Whirlpool Washer Hardware
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I removed the agitator, and as a pro would have figured out long before, the ridges inside the top of the lower agitator were almost completely worn down. I realized then that the contact between these ridges and the splines on the shaft is what is supposed to cause the lower agitator to move with the shaft. The purpose of the bolt is just to keep the agitator in the correct position and from coming off the shaft. I had been trying to compensate for the worn agitator ridges by over-tightening the bolt, creating some contact at the top of the shaft. This would work for a little while, then the agitator would start slipping, and the slipping agitator was acting just like a wrench loosening the bolt (until my stupid rope trick, that is.)
So I ordered a new agitator (only the lower agitator was bad, but the price of an entire agitator isn't a lot more than just the lower part and I was reading that the upper agitator parts will wear over time) and another new bolt (because my repeated attempts to over-tighten the first one I ordered had split the rubber gasket apart and worn the bolt head).
The new agitator fit snugly on the splines of the shaft so I sensed no need to use excessive force on the bolt. Just an easy one-handed snug tightening with the socket wrench, using the other hand to hold the lower agitator. The washer is now working again.