RAS8445JQ0 Roper Washer - Instructions

First I watched the vid, from this website that showed how to replace a pump on the Whirlpool model I have. It was very helpful. Then, on the same web page as the vid for washer pump replacement several DIYers describe how they did the repair and rate how difficult it was. This also was very helpful. The info from these two sources confirmed to me that it was the pump that was leaking. Tilting the washer back far enough so I could see the pump also visually confirmed it was the pump.
If the pump had come off easily I would not have had to take the cabinet off. All I would have had to do was lay the washer on its' back to get the pump off. But noooo, the pump was rusted so tightly to the motors' shaft that I had to be more aggressive, to remove the pump, than the measures mentioned in the vid.
After finally getting the pump off I saw that the end of the motors' shaft had corroded and was misshapened enough so that I had to "persuade" the new pump onto the shaft.
I also ordered these parts (1. Direct Drive Coupling 2. Agitator Repair Kit and 3. Clutch Assembly) after I read in the DIYers descriptions that many of them, who changed their pump, also changed these parts. Since my washer was 15 yrs old it made sense to replace these parts which usually wear out before the pump.
Unfortunately, after I got everything reassembled the new pump leaked more than the old one. Guess I over-"persuaded" the new pump onto the shaft. That, and I don't think the new pump is as well built as the original so it couldn't take much persuasion.
Now I either: 1. buy a new pump and motor or 2. buy a new washer which is what I'll most likely do.
If I had a do-over I would only get the pump. If it worked properly with no leaks, then I would buy the other 3 parts, if it didn't work, I would only be out $40 instead of the $95 I'm out for the 4 items. Being frugal or, as my family says, "cheap," I do have to be careful. There is a point where repairing something old is more a point of pride than good sense. I don't know where that point is and I definitely wouldn't have brought this up if the new pump had fixed the washer.
Also, after struggling for quite some time to put the cabinet back on, I Googled "how do I get a Whirlpool washer cabinet back on?" After watching one of the vids Google answered back-I was able to put the cabinet back on in less than 10 minutes.
I hope this has been helpful. Happy DIYing!

1. remove 2 hoses at pump using pliers to open hose clamps and sliding them out of the way.
2. remove 2 retainers holding pump with screwdriver.
3. remove old pump and install new pump
4. clamp pump using retaining clips
5. re-connect hoses

The repair itself was very simply, probably largely due to the design of the machine which made getting to, and replacing the two faulty parts a cinch. Just unscrew the two screws on the motor brackets which hold the motor down, and remove the brackets. Then remove the two smaller brackets which hold the pump to the motor. Then remove the two clamps and hoses from the pump. Lastly disconnect the power supply from the motor and the pump and motor will then come out as one unit. Simply reverse the process when reinstalling the new pump and motor. I used a bit of oil to lubricate the new motor shaft but I am sure it probably isn't necessary. The job should take no more than half an hour tops.

I'd noticed for a while that our 15-year-old Kenmore washer was filling slowly, but when it started to take 30 minutes to fill to the "medium" level, I knew something was really wrong. There was plenty of water pressure, so I replaced a hose that was loaded with minerals and cleaned the filter (also clogged with minerals). But that didn't help! So I ordered a new water inlet valve, and replaced that. There's nothing tricky about the repair -- the hardest part is opening and closing the washer, for which I found instructions online. (Even so, it's the most time-consuming part of the project.) The result is the washer now fills as fast as when it was new. Just for fun, I took apart the old valve and expected to find it encrusted with minerals, but it looked fine, so I'm not sure where the actual breakdown was. But since the part only cost $25 -- less than a service call, for sure -- I was very happy to use a half hour of my time and keep the machine going a while longer.

Repair was simple, after finding the correct part from Partselect. Exact match. Old part out with removal of one bolt, new agitator assembly installed in five minutes. Works great and saved me from buying a new washer. Cost of repair about $80.00, replace washing machine, about $600.00.

It was extremely easy. I removed the plastic cap under the softener dispenser, removed the nut and washer that holds the upper agitator in place and then replaced the parts that came in the kit. The most important note for those who may be doing this job is that the o-ring for the cap under the softener dispenser, the seal washer for the bolt and the thrust spacer under the upper agitator all came with the kit. I did not realize that and ordered them all seperately.

Unbalanced load was creating a knocking sound (as if the clothes load was unbalanced). Dismantled the washer to find that one brackets had rusted out. [FYI: 3 bracket at 120 degree apart (for the 360 degree circle)]. I found that the hole (on the bracket) where the spring holds was gone. Purchased parts. Replaced them (spring, bracket, screw). Reassembled washer then ran wash for a cycle. Successful fix.

This is a machine I bought from Costco in 2001 - it has been very reliable and this was its first repair.
Getting the top off this washer requires a lot of disassembly. However, if you push the drum down on the right hand side of the machine, you can easily reach under the lid and remove the old switch. Mine had broken loose from its plastic mounts, so the lid plunger no longer activated it. Save the two screws that go through the washer top to secure the new switch.
I unplugged the electricity, reached under the top and pulled the old switch out. Its cables are enclosed in a stiff plastic hose with a slit down its length so you can pull the wires through the slit. You need to pull out around 6 inches of the wires. I then cut the wires to remove the old switch and next cut the wires on the new switch to the same length as the ones removed. Stagger the cuts about 1 inch so that the two joints will not be on top of each other. I stripped each end of the two wires, slipped shrink-wrap tubing (from radio shack) on to the new switch wires, then soldered the new switch wires to the existing wires back to the control center. I then slipped the shrink wrap over the soldered joints and shrank it with a match. Feed the joined wires back into the plastic tube and feed the switch under the washing machine rim. It takes a little maneuvering to get the switch aligned with the two screw holes in the top. Be sure the switch is pushed up into the lip opposite the screw holes - push the back end of the switch up into the lip before trying to align the front end of the switch with the screw holes. Align the screw holes with the switch holes, install the two screws and check that you hear the slight click of the microswitch if you push down a pencil into the interlock slot before you tighten everything up. Plug in the electricity and off you go!

