3CA2781XSW1 Whirlpool Washer - Instructions

I have to admit that before attempting to replace the clutch, I had no clue how to do it. With the help of the diagram of the parts, I was able to access from the internet at PartSelect.com. I felt comfortable enough to attempt the repair because the diagram was easy to read and accurate.

Everything had to be accessed from the bottom of the machine. I tipped the machine backwards enough get under it. To replace the clutch, I had to remove the motor drive. To do so, I disconnected the electrial to the drive motor by simply unconnecting the quick connect harness. I then removed two screws from the two retainer brackets located one on top and one on the bottom. Once this was done the motor drive simply dropped down. I then removed the three bolts holding the gear case to the tub. I had to remove one bolt from inside the tub underneath the fabric softner dispenser. Once this was done the gear case slid out. The clutch sit on top of the gear case. I then simply removed the old clutch and installed the new clutch by reversing the process. The only real difficulty that I had was with the retainer ring. Once done, I reinstalled the gear case and motor drive. I would suggest replacing the direct-drive coupling at this time. I had earlier replaced the coupling hoping to solve the problem. The coupling was redesigned and is more likely to last longer than the orginal coupling.

Remove the washing machine cabinet. Use a large flat head screwdriver to pry/wedge the tub suspension apart and gain access to the pad locations one at a time. My old pads were completely gone, so there was no need to remove them. Clip the new pads into place and re-install the cabinet.

This completely solved the violent chaking problem. There was no need to replace springs.

The repair was so easy. The part came quickly and with easy to follow directions. I am a woman and a single parent; needless to say, I don't have time or money to waste. This repair cost me under $30 and under 30 minutes to fix. Thank you again!

I first watched the youTube vidio on yhe PartSelect web site. After getting a visual of the repair, I decided to tackle the job with a better understanding and knew the repair was easy to purform. First I took the two screws out of the contrl panel on top of the washer, rolled the panel back to expose the clips that hold the metal cabinet to the back panel of the washer. After removing the cabinet I was ready to lay the washer on it's back and had a clear view of the pump, motor and clutch... I was able to easly identify these parts because I took time to watch the video. Using a flat head screwdriver I removed the clips that hold the pump to the motor... Without disconnecting the hoses connected to the pump I pushed the pump to the side and out of the way. This further exposed the motor. Using the flat head screwdriver, I removed the clips holding the motor to the transmission (they just snap off like they did on the pump). The motor was now ready to be removed from the transmission ( it just lifts off) before removing it I disconnected the power suply wire from the motor... Now the motor can be completely removed. I identified the drive couupler 1/2 was on the motor shaft the other 1/2 was on the transmission shaft.. On both halfs the splines were broken. I removed the old broken drive coupler. Since I already had the machine so far apart i figured i would replace the clutch also. Using a deep socket ratchet wit an extention I removed the agator... I then unbolted the transmission (only three bolts) I gentely pulled the transmission and shaft out of the bottom of the washer. This exposed the clutc assembly, I removed the clutc ( which wasn't bad or wore by the way) and replaced it.... I figured I had it and I was this far into the repair why not. After relpasingvthe clutch, I slid the shaft and transmission back into place tightened the bolts and that was done. I then slid/replaced the drive coupler... Placing one half on the motor shaft the other on the transmission shaft, placed the rubber bushing on the oneside of the plastic drive coupler. And mounted the motor back on the transmission utilizing the clips I took off earlier. Once the motor was in place I installed the waterpump fastened by the clips. Flipped yhe washer up, replaced the cabinet... Tightened down the the control panel and was ready to do some wash..: the washer runs perfect now and I saved myself about $700.00. It was allot easier than I thought it would be... Watching the youTube video is the secret to success. The washer is running like the day I bought it new... All for only 53.00. Hats off to everyone at PartsSelect for going above and beyond. Regards, ~ Michael

Disconnected the bracket screws that held the suspension springs in place - fed new springs into bracket and reattached. Local repairman told me that springs dont wear out, they break - wrong, they do lose their tension and thereby lose the ability to counterbalance the spinning load. Washing machine now spins like new - no wobble or shake.

Frist I disconnected the water lines and power cord. Then I leaned the washer back against the wall. Removed the 2 pump retainers and then the pump. Next removed the 2 screws from the motor retainers and pulled off the retainers and motor. Then removed the 3 bolts from the Gear case. Then removed the cap from the top of the agitator with a flat screw driver. Then removed the bolt from the top of the gear shaft. and removed the auger and agitator assembly. Then removed the gear case from the washer. Next removed the slip ring and then the clutch from the top of the gear case. Next removed the 1/4" screws from cover of gear case and removed the cover. Found the top gear bad. Ordered the new gear and pinion kit. Couldn't find any part #'s to match what PartSelect had. Ordered the gear that they should that fit most washers. The pics they had up looked the same as the one that was bad. Had the new gear in 3 days put it back together and it still wouldn't work right. Took it apart again and looked at it and found a small clip on the bottom side of the gear was upside down. Fliped it over put the gear back in and ran the washer with the gear case out and it worked. Put it back together again. And learned a good lesson always watch how you take things apart for when it's time to put it back together!

