Kenmore 70 series

SOURCE: kenmore 70 series

Okay...I'm a little confused on your symptoms. You initially said it fills, but doesn't agitate or spin, but drains.

Then, you finished with the washer filling, no agitate or spin, but now doesn't drain.

Which one is it?

The symptoms you describe are usually associated with the following:

1. Fills, may or may not agitate, won't spin or drain - lid switch.
2. Fills, may or may not agitate, won't spin, but still drains - motor coupling.
3. Fills, may or may not agitate, won't spin or spins slow - gear case.
4. Fills, agitates, spins, but does not drain – water pump.

NOTE: These are the more common failure items with these symptoms.

Double check the lid switch by opening and closing the lid. You should hear a clicking noise to indicate the switch is working. The switch is located under the top panel along the wash tub rim on the right-hand side. If not, check to make sure the lid strike (small plastic piece on the lid itself) is in place. This activates the lid switch when the lid is closed. Also, check the mounting screws along the rim (there are two of them) to see if they are tight.

If the motor coupling were bad, the washer would still drain, but there would be a rattling sound as the washer tries to spin or agitate.

If you need replacement parts, go to searspartsdirect.com and type in your model number in the "Search by Model Number" window. The lid switch can be found under the "Top and Cabinet" heading as item number 11 (part #3949238). Instructions on how to replace are located at the following link:

http://www.fixya.com/support/r385199-replacing_lid_switch_whirlpool_top

If you wish to replace the motor coupling, the part can be found under the “Brake/Clutch/Gearcase/Motor/Pump” heading as item number 13 (part #285753A). If you need instructions on how to replace, just follow this link:

http://www.fixya.com/support/r385250-replacing_motor_coupling_kenmore_top

Now, there’s a couple of ways to drain the washer. If it’s a simple lid switch problem, you don’t need to drain the washer to replace the switch. With a broken switch repaired, the washer will run and drain by itself. However, if you wish to drain the tub you can use a shop vac to pull a vacuum on the drain hose. This may take a few times depending on the size of the shop vac. These wash tubs typically have about a 35 gallon capacity. If you do not own a shop vac, you can by-pass the lid switch by jumpering the two BLACK wires at the lid switch connector that is connected to the console. CAUTION: Make sure you UNPLUG the washer before jumpering, then plug back in.

I hope this information is helpful to you. If I’m wrong about the symptoms, please post back and update me on what the washer is or is not doing, so I can assist you further.