Direct drive washer coupler advice

[Hokiefyd]

My transmission (Amazon Prime purchase) looks like it'll get here today instead of on Wednesday. Can't beat that...one business day shipping without an upcharge. So I was out in the garage last night cleaning up my work area in preparation for installing the transmission tonight. I took the motor out, cleaned all the fuzz off it, and closely inspected its coupler-side output shaft. Son of a gun, if it's not begun to round off, too. The motor has two output shafts (well, actually, just one long shaft that sticks out on both ends). One end drives the plastic drain pump and the other end drives the transmission through this coupler. Of course, the pump-side output shaft looked perfect still, because it's driving a plastic pump. But the coupler-side output shaft has started to round off. The coupler has some play after you put it on...probably 15 degrees of rotation.

I don't believe it's bad enough to replace the motor. Once I put a plastic coupler on (in another week or so...couldn't get one of those shipped quickly for a reasonable price), the wear will stop.

I don't get worked up about much, but dadgum, I'm pretty upset about the damage these metal-hubbed couplers have caused. I don't know when the "upgraded" design was introduced, and I don't know if they come installed from the factory on new units, but I'd implore everyone to make a quick check of their machine if they have a Whirlpool-made direct drive washing machine. A plastic coupler is just a couple of bucks and less than an hour of your time to install, and it truly might save your motor, your transmission, or both.

 

[doitmyself]

You know, not accepting change is a curse of becoming old!

. But, I too am a diy Whirlpool repair man of many years and I understand your frustration.

Wear begets more wear. Is it possible to use JB Weld or similar epoxy to fix the worn shaft? Permatex also has some "shaft repair compounds", but I have never tried them. http://www.permatex.com/products-2/product-categories/thread-compounds/retaining-compounds I see that the sleeve retainer is not recommended for plastic. Maybe consider using the metal coupler and accept this as your final repair before disposal??

Best of luck!

 

[Hokiefyd]

That's interesting...I've never seen those Permatex products before.

These things (washers) are dead simple to work on. I'll probably install the new transmission and coupler and see how the system fares. With a plastic coupler in the system, I don't see how the motor shaft will suffer more wear, but I guess it's possible. If it rounds off, I may consider using JB Weld or similar to build it back up and sand the sides flat again. I'll see how the plastic coupler fits on the shaft and go from there.

 

[Kory]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Kory - do you recommend the SpeedQueen AWN412, or the AWN432S ?

The AWN432S has the automatic balancing system.


AWN542S is the model I have and I highly recommend it! Just make sure to adjust the water fill level so it fills all the way up like it's supposed to. They adjusted them so they fill 3/4 a few years back because of EPA forced them to.

 

[bjr]

I can't find it now, but, someone had referenced to using JB Weld on the transmission/motor shafts. I did that exact repair using the new "heavy duty" couplers about two weeks ago. So far so good. I epoxied the new coupler halfs right to the Transmission shaft and the Motor shaft. I figured if that repair goes away so does the washing machine. I also replace the little curve rub pads for the bottom of the tub. The part that list as "Not Supplied" is the water inlet tray that mount on the upper tub/lid. Does anyone have a source for those plastic trays? I agree with the other that appreciate older durable/fixable and parts are still available for clothes washing machines. Good to see a forum that still believes in fixing things instead of always buy new. bjr

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
....I started looking at reviews of the couplers on there as well. There are numerous comments against using the new couplers with the metal inserts...mostly citing stripped motor shafts. There are a few citing stripped transmission shafts as well.

I guess it makes sense when you think about it. The original plastic coupler was the sacrificial lamb...a plastic coupler will never strip a metal shaft. The new "heavy duty" couplers work great...until you get a high load or some tolerance in the keyway built up and it wears together with the shaft and rounds them both.

So apparently the trick here is to use the plastic couplers...and they're getting hard to find. Maybe Whirlpool wasn't selling enough motors or transmissions, and they needed to find a way to drive their replacement parts business to be more profitable...


I ran into this same problem with an old IDC (now Ryobi) electric "weedeater" with different accessories that all use the same motor unit. The nylon coupler between the motor and flex-shaft went Tango Uniform, stripping out on the tool side.

I made one using my small lathe and Delrin (nylon), as the coupler was no longer available separately. Do you know anyone with a lathe? Turning nylon is a piece-of-cake. It can also be thermo-formed to a shaft if necessary or simply press-fit.