We received the part we needed in a timely manner. First we took the back off the washer and found out later we didn't have to, because you can access the pump from the bottom of the Whirlpool washer and when we turned it on it's back a brass colored pin about 2" long fell out and we have no idea where it goes.Looking around the bottom frame we saw another pin in a plastic little cup mounted to the frame and another empty cup .So we changed the pump easy,put the pin in the empty cup and the washer runs great! That's our story.Still don't know what the pin is for,it's not on the parts schematic.

1. Read many other repair stories for similar symptoms. PartSelect Forum was an excellent resource.

2. Posted my problem on PartSelect Forum and awaited reply. Read replies, and followed provided link to step-by-step guide for the procedure. PartSelect forum moderators were excellent advisors!

3. Performed the first half of the procedure to get to the diagnosed root cause. In some of the stories I had read, people had turned the washer on its back or tilted it up to get at the area from underneath. I am so glad I followed the conventional instructions, and left the washer standing and simply removed the cabinet. It was surprisingly easy. There's a reason why it was designed that way. I am also glad that I chose to remove the pump from the motor. While it is true that you don't *have* to remove the pump from the motor to get at the coupling...it hardly seems to make sense to remove the hoses instead. Removing the pump was incredibly easy, and by doing so, I never had to break any "wet" connections, and not one drop of water spilled over the course of the entire repair. (Even though I forgot to shut the water supply valves before I got started. Ooops! At least I remembered to unplug the power cord.)

4. But despite the open valves, the galoshes came into play not for their ability to repel water, but for their value as an electric insulator. I wrapped the galoshes around the handle of a long screwdriver when I discharged the motor's capacitor. :)

5. Ordered parts. Washed clothes in sink. Waited. Washed more clothes in sink. Waited some more. Washed more clothes in sink. Waited still more. Came very close to stopping payment to PartSelect because the very simple, commonly-requested part I ordered, which was supposedly in stock on the day I ordered it, didn't ship until the day it was supposed to arrive--even though I paid extra for expedited shipping. And I was never sent an e-mail to warn me that the parts were going to be delayed. And then to top it all off, rather than make up for some of the lost time caused by their own error, and ship it overnight, PartSelect chose to ship it 2nd day. All that good will generated by the excellent website completely evaporated by the failure to correctly complete the simple tasks that the business has needed to be good at since before computers were even invented. I will never use PartSelect again.

6. Prying the old coupler halves off of the motor and the washer took some effort, but was not overly difficult. I wound up removing the motor mounting plate in order to get better access to the half that was stuck on / needed to be attached to the drive train of the washing machine. Mounting plate was a breeze to remove and attach with a socket driver. I used one of those stubby flat-head screwdrivers to pry the old parts off. This was the one time where I thought it might have been easier to have the washing machine tilted up or on its back...but I muddled on through without even removing the bottom panel, and it wasn't too awkward. I used a large socket and a full-size hammer to not-so-gently tap the new parts into place. Putting all of the parts back together took a bit longer than it took to break them down, but it was easy. The instructions for putting the electronic control panel into test mode had been rolled up and taped to the cabinet inside the top panel. After I put the cabinet back on, I used those instructions to test all the cycles before fastening the top panel and testing the machine with an actual load. So far, so good...

Part Select provided the problem determination information and the video on how to install the replacement parts. I ran into one problem, I could not remove the lock nut to remove the inter and outer tub. I should have bought the special wrench for $14, no local DYI or hardware store had the wrench. So, after examination I used a large screwdriver and wood block to lift the tubs up just enough to remove the old pads and replace with the new. The old pads showed only a wear, but was enough to spin the tubs off balance. The new tabs made the washing machine work like new. New washer $500, repair man $150, parts and information from Part Select $20 bucks, priceless.

Removed the washing machine from the wall and found a broken spring on the floor. Began disassembling the unit before accessing your sight. (Later I viewed your video of the more simple dis assembly).Used your parts breakdown to identify the 6 parts I needed (3 springs and 3 retainers),and ordered them. They arrived on time and as per the video, installed them with ease and reassembled the unit. My wife is very happy. Thank you, Rusty

Farly easy repair, once I figured out the problem. The clutch assebly plastic part broke (over 15 yrs old), which is the part that engages the drum for the spin cycle. Following the very helpful diagram on Part Select, I removed the agitator cap and bolt from inside the agitator assembly, and pulled the assembly out of the drum. Then I put the washer on its side and removed the three bolts and two hose claps that hold the motor assembly. I pulled the motor assembly along with the drive shaft out to access the clutch/brake assembly area, removed the broken plastic drive piece and re-assembled.