Remove the main bolts that hold the gearbox in place, pull the gearbox and shaft out. You will see the brake shoes and drum--the large spring is a struggle to replace. Getting it out was not hard. The biggest struggle I had was replacing the brake shoe spring after replacing the shoes. I ultimately compressed the spring in a vise, then used safety wired it, then placed it between the shoes, then cut the wire to relaease the spring.

Removed softner dispenser, removed bolt on top of agitater,replaced parts supplied with repair kit.
Directions were inclosed in package that were easy to follow.I ordered Thrust spacer not knowing it was included in repair kit.

I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH YOUR WEB SITE AND DELIVERY TIME.

Unplugged power cord and disconnected water lines; note which is hot/cold. Washer was then tipped on its front. Discharge hose was disconnected. Washer was then rolled over onto its back as this would put the pump on top for much easier removal.

Pried off two clips attaching pump on motor using a flathead screwdriver. The rear clip was done by touch. Unplugged wiring plug from motor. Using an adjustable wrench (socket set would have worked better), remove two screws holding 2nd set of clips attaching motor on transmission. Then pried off clips.

Removed old coupling from transmission shaft and motor shaft, plus middle 6 hole widget thingy.

Installed new parts on transmission shaft and motor shaft with fingers pointing towards each other. Using a small hammer, tapped the parts onto each shaft. Placed 6 hole widget thingy on the transmission part, and then rotated motor so motor part would fit in remaining three holes.

Replaced clips to hold motor on transmission and reinstalled screws holding clips.

IMPORTANT: Replace motor wire now. I forgot to do this and after the tub was filled with water, realized that, and since the pump was also disconnected, could not get the water out. Had to get wife to hold washer up while I crawled underneath to reattach motor wire. Learn from my mistake!

Attach pump onto motor and replace clips. Double check everything is back in place.

Roll washer onto front side. Attach discharge hose. Tip washer back upright. Reconnect water. Reposition discharge hose and plug washer into power.

First try it smelled like something plastic was burning, but I think that was the old part shavings getting ground away.

Washer is 29 years old. Found that tub spring hooks into a simple (non-reinforced) hole in the base frame, and it had worn the hole through through the edge of the frame (key hole style). Due to age and low cost of parts, ordered all suspension springs, brackets, & pads. Once they arrived, took the tubs out (first time for that), found that the suspension pads looked fine, but the wear pads showed a lot of wear and the front one was snapped in the middle, perhaps an after effect of the spring failure. From my lack of attention, initially tried to get front pad into the wrong set of holes, a bad fit; corrected. Simply drilled a near-by hole in the base frame for the tub spring.

While the tubs were out, took them outside and scrubbed them clean. Also cleaned agitator parts using bottle brushes. Followed the PartSelect videos and owner comments for procedures, methods. Found that some miss some important info, but if you watch others you can combine the info to find what you need re disassembly/assembly.

At one point while attempting to remove the outer tub, did not realize that the screw that holds the rear spring bracket to the tub also holds the tub to the suspension plate.

Took me most of a day for the whole process, and I ended up with pulled/spasmic muscles from all the bending over, mostly from cleaning parts I think. Very helpful to have the parts breakout drawings, videos, others' experience.

I basically dismantled the washer and turned the washer over to access the motor,transmission and pump.I disconnected the electrical connections first.I then released the clips for the pump and the clips for the transmission.The coupler was broken in little pieces.I went to Google to search for parts and happened to reach your Web Site.I found the part number for the coupler from the schematic and ordered it.It was then I discovered the part number for the cam dogs for the agitator so I ordered it also.While on you site I read the various troubleshooting stories and how each was repaired.I put myself through a lot of unnecessary work by dismantling the whole washer when all I had to do was turn it over and access it from the bottom.The parts arrived in three days and the install was rather simple thanks to the direction of your site.I had a heck of a time reassembling the washer but all in all $42.00 was a lot cheaper than a repairman or a new washer.We now have a working washer and no leaks.
Thanks to your site ,I have a happy wife and clean clothes.

1) Unplugged electrical cord
2) Removed hot/cold water hoses
3) Took drain hose from laundry room recepatcle
4) Moved washing machine to area where I could lay it down on its back (very important for easy fix)
5) Found (easy accessible in my case) water pump with an inlet and outlet water hose held on with spring clamps.
6) Removed each of the two clamps with pliers and each hose by twisting loose
7) Remove two metal clips holding pump to motor housing
8) Slide pump off shaft - removal is finished!
9) Reversed process for installation, making sure to gently align pump housing when the pump is aligned with the shaft
[probably took less than 15 minutes]

before ordering the parts, I pulled the cap of the agitator, removed some internal parts of the agitator - had to remove one hex head bolt, and noticed the threads on the 3 little teenie weenie plastic dogs were worn off. I bought the repair kit on line after entering the model number, parts were here in a few days, and the repair took about 15 minutes. Works like new again.

The directions provided with the parts were very clear and made the job quick, easy, and painless.