Thread Number: 89545
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Whirlpool direct drive research and development |
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Post# 1141534 , Reply# 1   2/7/2022 at 12:40 (809 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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Why did Whirlpool come up with the 100 degrees arc of agitation as they did on later maytag centennials? What reason did they come up with as part of their research and development? |
Post# 1141613 , Reply# 2   2/7/2022 at 21:43 (808 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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Here's their patent. CLICK HERE TO GO TO GELaundry4ever's LINK |
Post# 1141618 , Reply# 3   2/7/2022 at 22:37 (808 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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I'm not sure if that was the right link. However, I'm interested in why whirlpool called it the laundry engineered advanced product after a dozen years of research and development. |
Post# 1141638 , Reply# 4   2/8/2022 at 08:54 (808 days old) by chetlaham (United States)   |   | |
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Post# 1141672 , Reply# 5   2/8/2022 at 14:54 (808 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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I thought the whirlpool DD transmission held a quart of oil as did the older BD units. Didn't they just remove the belts and pulleys? What did they replace it with? |
Post# 1141677 , Reply# 6   2/8/2022 at 16:05 (808 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Jerome, I've explained some details to you in the past on the differences between Whirlpool classic belt-drive and direct-drive transmissions. The size, shape, and internal gearing is completely different from one to the other. You need to find someone who can give you a hands-on disassembly examination of them to have your questions fully answered. |
Post# 1141716 , Reply# 7   2/8/2022 at 22:32 (807 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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Finding someone who could show me is hard to come by. I wonder how they were able to make the gears as durable as they are. |
Post# 1141719 , Reply# 8   2/8/2022 at 23:20 (807 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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Jerome, I know you are anxious to find out how a direct drive transmission works but patience and persistence will be the key to acquiring one and taking it apart and all your questions will be answered. I know you are anxious to find out how something works and trust me I was the same way when I joined this forum back in 2017 over 4 years ago and I may have asked a few peculiar questions and may have asked the same question over a few times but since I acquired the machines I asked questions about, all my questions were answered. I thought about creating a thread a few years back asking how the belt drive transmission worked but looked through the archives and saw a few taken apart and since I worked on one and rebuilt one, again I answered all my own questions. Patience and persistence will be the key to finding machines and answering questions.
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Post# 1141744 , Reply# 9   2/9/2022 at 12:29 (807 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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The whirlpool dd transmissions seem more complicated because they have to be in neutral while draining and the motor has to reverse, all the gears being in extra heavy gear oil. I heard that whirlpool gear oil is super strong. |
Post# 1143204 , Reply# 10   2/26/2022 at 15:11 (790 days old) by Kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.)   |   | |
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YouTube helps alot in these cases...
Not sure if you already gave a look on there. Many tutorials of opened ones and neutral drain kits replacement. Inside they are all pretty easy to understand... I personally had a harder time understanding the external part of the old style ones, especially the clutch lifting but I did. Direct drive transmissions are much easier. As for your other question instead of a belt they use a coupler, a rubber disc that connects motor and tranny transmits power from the motor directly to the transmission that's why they are called direct drive. They may contain the same amount of oil but they have lighter components. Also direct drives are much easier to take apart vs a belt drive. I think those changes were also made to spare technicians lots of swearings. Lol This post was last edited 02/26/2022 at 15:30 |
Post# 1143207 , Reply# 11   2/26/2022 at 15:26 (790 days old) by Kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.)   |   | |
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I think the keyword in Whirlpool Direct Drive development was "simplification".
Simplification means less production cost, less parts, and less parts than can fail less training for technicians (just think about that with old ones a stupid thing as a fried solenoid would not make the machine agitate spin or drain.) Now if you ask me what performs better and what I preferred I wouldn't think twice about telling you belt drive. Better washing action, better materials, quieter too!!! But when it comes to open them up I can sure appreciate the simplification made on the new DD concept. Just think that to replace the coupler I spend half the time I spend on a belt drive to replace the belt. But in a matter of 8-years I already had two couplers failure and now I need a new neutral drain kit. |
Post# 1143256 , Reply# 12   2/26/2022 at 23:51 (789 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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Didn't whirlpool use the same type of gear oil in their transmissions as GE did with their filter-flos? They do smell about the same and feel super thick. |
Post# 1143267 , Reply# 13   2/27/2022 at 06:18 (789 days old) by Kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.)   |   | |
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Probably an oil with a similar viscosity, but IIRC in filter flo was thinner.
The smell of the original oil both in my filter Flo and Whirlpool was not strong and just "oily". The 90W gear oil I put had a stronger kind of petroleum smell. That's normal because mineral oil comes for that. I used this basic mineral gear oil in the whirlpool with no additives, it was indicated for classic cars. A basic gear oil. It was very similar to the original wp one golden in colour and everything. I think the original oil simply lose its smell during time. When my filter flo lower pulley seal failed a lot of years ago I recall the large pool of oil coming out under the machine was a kind of greenish yellow color. Looked like slightly thinner than whirlpool oil. Anyway, I don't think that viscosity makes much of a difference unless you keep the washer in a very cold place during the winter. And I never do. In that case you might want to put a thinner oil. This post was last edited 02/27/2022 at 06:46 |
Post# 1143269 , Reply# 14   2/27/2022 at 06:34 (789 days old) by Kenmoreguy89 (Valenza Piemonte, Italy- Soon to be US immigrant.)   |   | |
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This is how leaked oil looked like in my filter flo.
Unlike BD Whirlpool transmissions that didn't have critical points for an oil leak the GE/Hotpoint FF, RF etc had one, the lower pulley oil seal, its failure would result in the tranny leaking all the oil in it, possibly almost emptying itself. And possible damage to floors or infiltration to lower floors, very dangerous if for some reasons the floor pendency is slightly towards the back of the washer it may go unnoticed for a lot of time, resulting in big damage to floors and finishing and also ceilings downstairs especially in wooden homes. But you probably already knew that. This post was last edited 02/27/2022 at 07:37 |
Post# 1143448 , Reply# 16   2/28/2022 at 22:07 (787 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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Didn't whirlpool also use heavy steel gears in their transmissions? I thought they used some sort of steel in their transmissions as well as their oil from GE filter-flos. |
Post# 1144023 , Reply# 17   3/8/2022 at 11:07 (780 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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Why do the gear oils in the filter-flo and direct drives smell identical? Are they similar? Why or why not? |
Post# 1144026 , Reply# 18   3/8/2022 at 11:48 (780 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 1144052 , Reply# 20   3/8/2022 at 15:04 (780 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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If the oils smell similar, then they most likely are from the same oil company that produced the oil for Whirlpool and GE transmissions. My guess is GE probably requested the oil company that produced the oil to add certain detergents and additives since GE transmissions didn’t last as long compared Whirlpool’s direct drive transmission and I am sure Whirlpool just used the same oil they used in their belt drive transmissions since both are 60 weight oil and was just cheaper to use something that was in your parts bin rather than having R&D just to develop a new oil for the direct drive transmissions.
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Post# 1144063 , Reply# 21   3/8/2022 at 16:59 (780 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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That's what I figured. You must be onto something. Now I can understand why GE and whirlpool oils smell identical. |
Post# 1144102 , Reply# 24   3/8/2022 at 23:56 (779 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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here's the gear oil on amazon for whirlpool. CLICK HERE TO GO TO GELaundry4ever's LINK |
Post# 1144488 , Reply# 25   3/13/2022 at 23:23 (774 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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I read on one of the reviews that the gear oil was 140 weight and was tenacious. Is this true? It must be some tough gear oil that has high viscosity. |