The DRSNews
May/June 2005  
(Our 3rd Anniversary Issue!)

(our early heat wave here in the Northeast has caught me off guard, so I've had to forgo a separate June issue. See you in July!) 

Published by Dave’s Repair Service, All Rights Reserved

Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and invite them to sign up! Just send them to: www.DavesRepair.com

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A Special Welcome to all our brand new subscribers, especially my fellow YMMSS members!

In this issue:

Easy Cure for Whirlpool/KM Washer Brake Lockup
Next Month: A Simple Tool to Test Your Dryer's Airflow

*  Here's how to cure the brake lockup problem with those top load washers we call 'direct drives', made under the Whirlpool, Kenmore, Kitchenaid, Roper and Estate brand names. I'm thrilled to say that I've found a much easier, faster cure than ever. Correcting this used to take me an hour and a quarter, but now runs around 15 minutes using this method! Woo-hoo!

What I call 'spin brake lockup' is characterized by the washer's basket stopping too suddenly at the end of spin. This can be so violent that the entire machine can actually pivot out of place. Yikes!

I used to see this happen on these washers only rarely, but for whatever reason it seems to be getting more common.

The inertia of this sudden stop can 'strip' the washer's drive coupler and bring the machine to a halt. And I've seen a few cases that stripped the drive tabs off the basket drive block, and that's a pretty impressive chunk of aluminum.

This appears to be caused by paint on the inside of the brake drum 'gumming' up and making the brake shoes grab. I used to pull the tub, transmission, and basket drive out and sand the drum and linings, which corrected the problem, at least for a while. But it was a time consuming - and expensive - job.

But after testing the following shortcut on many of these washers over the last year or two, I'm happy to report that all that work is totally unnecessary! Btw, I doubt you'll see this tip anywhere else, so it's well worth the cost of your subscription (well, OK, your sub's free, but I wanted to make sure you were paying attention! <grin>)

If your washer stops spinning violently like I'm describing, within a second or two, you can cure it yourself (if it's not repaired, it can also cause serious damage to suspension components).

Pickup a small tube of high temperature silicone-based grease from your local auto parts store. 'Sil-Glyde' is one common brand that I've used for many purposes over the years. A very handy grease to use around rubber components that petroleum lubes would attack. This is sold as automotive brake caliper lube, and if you ask for a small amount of that, they'll know what you mean. Buy the smallest amount available - you only need a tiny 'dab' on the end of a small screwdriver.

Pull the washer's cabinet off (see note at the end of this article) and you'll see the chrome clutch drum, right above the transmission. Just above that is another, larger drum, and this one's the brake drum. On most, you'll see a  foam 'rubber band' noise dampener around it.

Put a 1/4 inch 'dab' of silicone grease on the end of a small screwdriver (I use the pen-sized one carried in my shirt pocket), and look up into this brake drum.

You'll want to insert the screwdriver between the brake coil spring and the inside of the drum.  Apply the grease to the inside of the brake drum (the drum can be rotated by hand to bring this spring around).

Be sure you're putting this into the UPPER drum (brake), and NOT the clutch drum, which is below it, and chrome in color. Here's a picture of the two drums: 

It would be hard to put grease on the clutch linings inside the lower clutch drum, but I mention the possibility just in case there's a 'Tim Allen' type (like my big brother!) out there who might take the 'more is better' approach <grin>. 

That's it! Solves the brake lockup problem, and it doesn't come back! No pulling the motor, gear case, pump - or any of that fun stuff like I used to! As my 15 year old daughter would say, 'sweet!'.

Note: In the interest of keeping this issue as short as possible, I didn't include directions for removing the washer cabinet. You'll find those in the instructions for replacing the drive coupler in these washers Here 

* Next Month: I've found a simple little tool to test your Whirlpool or Kenmore dryer (also Kitchenaid, Roper, and Estate) vent for proper airflow. Now instead of going outside and checking for a 'good, strong airflow' (whatever THAT means!), there's a simple, inexpensive little device that'll tell you if your vent's OK or if you should run a guinea pig (um, I mean brush - it's a long story!) through it and clean it out. 

But I've been trying to keep these newsletters shorter, so I'll let it go at that for now. 

God bless,
Dave Harnish
Dave’s Repair Service
New Albany, PA
www.DavesRepair.com