Remove agitator - no lint being pumped ou

Washer Repair
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1

We bought our washer in 1994, so it’s an old one. Symptom: the lint catcher that is at the end of the drain hose no longer clogs with lint. It appears that the washer no longer pumps out lint to clog the lint catcher screen at the end of the exit hose. We have always had to replace the lint catcher. There are no other symptoms. Everything works like it always did.

I’ve considered removing the agitator to see if the filter under it is clogged, but the nut that holds the agitator on appears be sealed with something like bathtub caulk. 2 questions:

I’m wondering if I should do anything about this issue at all

Can I just cut out the caulk and remove the agitator without doing any harm.

Thank you

2

I would check out the pump and internal drain lines first, but this is a mystery since if the filter were clogged it should not drain at all, or if so, very slowly.