I'm guessing the age 5-10 yrs as it was given to me, but this machine agitates fine, fills up and drains fine, but the spin cycle is dead for some reason. It's also intermittent because early today i had replaced the coupling and nothing would come on, but I waited about an hour pulled on the timer control and viola, and it filled and ran fine, but still no spin. This leads me to believe there is either a short or a lose wire, but this thing makes accessing the control panel a real puzzle because there are only two screws in the rear, but no others so opening the panel seems impossible without field stripping this monster down out in my backyard in the dirt. (Yes, I know..bad idea, but space it not available indoors)
I can't seem to find a tech sheet anywhere or diagrams so now I'm a bit stuck. Any ideas. suggestions, comments or plain old genius solutions?
Thanks. ;)

I do not understand how you were able to replace the coupling without removing the cabinet?

You need to test the lid switch and to do this you need to remove the console. Your machine is made by Whirlpool, and it is very easy to take apart, right in your laundry. There are slide shows and videos on this on the web, just seach.

First unplug the machine. Basically, the two end caps snap off (lift at back and push forward, being careful not to break them. This should expose two screws on either side of the control consol. Take out these screws and the control console lifts up and swings back (let it hang, do not take it off). You will then see a white plastic connector. Take it apart and jumper the outside two prongs on the wire from the console with a solid insulated wire. Make sure the wire does not fall out. Turn the timer to a spin section, plug in the machine, pull the timer out and see if you get spin.

If you do, the lid switch is defective, and you will need to remove the cabinet by unclipping the two brass clips at either side (unplug again first!!!). The cabinet will then pull towards you and come off. Get a new lid switch, replace the cabinet (this will be tricky but it will set down in the rails if you have patience) and put the machine back together.

This and the motor coupling are the two main fail points on this machine. If this works you will have saved about $150.00 on a service call and have a machine that should last another 5-10 years!

If jumping the lid switch does not work, please post along with any other info you can think of.

Good luck

Ok, you are now the second person I have met who replaces motor coupling from the bottom. I think you will find it a lot better to take off the cabinet, if for no other reason then the machine really does not not like to be on its back, and you can also inspect the operations of the machine for leaks, problems, etc. and clean it out with the cabinet off.

The lid switch is a safety swtich. It is designed to stop the spinning when the lid is lifted so that the user does not get an arm stuck in there with the machine spinning. However, we now have new information, (don't worry about it, this happens almost always) in that it seems you are saying that the machine drains even though it is not spinning, so the lid switch is probably not be the problem. Test it anyway, because it is easy to do now that you have the console off and you need to rule it out before going on.

Anyway, there is only one plastic connector sitting on top of the cabinet when you pull back the console, and the plastic connector coming into it is the one you jumper (just for second to see if the spin works, no longer!!). It is just a two wire connector (the middle wire is the ground so that is why you do not jumper it). If you work on these machines a lot, you probably have some you cannot fix, and if you do harvest the lid switch from them next time, as the Kenmore/Whirlpool lid switches are largely interchangeable.

Good luck, and if this does not fix it you are looking at clutch and brake (and then you will have to set the machine on its back) There are good discussions of both of these on this site for that type of machine. The clutch repair is relatively easy and relatively inexpensive, and more likely the problem, so start with it. The brake repair not, so read about it on this site and then decide if you want to do it.

Good luck, and please post your results.

Well..it looks like Monday at the soonest is when I will get to dig into the clutch. Oh joy joy! I wish I could tell you how much this just thrills me to no end, but it doesn't particularly thrill me to no end to much. ;)
So I guess the next question is where might I find that nice tidbit of information I can spend my Sunday studying cover to cover? I have nothing better to do tomorrow except have it imprinted into my brain for a full day. LOL

That's one appropriate (?) discussion. Look at any discussion which talks about removing the tranny, and also the exploded parts diagram on this and other part sites. A Washer clutch is nothing compared to an auto clutch, actually nothing compared to anything. The only hard work is getting it out.

I have seen that post I am not a big fan of any "shin" method and don't recommend it. You might try it to see if that will temporarily fix your machine, which will confirm the clutch diagnosis and if it does, I would strongly recommend the new clutch kit (get it from the nice folks who sponsor this site). I am old school, do it once and do it right.

After you exhaust this site, you can look on other sites like this for clutch discussions, there are some which are very complete and very good, but since you already know how to disconnect the motor from the transmission and work on the machine with it on its back, you are all set. The tranny should come out with three bolts.

Just make sure nothing is jammed when you put it back. If it is, the motor will overheat, and all sorts of bad things will happen.