Kenmore 70 series Washing Machine will not spin sometimes. Fills, agitates, drains all correctly but only sometimes starts spinning.

Poss. Outlet hose/trap blocked or hose kinked.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR WASHING MACHINE?

For a detailed Washing Machine illustration, click below.

Top Load Maytag Style
Top Load Whirlpool Style
Top Load GE Style
Front Load Maytag Style
Front Load Frigidaire/GE/Kenmore Style
Warning! To avoid personal injury or even death, always disconnect your appliance from its power source--that is, unplug it or break the connection at the circuit breaker or fuse box--before you do any troubleshooting or repair work on your appliance. Also, because some components may have sharp edges, use caution while working on your appliance.

Some problems that can occur with your top-loading washing machine are:

There's an error code on the digital display

It doesn't work at all
It won't drain
It doesn't spin
It doesn't agitate
It's noisy
It leaks
It's off balance
There's no hot water
There's no cold water
It's slow to fill
There's no water at all
The clothes are wet after spinning
The cycle doesn't advance
There's no delicate or regular spin or agitate
It's overfilling
It's underfilling
The water temperature is incorrect


Hope this may help;

DON'T FORGET TO RATE:

Bad timer. Try to find a used one if possible, this item is a little expensive.

Either your timing motor has broken or the gears that it drives are stripped. The timing motor is easy to replace but if the gears are stripped you will need a whole new dial assembly.

Hello. Since your machine is 18 years old and the agitation/spin is costly to repair I would definitely recommend a replacement washer.

The electric motor my have failed or a part called a capacitor could be the problem? The capacitor is part of the starting circuit of the electric motor, if this fails the motor will not start therefore the washing machine won't spin or agitate.

http://www.repairclinic.com/Appliance-Parts?s=t-110.24722300-%3d%3d

This is a link showing the part I suspect needs replacing in your washer. It's the motor coupler -- when it breaks, nothing turns but the motor itself.

Timer is defective. Your unit has a netural drain. When finished agitating, the shuts down and then starts up reversing to drain and spin. On the initial reverse start, the water drains without the transmission spinning. After a timed period 3-4 minutes, the timer is supposed to pause, stopping the motor for a few seconds. When the motor stops again, the transmission shift to the spin cycle and when the timer resumes power tothe motor it should spin. You are doing the same thing when you lift the lid...stopping the timer and then the tranny shifts and when you set the lid down, the washer spins. Replace the timer.......

Probably the motor coupling has cracked. Located between the motor and transmission/gearbox.

You most likely have a broken coupler between the motor and gearcase.
You can buy the part for about $10 or have someone come out and replace it for about $150-200.
If you will post the complete model number from the the washer so I can see which style cabinet you have, I will try to walk you through the repair. It isn't very complicated if you are handy with home repairs.
With the age of the machine it probably just needs a coupler, but it could also have a problem in the transmission or basket drive that has caused the failure.