LSN1000KQ0 Agitator forcefully spinning during regular wash cycle, tangling clothes and grinding

[cdizz401]

Model Number

LSN1000KQ0

Brand

Whirlpool

Age

More than 10 years

Hello All, this is the first issue I've not been able to find a previously provided answer to, so hopefully someone can help. I replaced the transmission in our LSN1000KQ0 Whirlpool Quiet Wash ii around Oct 2020. It had been working perfectly after the repair until about 2 weeks ago. We noticed some loud clunks during regular wash loads, and then started noticing unbalanced loads (which don't happen all that often for us in regular use) and finally clothes completely tangled and wrapped tight around the agitator.

I started to investigate more and ran a regular load (which features both light and heavy agitation) with the lid open and found that the agitator was forcibly spinning during what should have been heavy (or rather 'not light') agitation. This is what was tangling and wrapping the clothes around the agitator during the regular cycle. This strange forced spinning agitation was also accompanied by pretty regular grinding/loud noises. I stopped the load (it was full of clothes) and changed the cycle over to a 'Delicates' cycle that only features low or light agitation. The problem went away.

So it appears that something with the heavy or regular (non-light) agitation is amiss. We've been running all of our loads on 'Delicate' as I've been trying to find a solution online. Any help will be greatly appreciated as this doesn't seem to be a super common problem.

I found this thread (https://www.applianceblog.com/mainf...d-around-agitator-affecting-spin-cycle.62603/) that mentions a 'mode shifter', but I don't believe my model contains a mode shifter (that I can find at least). Maybe it goes by a different name on Whirlpool washers.

Thank you.

 

[Jake]

Your model does not have a mode shifter.

Make a video of this problem and upload it here or you can upload the video to Youtube and post the Youtube link here. Or share your video per Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft OneDrive and post the share link here.

Jake

 

[cdizz401]

Hello Jake. I recorded these back on Monday but took me a bit to get them uploaded. Thanks for the reply and confirming there is no mode shifter. I checked over all of the parts lists and couldn't find one, so I was pretty sure it wasn't present on this model.

One thing I failed to mention in the original post is that it's almost creating a 'whirlpool' inside of the washer during the heavy agitation. Here are the two video clips. In the 2nd clip I switch over to the delicates cycle and agitation returns to normal 'back and forth' agitation, instead of the spinning 'whirlpool' style that occurs during heavy agitation in the regular wash cycle.

Clip 1:

Clip 2:

(when I just watched the videos, it looks like the files have some weird color issue or filter on them after uploading to youtube...)

Thanks for your help!

 

[cdizz401]

Oh, and clearly the agitator dogs that I also replaced back in Oct 2020 have already broken as the top of the agitator spins freely in both directions.

 

[Jake]

Ok, I always order the complete cam assembly which includes new dogs.

Here it is for your model:
285809 Short Cam Agitator Repair Kit


Jake

 

[cdizz401]

So the issue is just the agitator cam assembly? I’ve got a large bag of the agitator dogs, I just haven’t replaced them yet.

 

[cdizz401]

Because that part seems to only affect the top half of the agitator, and it seems like my issue is the lower half of the agitator.

 

[Jake]

The dawgs alone will not fix it permanently, you need the kit I posted above.

Jake

 

[cdizz401]

Hello Jake. Thanks for the suggestion on the CAM repair. That fixed the top of the agitator right up. Unfortunately, after installing it today, the main issue is still present.

Maybe I'm not describing it very well, but this is what is happening:

When on a 'Normal' wash cycle, the agitator (the full agitator, including the base with the 4 tines at the bottom of the wash tank) is spinning counter-clockwise. It should not be spinning. This is creating a 'whirlpool' effect where the clothes (as you can see in the video posted below) are spinning around the agitator and getting tangled up/knotted up around the agitator. It is also accompanied by a loud operating noises that have not been present before the issue showed up. These same loud noises are not present when on a 'Delicates' cycle.

I switch from 'Normal' to 'Delicates' a few times in the video and you can see when on 'Normal' all of the clothes and water are spinning around in a counter-clockwise fashion. When on 'Delicates', the agitator is doing what it should be doing and is going 'back and forth' (as opposed to just spinning around).

Any idea what is going on?

 

[Jake]

Good video! That's normal because its not all the way full of water. Fill it all the way full of water and see if it sounds the same.

But its a 100% improvement from your 1st two videos above.

Jake