It’s the 9th of January and I’m trying to catch up. The holidays hit hard around here — not just with regular service calls, but with all the machines people had been sitting on and finally decided to do something about. That Monday morning I got to the shop and before 10 o’clock I had twelve people bring me machines. Twelve. Along with the service calls already on the board. I finally got through the last of them this morning.
That’s how it goes when you’re established. People know you’re there, and when their machine goes out they know who to call. I’m not complaining — it’s a good problem to have.
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About Flipping Machines — The Real Economics
I’ve got a few people in town who are scrappers. They go around looking for machines people set out — somebody got a new set and the old ones are sitting outside, the scrappers pick them up and bring them to me. I usually give them twenty dollars for a washer and fifteen dollars for a dryer. I put a few parts into the fixable ones, paint them up, and resell them. You make real money doing this if you’re selective about what you take in and efficient about what you put into each machine. And once you’ve been in business long enough, people call and give you stuff free. “Hey, I just bought a new set and I need these gone, can you come get them?” That’s free inventory. The margins on a free machine that needs forty dollars in parts are hard to beat.
The Shift Actuator Fix
The shift actuator is a component on newer Whirlpool-platform top-loaders — Whirlpool, Maytag, Kenmore machines from the mid-2000s on. Its job is to shift the transmission between wash mode and spin mode. When it fails, you usually get a washer that fills and drains but doesn’t agitate, doesn’t spin, or gets stuck mid-cycle. Sometimes you hear a clicking noise. Sometimes the control panel throws a code. The actuator sits on the back of the gearbox underneath the machine. Disconnect the harness, pull the screws, and the old one comes off. The new one goes on the same way. The whole job takes less than ten minutes if the machine is accessible. Before you order, pull the wiring harness connector off the actuator and check the plastic arm for excessive movement. If it just flops around, then change it. You can also test the drive motor with a shop-built test cord you can make by tracing the two motor wires back to the plug and wiring your cord with the hot and neutral for the drive motor.
- Whirlpool WPW10006355 Genuine OEM Shift Actuator — Buy on Amazon
- Upgraded W10006355 Shift Actuator (Whirlpool/Maytag/Kenmore) — Buy on Amazon
The Dryer Belt
Belt jobs on Whirlpool-style dryers are as straightforward as it gets. When the belt breaks, the motor runs but the drum doesn’t turn. To get to it, pull the front panel, lift the drum out, check the motor pulley for wear, wrap the new belt around the drum (ribbed side down), route it over and through the idler yoke and around the motor pulley, and reassemble. The standard belt for most Whirlpool, Roper, Estate, Amana, and Kenmore dryers from this platform is part 341241:
- BlueStars 341241 Dryer Drum Belt (Whirlpool/Kenmore/Amana) — Buy on Amazon
- Klein Tools MM300 Digital Multimeter — Buy on Amazon
While you have the dryer apart for a belt, check the drum rollers. They’re right there in front of you and they’re cheap. If the machine has age on it and the rollers look worn flat, replace them while you’re in there. You’ll save yourself another call-back in six months.
Before you spend money on a service call, check my repair guides on Gumroad. Step-by-step diagnostic manuals for the most common washer and dryer problems. harperknowles.gumroad.com
Rather have a pro do it? If you’re anywhere in central Louisiana — Oakdale, Oberlin, Elizabeth, Pitkin, Pine Prairie, and Glenmora — Harper & Knowles handles this all the time. Call (337) 831-6757 or visit harperandknowles.com to schedule a service call.
About the Author: Chip Knowles owns Harper & Knowles Washing Machine and Dryer Repair LLC in Oakdale, Louisiana. He took over the shop in 2019 from his late friend and mentor Donald Harper Sr. New video every Sunday at 2 PM Central on YouTube.