ultimate care II severe saking and loud ratchet sound at end of spin cycle

[emmettrose1962]

At the end of spin cycle my washer makes a very loud ratcheting sound and shakes violently. Balance is good and clothes evenly distributed. Machine about 4 years old.

Model sm 8525079

[Repair-man]

If the ears are sheared off the drive tube, the tub will skip around when it tries to come to a stop after spinning. You'd have to pull the agitator to look at the drive block and spin tube ears under it.

[emmettrose1962]

Thanks for your reply. I tried to remove the agitator, but could not pull it off after removing the bolt from the top. Is there something else holding it down? How hard is it to change the part I need if the ears are the problem? Can I do it from the top side or must I remove the cabinet and get to the bottom of the machine? As you can guess, I've never taken a washer apart.

[Repair-man]

To finish removing the agitator, take off your leather belt and slip it under the bottom of the agitator until it is centered below the base. Take both ends of the belt in your hand and pull upward sharply, turning your head to one side to avoide the agitator should it decide to pop up forcefully.

Even if you see the drive block and tube as I have shown you above, you must still own a spanner wrench to remove the tub nut holding the drive block down. This tool is available at the same place you buy the drive tube and block. There are a couple of reference manuals for the Whirlpool top loader here on this website that you can use to read the steps involved in pulling the tub.