LSQ8512KQ0 Whirlpool washer, agitator bolt comes loose after 9 seconds

[valle]

Model Number

LSQ8512KQ0

Brand

Whirlpool

Age

More than 10 years

Whirlpool washer, new transmission, new lower agitator, new cam/dog set, but still the agitator bolt comes loose after 9 seconds and the agitator stops advancing and sits still. When I take off the entire agitator off and watch it the shaft continues to move just fine back and forth. The agitator engages the dogs in the counter-clockwise motion and then moves freely in the clockwise direction. What to check? Thanks!

 

[Jake]

Make sure the agitator bolt is very tight.

Here's the agitator bolt for your model:
Bolt WP358237


Other than that read this thread here:

Whirlpool Washer WTW4800BQ1 not agitating

It goes through its cycles and spins, but having this issue of it not agitating. Could it be the shift actuator?

www.applianceblog.com

1) Removed the upper and lower agitators to expose the agitator shaft.
2) I could see the shaft making short but swift back and forth movements. Not sure what the range of motion should be for the agitator shaft but it felt like 1/2 turns.
3) I tried to hold the transmission shaft with my hand but no way I could stopping its movements.
4) I then placed the lower agitator over the the shaft and held the lower agitator. I could hold the lower agitator in place. In fact, when when the transmission was stopped I was able to rotate the lower agitator with minimal effort but removing the lower agitator I could see that the shaft does not move while stopped.

So, I have concluded that the issue is that the splines on the lower agitator are stripped just enough(they dont look very stripped) to have it slipping.

Remove the lower agitator and ALSO hold the transmission shaft with your hand while the agitator is OFF and see if the transmission shaft strips while holding onto it with your hand when its agitating.

 

[valle]

My agitator will thump, thump, thump around the shaft when the I turn it manually when it is off. But the lower agitator is only a few months old!!!! How can it be worn down so soon? The transmission shaft is one day old, so it can't be that. I'm worried that the tolerances are different now than 20 years ago, so the new agitator CAME to me with a slightly larger diameter - hence already slipping. Meanwhile I cleaned all the old gunk and threadlock off the bolt - it doesn't look worn down- and applied new blue threadlock to see if it will hold it. But the bolt will have to do 80% of the work, as the splines gives way pretty easily, so like 20% resistance.

 

[Jake]

so the new agitator CAME to me with a slightly larger diameter - hence already slipping.

It should be the exact diameter as the old agitator.

Here's the lower agitator for your model too(Video Included):
Lower Agitator WP3951632

 

[valle]

Thank you, but I already replaced that. The real value of this website if for the tricks, tips, insights and ideas. It's pretty easy to find the "correct part" on a website, and the videos don't show the real-world problems almost everybody has if they're not working on a brand new machine. I think most of the DIYers on this site are trying to get a few more years out of an appliance, and are willing to consider a creative approach. I know a professional repairman can't do the creative repairs for a customer, but DIY'ers can do it on their own machines! So I'm wondering why not use a stainless steel set-screw or two through the lower agitator into the shaft? Give the splines an assist as the shaft and lower agitator are suppose to be married until the next repair. There's the agitator dog assembly to then seat after the lower agitator is in, but I think that can be lowered in with something like dental floss holding it in place , which can be slid out after it's seated. Or, maybe even drill straight through the shaft and agitator and use a clevis pin type arrangement? There are also several Loctite products for filling gaps but I don't want it to be permanent for when something else surfaces later. For my first approach I wrapped the shaft today with a layer of silicone rescue tape, pushed on the agitator, it's nice and snug now, blue threadlock on the cleaned bolt, new washer, and am letting it set for 24 hours. But why not a few set-screws? Lots of people have the problem of worn splines - and nobody ever suggests or considers anything other than a new agitator for $100!

 

[valle]

So, the agitator is now moving with the transmission shaft back and forth, no evidence of slippage on the spline or of the bolt loosening, so the rescue tape solved that problem. BUT STILL the top agitator is NOT advancing, it just rocks back and forth. What is wrong with this thing? Thanks!

See the video.

 

[Jake]

From the video it seems like the agitator is not making long enough rotations back and forth, I'm not quite why that is either since its a new transmission.

 

[valle]

I found out that with the machine off and empty if I push DOWN on the top of the agitator and rotate the bottom agitator back and forth to simulate the transmission motion, then the top agitator WILL advance clockwise as it's suppose to! But if I just let it sit there untouched and rotate the bottom agitator back and forth then the top agitator tracks it's motion as in the video. So, that makes me think it's nothing to do with the splines, slippage, dogs or transmission. Using hand weights I had to get up to 8 lbs on top of the agitator for enough downward pressure so that the top agitator would advance as the lower agitator rotated back and forth. In the video you can see that the 4 tabs on the lower agitator are engaged into the top, and the bolt is not moving, and is very tight with blue threadlock, so I don't get it. But pushing down seems to solve the problem, although I'm not going to do that during a whole wash cycle lol.

 

[valle]

What rotation should the shaft make normally? ie, out of 360 degrees, how many should it rotate back and forth? Here is a video of how much it rotates - seems like it's only about 30 degrees one way then back again. What is correct? Maybe this is the underlying problem. Today I'm running a load of wash and the lower agitator is doing this 30 degree rotation back and forth and the top is advancing slowly, but none of it is enough to move the clothes at all, they just sit there. All else seems to be working perfectly, the neutral drain in the new transmission works great, after it's drained it starts spinning nice and fast, and no problem with wet clothes, or anything else about the entire cycle. If 30 degrees isn't normal could it be something about the clutch or brake restricting motion during agitation but not spin? Or maybe it is restricting during spin also but it's so fast I can't tell the difference, dunno. Another thing I don't know if it's normal but it agitates at the speed shown in the video and then at the end of the agitate cycle it slows down and agitates slower for a bit before going into the neutral drain.

 

[Jake]

That transmission shaft agitating looks normal to me, look at these videos below too and it shows basically the same rotation speed.

 

[valle]

Well those 2 videos show completely different agitations. The first one shows only the small back and forth motion like I have, without the top agitator advancing separately. The bottom video shows the full 360 deg clockwise rotations of the top agitator.

 

[valle]

When I rotate the shaft by hand I hear a gear clunking sound in one location. I took off the agitator so it wouldn't confuse the issue. I am holding a sock to rotate it more comfortably, but you can hear the sound at the end. I don't think I should hear this in a new transmission and I don't want to damage it by running it to self-destruct. What do you think of this sound? I think I lifted it out of the box by the shaft when it arrived and might I have pulled something out of place? After that I only held it by the gearcase.

 

[Jake]

Yes, that doesn't sound right.

I think I lifted it out of the box by the shaft when it arrived and might I have pulled something out of place?

That's what I'm thinking too.