Lid switch broke off (plastic housing broke in half at the screws). This definitely gets easier after doing it just once. Took me a while to figure out I needed to pop off the plastic caps on the sides of the top control panel, to expose the two screws that others mention. Remove the two screws, lay the control panel forward exposing the two metal clips on top holding the cabinet in place. Unhook the clips, voila. The plastic connector of the replacement switch didn't exactly match the old one so I cut and splice (wire nuts and tape). Cleaned everything well while I had it all apart. If I ever have to do this again, it should take a fraction of the time.

The tub was out of alignment and water fell behind it and onto the floor. My brother-in-law suggested my problem could be the tub balancing spring and when I moved my washing machine, there it was on the ground.
The schematic does not show where it hooks up. So after I did what I thought looked right, the machine still did not work properly. Then I replaced the three suspension springs and that didn't solve the problem.
I found a whirlpool "do-it-yourself" repair book at the library and was prepared to tear into the machine. However, I did not have the tub balancing spring in the correct spot at one end. It hooks up from one of the outer bracket to the back of the housing unit along between the legs. There is a hole that had rusted through. I simply drilled a new hole nearby and low and behold it works!
Easy fix - the frustration was with the poor schematic.

This product comes in a bottle with a brush like Liquid Paper. It goes on incredibly easy. A second coat might be needed. I wanted to prevent rust from setting in so I covered the scratches and dings. The paint is a little brighter since my washer is 10 years old but it still looks great.

First I turned off the water and unplugged the washer from the outlet. I took the two screws off the console and turned it up to undo the clips that hold the cabinet to the back. I took out the 2 phillips screws at the top corners of the back. I was then able to pull cabinet off and not have to remove the console, but carefully slid it to the side, as ther wires were still attached.
Pried off agitator cap & reached into agitator to pry out another cap to access 7/16 bolt. Checked over the agitator parts for wear (dogs) Took agitator, top outer (white) and inner (brown) tub rings off.
Sprayed lots of liqid wrench around spanner nut and drive block and gave it time to work. Used spanner tool to get spanner nut off. Hard work. Pounded and pounded and pounded and pounded with hammer. It gave a tiny bit. Then I got an idea: I pounded it back the other way, as you would to tighten. This helped. I then pounded back the other way and did this again. It worked amazingly well.
Got to drive block and it was rusted out along the bottom and also hard to get off. The diagram showed a "lock" (horseshoe shaped thing) on top of it, but mine was all in one piece but I couldn't tell that. I sprayed and pryed and pounded from the bottom and it split in half. It needed to be replaced anyway.
The inner tub was also hard to get out and I used some dish liquid. I pushed down, (using the rags here, the edges can cut you). I twisted, I pulled. I pushed, I pulled, I cussed, and begged. I then went to bed and then next day I pushed backwards and forwards and side to side & finally it came off. Then I undid the brackets on the bottom of the outer tub along the bottom and disconnected the clear hose in back. When loosening the black hose clamp in front to the pump, water started to come out of the hose so I grabbed a cool whip container to catch it. It smelled yucky. Once I had the outer tub off I put the new seal in, using some plumber's grease to help get ithe tub over the shaft..Then I hooked up the hoses & brackets on the bottom of the outer tub. I cleaned out the outer tub, as there was crud in the bottom. Then I poured about 5 gallons of water in it to see if the seal was set in right. Make sure the drain hose hasn't fallen out! (You can leave this water in the tub, you'll find out why) I cleaned up the rust on tube of the inner tub with steel wool and inspected everything else. Something didn't look quite right about the outer shaft that goes around the spin tube. It looked like something should go there. I discovered there SHOULD have been a seal there but one was never put in. So I put one in. I used a little grease to help put the new drive block on, and tightened the spanner nut with the spanner wrench. I put everything else back on EXCEPT for the cabinet-with the console attached. Ha Ha All the other directions I read wrote to take the console off first. If I had done that I wouldn't have been able to do the most important part of the job: testing the result. I finished filling the tub to the lowest water level to watch it go thru it's cycles and checked for leaks. If the console was "flopped over" the back how can you check? (I don't play with wiring)
I turned off the water & unplugged the washer and slid the cabinet on.. I tipped the console back to access the large gold squiggly brackets that hold the cabinet to the back and reattached them to the back, by removing them, hooking them onto the back, and snapping them into place. I double-DOUBLE checked to see if anything had come loose, then slid the console first on top of the back and put the two screws back in. The screws on my machine are not covered up by the end caps, but they are at a wierd angle, so I held the console up slighly and started the screws first. As they tightened down the console slid into the holes on the cabinet.
There is a small sppliance shop in my town & the guy loaned me the spanner wrench. It was very nice of him.I guess I will have to give his & his famil