Switch several months back & replaced the Motor & Isolation Coupling as well. Today, we replaced the Water Pump with a new one, but to no avail. After going through all the wash cycles, water is still left in the wash tub. After running plain water through the Small Wash Cycle, there was still 2 inches of water left in the machine. We are at a loss at what to do next. Any help you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

I would start by removing the hose off the pump that goes to the back wall of the washer and blow through it to make sure there are no obstructions. Also check the other hose from the tub to the pump. If there is, find and clear it. If not, read on. We need to make sure the transmission is working properly before going any further. When operating properly, this washer should drain all excess water (full load setting) in less than 180 seconds. That is the maximum neutral drain time for this particular washer. If you start the machine on a normal cycle with a 10 minute minimum agitate time, the transmission should not spin when it begins to drain. It is very important that you not disrupt the machine during this test, so use a small screwdriver to "trick" the lid switch, so you can have the lid open to see if it spins. If it doesn't spin while draining, then the transmission is okay. If it does begin spinning and draining at the same time, immediately reset for another 10 minutes of agitate and try again. You may have to run this test 1-5 times for an accurate neutral drain test. The most common failure of these transmissions is neutral drain failure. As I stated before, if the unit is spinning and draining at the same time, it won't be able to get rid of the water in time because the resistance of the tub trying to spin will slow down the motor which, in turn, slows down the pump. If the transmission doesn't spin while draining, see how long it takes to expel all the water; it should be less than 180 seconds. If it takes longer than that, there is some kind of restriction in the drain system. Anything from a kinked hose to a sock in the hose, or even a restricted house drain when the washer drain hose is sealed to the standpipe. If your washer drains to a floor drain, there should also be a siphon break in the drain line that may be bad or plugged. Let me know if you have further questions.

We made sure all the hoses to the water pump in the washer were clear of any stoppage. We then lifted the lid on the top loader and put a screw driver into the lid electrical switch. We started the cycle for a 9 minute run. As indicated by the timer knob, between 6 minutes and the rinse cycle, the washer shut down for about 3 to 4 minutes and just hummed. It sounded like the motor was running but nothing was happening. No water was draining. Then it started up again and started to spin in one direction while the timer knob showed it was still in the agitation cycle. At the Rinse indicator on the timing knob,the impeller is still rotating clockwise. Then the impeller stops and the timing knob shows it is between rinse and spin. The water level looks lower. The stationary impeller and humming of the motor continues again with about 2 inches of water at the bottom. This stationary event continues for approximately three minutes. The spin cycle starts again and shuts down when the timer knob gets to off. The water on the bottom is still at about 2 inches. This has occurred over many cycles. Observations and results are the same. Do you think at this point that the problem is the Transmission? Is the Transmission the same thing as the Gearbox?

Yes, the transmission could be called a gearbox. There are no other gears in the machine. When it stops agitating and hums for 3 minutes, that is when it should be draining. That means that the neutral drain feature is working. If after that the inner basket spins, then the transmission, clutch, and basket drive should be okay. If you re-run the test, during that 3 minute neutral drain, how much water is coming out of the drain hose? I'm just sure there must be a blockage or restriction in the drain system somewhere. The blockage can even be between the tubs, blocking the outlet to the pump. I have retrieved hair pins, buttons, etc that over time collected enough lint to partially or completely block the water from leaving the machine. Can you describe the drain system that the washer is connected to? Does the drain hose go to a floor drain, into a drain pipe behind the washer, etc. Does the machine still have the factory black ribbed hard plastic drain hose? Is the smooth rubber gooseneck at the end of the drain hose partially smashed or kinked? You should also remove the drain hose from the machine and make sure that the plastic drain hose connector is clear; this elbow will catch debris and cause a restriction. It's very odd that you always have the same amount of water left in the tub. Can you describe the part you are referring to as an impeller? Also, it is normal for the wash water to drain before the timer gets to "rinse". I assume that the washer does re-fill with water for rinse and agitates for a few minutes before it tries to drain again. These kinds of problems can be difficult and messy to find, so be persistent, and let me know how you're doing.

