You can find some useful information in our previous posts: http://forum.appliancepartspros...-washer-brake-shoes.html and http://forum.appliancepartspros...ir/373-not-spinning.html

- The clutch assembly Part number: AP3094537

Gene and Richappy,

I just got back home from visiting relatives and pulled the basket out of the washer to check the drive block and spin tube per your suggestions in earlier posts. Both loooked great with no obvious signs of damage or wear.

The two major culprits left are the clutch and basket drive/brake assembly, which brings me back to my original problem of trying to determine if both need replaced or if I can get by with the clutch alone. I am pretty sure the clutch is bad. Before I took the basket out when I would turn the clutch from below it frequently slipped and would not grab the basket. Also, when I tried to turn the transmission spindle using the tranny coupler per richappy's suggestion ("Replacing direct drive washer brake shoes") it was hard to turn. Without pliers I needed to use both of hands (grabbing two separate tabs) to turn the spindle and I had the basket off at the time. In contrast I don't have any evidence that the brakes are bad. There was never a problem with thumping noises or vibrations when the spin cycle ended. I have not taken the transmission off to get at the clutch yet but am planning to do so tomorrow. Do you think I will need to drop the spin tube and examine the brake pads and shoes or can I proceed with just the clutch repairs. I am worried that tearing into the brakes might be pushing it a bit for my skill level even with the instructions in the "Replacing direct drive washer brake shoes" post. I want to do the repairs as cheaply as possible because my wife is all for buying a new washer but I don't want it to break again after just a few loads. Any advice? Is there a website with illustrations or photos that you can recommend?

Also, a few other questions.....

1. The top half of the center post that the basket ifits over was pretty corroded. The paint has flaked off and there was some rusting of the metal. Is this just cosmetic?

2. The plastic fitting at the top of the basket (P/N 8519788) contains water that I can hear swishing around inside. Is this normal? There is a plug on the rim that loooks like it could be looosened with a phillips screw driver to drain the water but it indicates that the plug is not removable.

And (as an aside) for other do-it-your-selfers reading this post, the spanner nut was real easy to get off! I was worried that I was going to have to buy a spanner wrench but a hammer and a 3 inch socket wrench extension worked great (it gave a better angle than a screwdriver).

Thanks much,

Mike

I dropped the transmission this morning and examined the clutch and basket drive per your sticky on replacing brake shoes. As expected the clutch ring was easy to turn in the housing (I could move it using just my pinkie finger) so I am probably going to need to get a new clutch. I have included a photo of the clutch assembly with this post.

The bottom of the basket drive looked fine (see photos) and the brake shoes did not seem to be sticking since the spin tube was easy to turn, using the plastic cam as a handle. I pulled the spin tube out enough to see the surface of the brake pads but I did not dissasemble it any further to examine the brake shoe rollers because I do not know where to find them at in the assembly. Do I need to examine these or can I focus my attention on the clutch repairs at this time without making any changes to the basket drive.

Also, since I am a newbie at this can you elaborate on what it means to check the brake shoe cam rollers for "excessive play" and is this possible to evaluate without taking the brake apart any further? The plastic cam had about 30 degrees of give to it (before pushing on the 'release arms' of the brake shoes. Is this a measure of the degree of play?

And one final question......

When I was removing the transmission and sliding the agitator shaft out of the spin tube a small brass pin dropped onto the floor. The pin is about 2 inches long and has a head like a nail and a small hole at the end of the shaft which was lubricated with a clear grease. Do you know where this came from on the washer? Does it fit in the end of the agitator shaft? I could not find anything like it in the parts diagrams for the washer. I did not think to take a picture but I could do so later today.

Thanks much!

Mike

I pulled out the drive block and partly disassembled the brake to see the rollers. All I had to do was to take off the C clip and the plastic cam as shown in the photos.

One of the rollers (of the outer/primary brake show) was somewhat difficult to see but I could get a better view and could rotate both rollers by pressing in on the brake pads. Neither roller had ‘excessive play’ as best as I could assess. There was good contact between the shoes and the roller when the drive block was out but when I put I back inside the drum the brake pad were pushed back in towards eachother a bit such that the release arms of the shoes no longer contacted the rollers and the plastic c am had a bit of give (moving 30 degrees before contacting the rollers and releasing the backs) but I can’t imagine that this is a problem.

I have ordered a new clutch and will put it in early next week. My only remaining concern relates to the brass pin that fell out when I dropped the transmission as was mentioned in my earlier post. It is about two inches long and its shaft is flat on one side and rounded on the other with a hole at the end. It does not seem to fit in the end of the agitator spindle or the transmission. I have included a picture with this post. Any suggestions about where it belongs on the washer would be much appreciated.

Thanks and Happy New Year to others on the forum!

Mike

If the motor runs, pull it apart again and post results.