RTW4000SW3 Roper Washer - Instructions

While taking apart my washing machine to clean the plastic basket I discovered the 3 main seals down the agitator were completely disintegrated and water was leaking onto the motor and onto the floor. The seals are a tight fit but slide into place easily with lubrication. When putting everything back together a bit of lubrication will be necessary as well. The leak is gone and my nearly 30 year old washer is working as well as the day it came off of the assembly line.

First I removed the plastic panels on each side the control panel. Each side was secured by a phillips screw. Once the screws were removed the side panels were easily removed. I tilted the panel back to the rear of the washing machine to expose the lid switch. I first took a picture with my camera phone to ensure installing the switch correctly. I removed a small screw that secured a green ground wire. The lid switch was removed by lifting the plastic catch with a flathead (or slot) screwdriver and uplugging the switch. Reverse the steps and install the new switch. Secure and tighten the green ground wire. The lid must be lifted to properly seat the lid's guide arm into the lid switch. Replace the side panels and tighten the phillip screws. Test the wash cycle using a low water level. It took me 5 minutes to install this part. I am a attorney not a mechanic.

I thought that the lid switch was the problem why the washer would not perform the drain or spin cycle. I broke the lid switch by moving the wires around. I rigged it so my daughter could use it by screwing a screw in the switch til the new one came in. After a few days, the machine stopped working again as stated above with the motor. I purchased a new Whir-pool washer for her and later found a white wire that connects to the electric motor was burnt around the connector in that only one tiny wire was still attached. I reconnected the wire in the connector and the washer started working again.

Unplugged the appliance. turned off inlet water and removed hoses. popped the cap off hiding the bolt that keeps the agitator in place and pulled the agitator off. tipped the washer on its front . disconnected the Wire harness. removed the 3 bolts that hold the pump, motor,clutch, (drive assembly in other words). pulled the Drive assembly out of its resting spot removed the bad clutch and replaced it with the new one. then reassembled in reverse order.

Tilt machine on its side,snap off the two retaining straps and remove the pump and sanded the shaft on the electric drive motor to remove rust ,Install new pump and retaining straps and unit now running great.

placed washer on side and installed new pads
and returned washer upright

Took the agitator out and gearbox off unhook wires from motor and take off water pump, replaced the parts and put back together. Pretty easy to fix. However, I still haven't got my problem fixed. Originally the washer wouldn't spin after the rinse. I put on a new coupler and it worked for a few loads, then something smelled hot and started stinkin the house up so I opened the washer lid and smoke rolled out. Turned it off. Took the moter off and checked it and it would barely turn at all. Replaced the motor with a new one. Still wouldn't spin. Put on a new clutch assembly. Still wouldn't spin. Bought a new capacitor thinking that would do it. Still don't SPIN!!! (The ring and washer I replaced was just a casualty, not any of the problem).

!. Removed agitator from inside
2.Removed outside cabinet
3 Removed pump, motor, and transmission.
4. Slid the entire drive unit out of the tub from the bottom
5. Removed the clutch assy. and installed new.
6. Reverseed the procedure to re-assemble.

Unplugged the main power. Removed the 2 screws in the back and top of the control panel. Pulled control panel forward and tipped towards me to remove from top of washer. Removed the ground wire screw with a socket/ratchet. Removed the switch by pressing the tap inwards. The tab was brittle and broke. Replaced the switch, ground wire with screw and the control panel. I notice that the 2 screws which secure the switch lever/hinge to the lid were loose. These 2 loose screws were actually the problem in the first place. The loose lever was not making good contact with the switch. I think the switch was actually fine but since I broke the tab on the switch I needed to replace it anyhow. Plugged in power cord and washed a load.

First unplug the washing machine.
Then used a putty knife pushed under the endcap area to release the clips holding the top console down, then lifted the front of the console and tipped it back. Held it in that position with a short piece of wood.

The lid switch was visible right there on the left. Then unplugged the switch, removed the metal screw holding the ground wire, pressed the locking tab on the switch, lifted the washer lid about 3 or 4 inches, and removed the switch. Installation was the reverse procedure. Total time about 10 to 15 minutes.

I followed instructions provided from Parts Select for removing and replacing the coupler assembly, and also instructions for changing the clutch assembly. I also took it's transmission apart (socket set and flat screwdriver required), drained the old oil, cleaned it, added new 90W gear oil. The instructions covered the swapping of parts very well. Cleaning up the oil spill took as long as changing the parts.

Followed the excellent video instructions. They say you can perform the repair without removing the enclosure, but when I saw how easy it was to remove it, it definitely improves the access and speeds the repair. Have a piece of wire handy to to hold the pump assembly out of the way. Installed new clutch kit and it runs like a champ.

We ordered both the motor coupling and the clutch assembly based on our troubleshooting, and because we figured both parts were inexpensive enough we might as well have them both. We initially thought it was the clutch assembly, but as we were taking the washing machine apart, we noticed that actually one of the bolts was missing completely and one had snapped in two. We then realized that the spin cycle problem was actually related to the instability of the motor because of the missing/broken bolts (they didn't even have washers!). All we had to do was replace the bolts and use a bolt extractor to get the broken bolt out, but we went ahead and replaced the clutch assembly as well for good measure. Everything ran perfectly after that! I was very skeptical to do the repair myself, but it really is easy, as long as you have someone with muscle to help out. You can also look up videos online that show you a step by step repair process for the clutch assembly, and I would highly recommend doing that so that you have a visual. It will make everything seem 100x easier.

The repair was fairly simple and while it made the spin operation quieter and and a bit more stable, it still gets out of balance. Disconnected power, shutoff supply lines and disconnected them from the unit.

Laid washer on its front and replaced the two more visible springs fairly easily from underneath using a little leverage with a 2 x 4 to take any residual tension off the springs.

Then I turned the washer over on its back (gently and with a little support (board or old thick towel) so the weight of the unit didn't rest entirely on the water intake connectors

Again, lifted the tub with 2 x 4 and disconnected the power and control connector to the motor to make a little more room to get to the spring.

If you do this, be sure to re-connect that connector before you put the washer back and test, otherwise it will fill and then sit.... I had to siphon the tank out, disconnect everything, flip it over and re-connect that power connector!! After that the unit ran better than before, especially on the spin cycle. Over all this washer is 15 years old and worn a bit so we are still careful not to overload it and balance the loading as much as possible. Large bedspreads and king size sheets or mattress covers will always spin out of balance but for 90% of regular washing it was an improvement.

Took an educated guess it was the lid switch and after playing with the switch got it to work. Ordered new switch. The hard part was to find the model number and thanks to customer service sticking with we. we found the info and was able to come up with a part number. Re placing the switch is very easy but I had to remove the cast after trying to open the machine the wrong way. So a little body work. I also found the frame was cracked and with a fender washer on the other side of the front feet was able to fix that. Washer run great a lot is a lot quieter.THANKS!!