Thread Number: 32123
Agitator shaft worn down on my Imperial--now what?? |
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Post# 484430 , Reply# 2   12/26/2010 at 18:14 (4,868 days old) by KenmoreGuy64 (Charlotte, NC)   |   | |
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Can you post a pic of the splines? The only way I have ever seen them degrade is through rust, which usually doesn't happen in 1978 and later Whirlpools like it did in earlier models, but I guess anything is possible. If the splines are rusted, it's a good bet they are bad and have stripped the agitator.
If you're lucky, it's just your agitator. But, with a picture I could tell you instantly. Gordon |
Post# 484493 , Reply# 4   12/27/2010 at 02:24 (4,867 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)   |   | |
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Austinado16 / Todd - there are no metal spline hubs in Whirlpool & Kenmore belt-drive agitators.
In the very early belt-drive machines, they used a single groove metal hexagonal drive lug, which was later replaced by a splined plastic drive block of similar dimension, both for use with bakelite agitators only. When the the polypropylene agitators came into use between 1965 and 1968, they always used plastic molded splines in the agitators which mated directly to the agitator shaft. I know your idea was used by other manufacturers, but not by Whirlpool. Gordon |
Post# 484839 , Reply# 8   12/28/2010 at 18:48 (4,866 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)   |   | |
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Thanks for the picture.
Unfortunately, the agitator shaft appears really bad. I have never seen that much rust/goop. I am not sure if it wiped-out the agitator with it or not, but it could have. The back and fourth stripping very well may have worn the plastic splines beyond use. In the very least if the agitator is good, it needs to be thoroughly cleaned inside and dry before you install it on a nice agitator shaft. Your agitator doesn't have any molded-in metal, when new or clean it's just molded splines that mesh onto the metal shaft. Yours has deteriorated A LOT. Your best bet is to try to find a replacement transmission, used or new, but you would be well advised to find out why moisture made it's way that far up. Either you have a bad seal failure in the spin-tube and bearing seals which by now may have allowed water to get into the transmission or soon will, or someone pours a lot of water on the top of the agitator and it eventually worked it's way in. With the Whirlpool cap I would be surprised of this, but if your cap is missing, loose, or one of those with a snap-on top, make sure a replacement is properly sealed and keep it as dry as possible. Check eBay for transmissions - the replacement part number was 362901 when they were last available. There have been some new ones on eBay lately, and some used ones a while back, but new ones have ranged in price around $150. Some of the used appliance shops in your area may have a used replacement, as back in the heyday of this machine type rebuilders used to keep a good stock of working transmissions for easy swaps in cases just like this. Expect some work to change the gearcase. I rebuilt 50-some of these machines in the 1990s as a side hobby, and another dozen or so in the last couple years. I have seen many had rusted splines, but they were never the short centerpost models like yours is. Interesting... Good luck - when I lived in Denver there was several appliance shops that specialized in used parts over by Bear Valley Shopping center. Is it even still there? That was the mid 1980s. Gordon |
Post# 484841 , Reply# 9   12/28/2010 at 18:55 (4,866 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)   |   | |
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Post# 484844 , Reply# 10   12/28/2010 at 18:58 (4,866 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)   |   | |
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