11020642991 Kenmore Washer - Instructions

placed washer on side and installed new pads
and returned washer upright

Removed screws on top of machine to remove the control unit out of the way. Then used large regular screw driver to pry out the two clips that hold the back of the washer tight to the top frame. This allows the back to come away from the machine enough to get the water inlet valve free. Didn't have to remove the bolts at the bottom of the back of the machine (they were pretty rusty) Just removed the single screw holding the water inlet valve in place, slid it down and away from the back cover and could fish it out to the side and disconnect the hose (with plyers) and slide off electrical clips (make a note of which clip goes to which valve.) I removed the part first so I could make sure I was ordering the right one. When the part came (very promptly by the way) it went back together easy. Only question was regarding reinstalling the wires since I didn't mark which way they went. I knew which one went on the Hot and Cold but didn't know if it mattered which clips went on each terminal. Figuring it was AC guessed it didn't matter so put it together the way the connectors seemed to want to lie naturally. Put it together making sure no hoses or wires where pinched or rubbing against sharp edges. Replaced the rubber washers in the hoses and made sure the hose connectors turned freely (they had been rusted a bit and didn't turn on the hose freely and I think this was the start of the cross threading problem) This time the hoses went back on very easily, screwed them hand tight not forcing anything at any time (DIDN"T USE PLIERS!). Tried water and no more leaks. Washer filled faster also, think this was because the screens on the water valve were plugged. I'll have to remember to take the hoses off and make sure the screens are clear every couple years or so. If you are having slow fills, suggest you check this first before tearing in to the machine.

Before I start, I should clarify that before I replaced the water level pressure switch I replaced the water inlet valve (aka solenoid). Past experience had taught me that the solenoid was a likely cause, I never thought about the water level swtich. Replacing the solenoid was 75% of the time involved, only because I had to disconnect hoses and figure out how to get to the solenoid. When that didn't solve the problem the likely culprit was the water level swtich so I didn't even test it I just changed it. I'm not sorry I replaced both parts. The gunk that had blocked the filters to the solenoid would have caused problems soon anyway. Replacing the water level switch took 15 minutes or less because it was so easy to access. Washer loads fine now!

Once I finally found the part I needed, the repair was very simple and took only a few minutes. Thanks to the very helpful operator to walk me through the diagram to find the corresponding number for the part. I really appreciate your help!

3 online people recommended tilting the machine on the side and replacing the 3 suspension springs. Someone else recommended changing the tub pads. That is the wrong approach. It is actually easier to remove the case than turn the machine on the side. Once you do it once or twice it takes less than 2 minutes and it doesn't distort the suspension. You don't even have to disconnect the hoses. When I originally examined the machine lying on it's side I saw that the tub balance spring was still attached to the tub but the other end had detached. I looked for the place to reattach it. I found a place on the glide plate. Unfortunately this was the wrong place and the machine continued to bang away. When I realized that the spring had to be attached to the lower frame rather than the glide plate (one week of looking). I even wrote to the Repair guru. Once I found my mistake the repair took 5 minutes and no tools other than the phillips screwdriver to take out the 2 screws for the case. I replaced the tub balancing spring for good measure. The machine works great.

Unplugged the appliance. turned off inlet water and removed hoses. popped the cap off hiding the bolt that keeps the agitator in place and pulled the agitator off. tipped the washer on its front . disconnected the Wire harness. removed the 3 bolts that hold the pump, motor,clutch, (drive assembly in other words). pulled the Drive assembly out of its resting spot removed the bad clutch and replaced it with the new one. then reassembled in reverse order.

The repair was fairly simple and while it made the spin operation quieter and and a bit more stable, it still gets out of balance. Disconnected power, shutoff supply lines and disconnected them from the unit.

Laid washer on its front and replaced the two more visible springs fairly easily from underneath using a little leverage with a 2 x 4 to take any residual tension off the springs.

Then I turned the washer over on its back (gently and with a little support (board or old thick towel) so the weight of the unit didn't rest entirely on the water intake connectors

Again, lifted the tub with 2 x 4 and disconnected the power and control connector to the motor to make a little more room to get to the spring.

If you do this, be sure to re-connect that connector before you put the washer back and test, otherwise it will fill and then sit.... I had to siphon the tank out, disconnect everything, flip it over and re-connect that power connector!! After that the unit ran better than before, especially on the spin cycle. Over all this washer is 15 years old and worn a bit so we are still careful not to overload it and balance the loading as much as possible. Large bedspreads and king size sheets or mattress covers will always spin out of balance but for 90% of regular washing it was an improvement.

Remove the washer case/enclosure to expose all the internal parts. Lie on the floor and with pliers and a strong arm. Remove and replace each spring one at a time. Pretty straightforward.

First, I read the previous repair stories, so I knew what step to do first. So, first I took the hose off of the drain, then I removed it from the washer. And as the previous repair story stated, some water came out and I had a towel ready to catch the water that was in the hose. I threaded the clamp onto the new hose, pushed the new hose onto the washer, used the pliers to open the clamp to better clamp the hose onto the washer. Then, placed the drain hose into the drain pipe and it was done! Thanks for such a great site!

After removing the 2 phillips screws at the base of the control panel, I flipped the panel toward the back. Using a screwdriver, I popped off the spring clips, releasing the cabinet. I removed the 1/4" hex head screw on the spring mount and removed the old spring and replaced with the new. I repeated this with the other 2 springs. The spring bracket in the rear also holds the tub balancing spring. It is easily replaced while replacing the suspension spring.
If this didn't fix the problem, we were going shopping for a new washer. After this repair, it operates like new!

While taking apart my washing machine to clean the plastic basket I discovered the 3 main seals down the agitator were completely disintegrated and water was leaking onto the motor and onto the floor. The seals are a tight fit but slide into place easily with lubrication. When putting everything back together a bit of lubrication will be necessary as well. The leak is gone and my nearly 30 year old washer is working as well as the day it came off of the assembly line.

I removed the back of the washer, removed the old water inlet syphon, replaced it with the new one, and, with some difficulty, replaced the back of the washer, reattaching all of the parts to it.

I did the repairs after watching a few videos on this web site and it covered everything I needed. Went well and the parts were perfect.

The dispenser ring was loose due to the broken plastic dispenser. Replacement was too easy.
Removed the old, and snapped the new one in place. Took all of 1 minute. Now I'm back up and running

Everything worked perfectly---thanks to the suggestion of your call center agent. She suggested that since the replacement door handles were no longer available, I should consider repainting them--it worked like a charm. Please tell her she was a life saver. We rent that house in Fl and my returning tenants had complained about the discoloring refer handles. Thank you