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Old 09-05-2010, 11:16 PM   #1
Chuck v
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Default Help!! replacing washing machine -- need recommendations

Well I finally got around to trying to use the Whirlpool LHW0050PQ washer and LDR3822PQ dryer stacked pair that is in the 2007 TourMaster 40-C we bought used about a year and a half ago. The dryer works as it should, but the washer did nothing at first.

I did a lot of research on-line and found a technical manual (service manual, not the Whirlpool appliance owners manual that came with the coach...) and learned how to take it apart and check out a few things. Space is a challenge, but there is room enough in the walk-in closet in the "C" floor plan to take the dryer off and place it aside. With the top of the washer off I found that the control board had a burned trace and in repairing that I found a bad voltage regulator IC and replaced that as well. Now the washer continuously runs the drain pump and will not enter the diagnostic mode that the service manual describes. I suspect some rather major failure of the control board or the motor control/inverter unit -- this pair of modules is very expensive from Whirlpool at nearly $500 !!

So I am faced with replacing this washer with a newer unit (looking at the Whirlpool WFC7500V... Sears has it on sale for the Labor Day weekend) and of course there is the little issue of getting the old unit out and the new one in. Adding to the challenge is the extra weight that is put in the base of front loader washers to help them be stable when the drum spins -- these 'compact' units weigh 151 pounds apiece. My wife and I will not be able to carry the washer down the steps at the coach door...anyone have suggestions on how this is done?

I have heard such negative things about repairing the Splendide washers and parts procurement nightmares for them that I have pretty much crossed them off my list, but Camping World will at least install them for a fee if you buy the appliance there. Do any members here have any experiences that they can share on removing/replacing one of these washers, and any recommendations on what brands/models to consider?

I've been eyeballing my little 2 ton engine hoist and considering extending the boom just enough to reach in through the coach door to support the weight when coming down the stairs... It also looks like I will have to take out the co-pilot chair to give room to maneuver past the front console and get in position to go down the stairs, plus remove the gas shock on the top of the entry door to swing it more fully open.

Of course, we have to get it past the bed in the back from its walk in closet location before we even get to the front of the coach. Grrr...

All suggestions very much appreciated.

Chuck
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Old 09-06-2010, 09:29 AM   #2
tarheel
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Chuck-
I don't have an answer to your question, but I have a question for you. I have the same model washer and dryer and have a problem with the washer (drum won't turn). I have not been able to get the dryer loose to remove it. There is a bracket on the front that connect the two together. When I remove the screws from the bracket, the dryer won't move. Was there another bracket or fastener hidden that attaches the two?

Also, are you saying that the top of the washer comes off to gain access to it's working parts? We had an appliance repairman look at it and he felt there may be a belt issue, but he was reluctant to tackle the problem since we didn't know how the units were built-in.

Thanks for any information!

Dick
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Old 09-06-2010, 11:10 AM   #3
Chuck v
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Dick,

I found it is not obvious how to take the dryer off the top of the washer...sequence is the key. In my coach there is an access panel in the wall between the washer/dryer cabinet and the remainder of the walk-in closet. Four small screws and it is removed to reveal the AC plugs, the valves for turning off the water to the washer and access to the hose clamp on the dryer vent tubing. You might also see that there is a lower rear part to the bracket set that holds the dryer in position on top of the washer (this one is a channel that clamps over a bar on the lower rear frame of the dryer), and also an upper metal bracket that ties the dryer to the wall at the correct spacing.

To get the dryer off the washer you need to do the following: Remove the screws on the bracket at the TOP of the dryer that holds it to the rear wall of the cabinet. In my coach this is an aluminum piece that had square drive screws into the rear wall. I needed to get a set of extensions to reach in that far from the front above the dryer, but if your arms are smaller than mine you might be able to reach in there. Once the bracket is unscrewed from the wall, you can slide the washer/dryer combination out from the cabinet a couple of inches further from the back wall. This should allow you to tip up the dryer above the lower front bracket, and then move it forward to clear the rear channel clamp bracket. The dryer can now be removed from the cabinet -- two people might work best here due to the tight space and awkward bulk, but it is not too heavy. I was able to set it at the other end of the walk in closet in my coach and not have to take it forward...

The top of the washer itself is removed by taking out two screws (Torx heads) in the rear lip of the top cover, lifting up at the rear and then sliding it forward to free it from the front hold down notches. There is a very good service manual on-line with pictures and instructions on removing all the sub-assemblies and it has a wiring diagram -- there also will be a wiring diagram under the lid of the washer.

I have the PDF of this manual, but it is quite large (45 MB) so mailing it to you may not be simple... I could try to break it up into sections.

Chuck

...upon edit: I was able to distill it down to under 3 MB and still have a good readable copy, so let me know if you want it mailed...