The drain hose goes to a drain pipe behind the washer. We discovered today the the drain pipe itself is partially blocked. We used both a Snake-It auger & commercial strength Drain Out crystals to unblock it but to no avail. Do you have any suggestions for unblocking it?

I see this happen quite often. It usually happens to everyone sooner or later, due to the lint that most washing machines expel down the drainpipe. I would recommend going to the plumbing page here at Ask Me and pose your question there. There are several very knowledgeable plumbers ready to assist.

I went to the plumbing page tonight. Thank you for all your help!

Quote:

Originally Posted by applguy

I would start by removing the hose off the pump that goes to the back wall of the washer and blow through it to make sure there are no obstructions. Also check the other hose from the tub to the pump. If there is, find and clear it. If not, read on. We need to make sure the transmission is working properly before going any further. When operating properly, this washer should drain all excess water (full load setting) in less than 180 seconds. That is the maximum neutral drain time for this particular washer. If you start the machine on a normal cycle with a 10 minute minimum agitate time, the transmission should not spin when it begins to drain. It is very important that you not disrupt the machine during this test, so use a small screwdriver to "trick" the lid switch, so you can have the lid open to see if it spins. If it doesn't spin while draining, then the transmission is okay. If it does begin spinning and draining at the same time, immediately reset for another 10 minutes of agitate and try again. You may have to run this test 1-5 times for an accurate neutral drain test. The most common failure of these transmissions is neutral drain failure. As I stated before, if the unit is spinning and draining at the same time, it won't be able to get rid of the water in time because the resistance of the tub trying to spin will slow down the motor which, in turn, slows down the pump. If the transmission doesn't spin while draining, see how long it takes to expell all the water; it should be less than 180 seconds. If it takes longer than that, there is some kind of restriction in the drain system. Anything from a kinked hose to a sock in the hose, or even a restricted house drain when the washer drain hose is sealed to the standpipe. If your washer drains to a floor drain, there should also be a siphon break in the drain line that may be bad or plugged. Let me know if you have further questions.

Hi Applguy

I have a problem you description is about: neutral drain is no longer functioning on my machine. The mashine starts draining at the seme time as it spins, then again it spins (while beforewas draining and then spin). I don't know if there is a problem with the transmission or anything electrical. Sometimes it drains correctly but most of the time it doesn't.

The draining system isn't bad, it drains the whole thing, but I feel like the motor is getting hotter when the "neutral drain" is not working... Again, would it be the transmission or is anything electrical?

Model number is ca2762xywo

Quote:

Originally Posted by applguy

Whirlpool washers are not usually supposed to spin and drain at the same time. If the tub is full of water when it's trying to spin, it will spin very slowly. It's supposed to drain all the excess water out and then start spinning. Of course, this is based on the assumption that you have the most popular design of their washer. I can tell by model number if we're on the right track. The model/serial tag is under the lid at the back of the tub opening. Post back with the model number, and we can go from there.

If the neutral drain feature of the transmission is not working, then you would need a gearcase.

I had the same problem. My Roper washer I bought in 2006 was spinning slow and sometimes normal for about a year and then it quit spinning all together. I took it apart and found that the seal on the gear box was leaking oil onto the clutch so it could not lock up tight to spin the basket at full speed.On mine it looks like the seal was put in wrong to start with.You have to disassemble the whole washer to fix it.The parts are cheap but you have to be mechanically inclined to complete this repair. Unless you can do this yourself you should scrap your washer because a repair will probably cost as much as your washer or close to it unless you have a deluxe model. I paid around $300 for mine new at Lowe's.

I have a similar problem. It will do a normal spin OK. But the fast spin is the same speed and the clothes come out soaking.

Change your bushes on your moter