10197 Kenmore Washer - Overview

This washer leaked when it was about 7 years old and I replaced the seals at the bottom of the drum. That was a difficult repair but I'm glad I did it because the thing has run just fine for the 11 years since then.

This time when it leaked I started shopping for new washers, thinking it was the same thing. Just to be sure I op ... Read more ened it up to see if it was leaking somewhere else. The pump is right in the front of the washer and sure enough, it started dripping just a few minutes into the cycle. I hopped onto the interwebs and found Parts Select, they shipped me the new part and it arrived the next day!

First I removed the washer front (two screws). Then the bracket holding the pump came off by removing the two screws in front and loosening the screw behind then sliding it toward the back of the washer. The belt comes off once the tension slacks and the pump and bracket come right out. Remove the two hoses from the pump and four screws holding the pump to the bracket and you are ready to reverse the procedure.

If you care about your floor, be prepared to catch the water somehow when you remove the hoses. Be careful not to cross-thread the plastic when you screw the new pump on.

The toughest part was replacing the two hoses. One was held on by one of those clamps that you squeeze with pliers, not the screw kind. The space is kinda tight and a third hand would have been useful if there was room for it. I think I re-attached the bracket and pump to the washer to hold it in place.

I finished the whole thing in less than 30 minutes. It was super-easy except for the hoses. I would have bought a clamp that screws if I had thought ahead, but there must have been a reason for the manufacturer to use two different kinds of clamps.

I just realized it probaby took me as long to type up this story as it did to fix the thing. I just couldn't see spending ten times the money to buy a new washer!