C
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Old 09-06-2010, 12:05 PM   #4
Chuck v
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Dick,

Here is an excerpt from the manual on how to remove the top panel of the washing machine...


Chuck
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Old 09-06-2010, 12:29 PM   #5
rescue7
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Since you have to buy another washer. Isn't it Lowes or some major chain that advertises free delivery and removal, Buy one there and tell them this is your house and let them do the heavy lifting part.

Don
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Old 09-06-2010, 06:22 PM   #6
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Chuck-
Thanks for the information. I found the manual on line that you referenced. On my 40A, the washer/dryer is in the middle of the coach across from the refrigerator. There is an access panel in the bathroom, but upon removal, it is almost impossible to do or even see much behind it. The sewage breather pipe is located there and makes it impossible to get my hand very far in. Probably the only thing I could do there is turn the water on and off, and unplug the units.

I guess I didn't search things out very well when I had an appliance man in the coach. Today, I shined a light over the units after receiving your response and there is a large bracket in the back screwed into the wall. I believe it is reachable to remove the screws or bolts from the wall and that should allow things to happen as you described. We're in Colorado right now and since the washer is still under warranty from Whirlpool, I'm going to wait until we're in a larger city and I can get a repairman again, then I can tell him how to remove it and help him do it.

Thanks again for your help and I'll let you know how it goes.

Dick
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Old 09-06-2010, 07:59 PM   #7
Chuck v
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Dick,

You are very welcome -- glad I could be of some help

I know that the washer has a multi-year warranty on the drive components such as the belt. My problems were all electronic module related, and that warranty only ran for two years

Today we went to Sears and they confirmed that they WILL install the unit we bought there into the coach. Sharon selected the Maytag variant of the machine (Whirlpool and Maytag are now the same company...) due to some additional features. The shipping weight is 175 pounds so the machine definitely weighs more than we want to personally wrestle. Price was not too bad due to the Labor Day sales, totaled about $545 with all the delivery and disposal of the old unit. Much less than the CW price on the Splendide separate washer and this should be a better unit -- certainly has more features.

I will of course have to migrate the dryer stacking brackets to the top of the new washer...

Chuck
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Old 09-11-2010, 09:25 PM   #8
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Chuck-
Today we finally got our washer fixed. The problem was that the drum was a little loose and the belt wouldn't stay on the drum and pulley. Fixing was the easy part, but the hard part was removing it.

We were in Garden City, Kansas last night when my rear air compressor quit working. I went on the internet and found a great RV tech that does mobile work. I had a burned out capacitor and I was back in service in half an hour. I asked him if he did any washer/dryer work and he said he would remove the units, but didn't work on them. So, he called a friend that did appliance work for a local furniture company to see if he would come by and work on it after it was removed. That man said to bring my unit right down to their store and they would take it out themselves and repair it. Since I still had the original warranty (bought coach new 5 months ago) on it and they were a Whirlpool dealer, I drove the MH down to their store.

The technician came out back with a helper and started taking things apart. What they discovered after removing the front screws and removing the screws from the back bracket that fastens to the wall, was that the units were still held together by a back bracket that they couldn't get to. So, they called two more men out and all lifted and pulled the entire assembly out. It was extremely tight and the opening scraped a little on the side of the units before getting them out.

I'm not sure what it cost Whirlpool for this operation, but I'm sure glad my warranty was still in tact. My wife is now a happy camper and is on her third load of clothes as I type.

Dick
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Old 09-11-2010, 11:29 PM   #9
Chuck v
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Dick,

Glad to hear that you got it repaired under warranty

I guess I was not clear on how I got my dryer off the top of my washer unit in my earlier posts. Yes, there is a rear attachment clip/bracket that hooks over a part of the lower rear frame at the rear of the dryer itself. This bracket is screwed to the top or the washer (as is the front angle bracket that attaches to the bottom front of the dryer...)

When I removed the attachment screws from dryer top angle brace that joined it to the rear wall of the washer/dryer cabinet, I was able to move both of appliances forward enough (as a unit) to then tip the dryer up at the front far enough to clear the front bracket on the washer lid. This then allowed the dryer to continue to move forward with respect to the washer and that brings the rear lower frame of the dryer out of engagement with the clip/bracket at the top rear of the washer -- allowing the two appliances to be separated from each other. It is not as complex to do as it is trying to describe it in words...sorry I did not take any pictures.

Tomorrow I will have time to take the old washer out of my coach. Sears will be delivering the new one on the 20th, and I wanted to get everything cleaned up and prepared well before then.

I want to seal the holes where the drain pipes and hoses come through from the area under the bedroom vanity sink, and I need to make a proper wall attachment/support for the hot and cold supply lines and hose bib valves so they can be easily operated from the access panel. The factory installation just had them loose and self-supported by the lines themselves, and they were hard to reach since the hoses to the washer pulled them down nearly out of grasp.

