Direct Drive Water Pump

Removed casing tip over washer disconnected water pump. Disconnected motor then replace coupling then reassemble motor then replaced water pump.

The hardest part of this job was pulling the machine away from the wall so the hoses could be disconnected and the machine flipped onto it's back. Putting the machine on it's back does two things. It drains the water left in the bottom of the tub so it won't pour out onto the motor when the old pump is removed, and gives the necessary access to the pump. Once the machine is on it's back you remove the hose clamps with a pair of pliers and disconnect the hoses. The pump is secured to the motor with a pair of spring steel retaining clips which are easily popped off by hand. Once the clips are removed, the pump is in your hand. Put the new pump in place, replace the retaining clips and hoses, and you're done. This has to have been the easiest repair I've ever done. I wish cleaning gutters was this easy.

After entering the model number of your appliance you will be taken to a page where all of the parts are displayed by sections. On that page about in the middle there is a heading called "Find Part By Symptom." I figured out from there which symptom the washer had and read what other people were saying and how they made the repairs. Basically I had three problem areas, Noise, Leaking and a problem with the agitator. I focused on the loud noise first and decided I needed to replace the clutch/brake assemblies. I found the clutch parts page and on that page there was a video on how to make this repair. This video is all you need to gain access to all moving parts located under the cabinet. Which ever part you are replacing, I recommend watching this video! After removing the console, back panel and cabinet then laying the machine on its back just as seen on the video, I had access to the water pump, motor, transmission and related clutch/brake parts. As it turned out I did not need the clutch/brake assembly but as a precaution and because the parts were cheap, I replaced the motor coupling, water pump and tub wear pads. I decided to replace the agitator assembly because of several worn parts associated with the dog ears/drive shaft ETC. I put the machine back upright and took off the top cap on the agitator, then there is an inner cap with seal that gives access to the 7/16" bolt you must remove to remove the agitator. However once the agitator was removed I noticed metal shavings and play in the shaft. I used a spanner wrench to remove the spanner nut. I removed the Plastic Tub Ring (has several clips around the outer tub), then removed the inner washer tub to replace the Drive Block. Replacing the Drive Block stopped the loud noise at the end of the spin cycle. Now just reverse the order to put the machine back together and your done. For my situation it was best to take the machine apart and decide which parts I needed before ordering to minimize errors. These machines are made very cheaply and are designed to brake at some point in time and it is very easy to determine which parts are worn because most are made of plastic. In this process I also noticed where my leaks (did I say Leaks) were coming from. There were two hose clamps installed improperly from the factory, so check all clamps, hoses ETC. and you should be good to go.

I removed the two spring clips that hold the pump and two wire spring clips that hold the hoses. Then I had to pry the pump off the shaft (it was frozen with rust). Then I cleaned the shaft with sandpaper and installed the new pump (which, by the way, came the next day, thank you very much) which made my wife very happy, and I thank you for that , too.

Laid the washer on its back and found leak in water pump. Found out it was caused by vibration from motor with bad bearing. Removed pump and motor which were held on by clips. Both were removed and replaced without removing cabinet from machine.

We received the part we needed in a timely manner. First we took the back off the washer and found out later we didn't have to, because you can access the pump from the bottom of the Whirlpool washer and when we turned it on it's back a brass colored pin about 2" long fell out and we have no idea where it goes.Looking around the bottom frame we saw another pin in a plastic little cup mounted to the frame and another empty cup .So we changed the pump easy,put the pin in the empty cup and the washer runs great! That's our story.Still don't know what the pin is for,it's not on the parts schematic.

leaned and propped washing machine back to get access to pump, removed hose clamps and hoses,removed retainer clips, old pump was stuborn to remove but was able to pry off motor with screwdriver. sanded rust off metal shaft,put on new pump,replaced retainer clips, replaced hoses and clamps. set washer in upright position removed aggitator cap, used 7/16' socket with long extension,unscrewed bolt, pulled off aggitator sleave, removed cog unit, replaced cogs, put sleve back on and tightened bolt. I had the machine outside so I hooked up a water hose and an extension cord, put machine on small load and tested machine . worked like new. also when i finished the test I had noticed earlier that my hose screen had a mineral build up, cleaned that by lightly scraping and used little rust inhibitor that also tackles scales. total time was about 30 minutes. Wife is happy now and I was rewarded later.

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.

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