I will try to get some pictures of what I come up with...

Chuck
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Old 09-11-2010, 11:45 PM   #10
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Chuck-
While they had the units out, I took a look at everything behind them. The factory did do a good job of mounting the the hot and cold faucets and the other wiring. But, they ran the sewer vent up in the middle of the access panel from the bathroom, prohibiting from doing anything through the access panel except to turn the water off and on. I could get my hand through it, but couldn't move it after I got it in. In order to replace the belt, they took the back panel off the washer.

Dick
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Old 09-12-2010, 09:31 AM   #11
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I know this is a little late but I bought parts for my wifes duet (home machine) from this site. The main control module was around $160, might come in handy for future issues.

http://www.repairclinic.com/
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Old 09-12-2010, 09:44 AM   #12
Chuck v
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Tim,

Thanks for that link. I went there and found that my control and motor drive board is listed as part number 1159203 all right, but the price is still $494.70. That is within $50 of what I paid for a new machine that will be delivered later this month, so using that source for repair parts is not a very good option in this particular case...

Chuck
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Old 09-12-2010, 11:41 AM   #13
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Oh well, it was worth a try.
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Old 09-13-2010, 03:30 PM   #14
Chuck v
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Got the washer out of the coach yesterday. Sharon and I used the carry strap that furniture delivery folks have been using for many years now, and it works fairly well... Still have to coordinate all maneuvers, but the weight is carried through the legs. Using this harness system, we got the machine to the front of the coach. I had already removed the co-pilot seat mounting bolts and moved it back out of the way.

Then I used my engine hoist and reached in the open door of the coach and lifted the washer out while Sharon guided the hanging appliance through the doorway -- a little less than 2 inches of clearance.

I have taken the machine apart enough to know that it had almost NO USE in the time it was in the coach, although it did have signs of having been winterized. It is definitely electronic control board related, and after repairing the burned trace and replacing the voltage regulator it still does not light any of the panel lights. What it does do is fill and drain continuously and simultaneously.

If any member here wants the motor, drain pump, fill valves or other major parts from this otherwise as-new machine just let me know. Parts are free, but you need to pay shipping. You have until it will be picked up on the 20th when Sears delivers the new one to decide, plus enough time for me to remove the part...

Chuck
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Old 09-15-2010, 11:48 PM   #15
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Did a little clean-up of the washer space in preparation of getting the new machine installed next Monday. I used tie-wraps and the surface mount anchors that are made for them to hold the hot and cold valves at the access panel location, and while I was at it marked the hot and cold so it would be easy to tell them apart later if needed in the crowded space.

Then I used duct tape and some plastic grill from a gutter topper to seal all around the drain pipes and close a gap between the floor and rear wall. Each time I see any place in the coach that could give access to those damn mice I just have to take action -- even though there has been no sign of the little monsters since I found and sealed the several openings in the basement in the bay with the holding tanks...




Chuck
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Old 09-22-2010, 09:18 PM   #16
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Well, Sears delivered the washer all the way into the coach and partially in the cabinet space so I could hook it up (that was easy!!)I took off the top of the washer to ensure that there were no issues with attaching the dryer mounting /hold down brackets, and yes -- everything clears the screws by quite a bit. My concern came from the Maytag site for the matching dryer stack that showed an adhesive plate that locked their brand dryer in place.
As mentioned earlier in this thread, I am still using the Whirlpool dryer that came with the coach.

So I got everything hooked up (using the stainless braid style hoses since they are rather inaccessible -- might as well go for the most reliable.) I noticed a bit of a slow leak, and determined that it was the packing nut on the hot faucet...seems that it backed off a bit from cycling the valve on and off. Tightened that and ran a test load.

Everything worked as it should and I determined that I would wait until the next day (today) to put the dryer back in place on top of the washer. When we went to do that this morning, Sharon noticed a bit more water under the washer. Using a series of paper towel-wrapped yardstick maneuvers I could see that it was not coming from the machine but rather back against the rear wall of the closet space.

Anyone that has had the washing machine out knows that there is next to no space back there and with the washer pulled out to access what space there is you still need to climb over the washer to get back there.

What I found was that the trap was leaking very slowly until the water level was below the ring nut on the downstream side of the trap. If you look at the first photo in my post above you can get a clue of what was the problem:

SOME UNTRAINED, MINIMUM WAGE, KNOWLEDGE-LACKING INDIVIDUAL PUT TEFLON TAPE ON THESE THREADS

The tape interfered with the internal conical seal of this fitting getting fully seated, and made the ring nut lack the friction to stay tight. I cleaned everything up and assembled the fitting as the manufacturer of the plumbing parts intended and everything is OK now.

If any TourMaster owner should need to pull out your washer and dryer, be sure to check for this error in the GS assembly procedure... It may never leak, or it may be seeping just like mine was.
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