7MWTW1812AW0 Whirlpool Washer - Instructions

Gently pry top of agitator off with small flat-blade screwdriver. Using the square end of a 1/2-inch socket extension, unscrew the plastic center "nut." Lift agitator off, remove center cone that holds the dogs, slip the retainer ring off, remove the worn dogs and replace. (Great opportunity clean the soap scum off the agitator!) Reverse the process to complete the repair.

That OK , easy.

Followed youtube video. Great instruction.

After reading on line how others did it, it was simple. I lifted out the softener dispenser. Under that there was a plastic cap. You just lift it out - theres no fasteners holding it. It just fits snugly in place by means of an o-ring. Under that there is one bolt holding the agitator to the spindle. Loosen that and remove the whole agitator. The agitator then comes apart in the middle. Just pull the two halves apart. The only tool you will need is one socket with a long extention and a ratchet. Once apart you will see the 4 plastic cogs that spin the agitator. The teeth were worn off of mine. I simply replaced the four cogs that come as a set. None of the other parts were worn to the point of needing replacement. I now have a fully functioning washing machine that was repaired for less than thirteen dollars!

Very simple repair with the kit. Old rods came out easily using vise grips locked on to rods about 10-12 inches down and pulling up. Had doubts if they were bad since everything looked good but drum bounced back several times when I shoved it down to test it earlier. New rods went in just as easy and replaced in less than 30 min. Hardest part was that I had very cramped laundry room so had to move and disconnect hoses etc. to move into larger space for repair and then move back to reconnect. Parts came quickly within about 3 days and now purrs like a kitten!

FIRST I printed the directions from an online DIY stie, then removed a single bolt from the center of the agitator. I dismantled the agitator, replaced the dogs, and used to printed page to help me reassemble the agitator. I then replaced the bolt. It's VERY easy, but you need the pictures to be sure you've put everything back in the correct place.

I noticed the agitator didn't "lock up" in one direction to properly agitate the load (which in turn "agitated" my girlfriend. I took the agitator apart to find the dog ears were worn. I ordered some new ones at a cost of about $12 delivered fed-ex and had the new dog ears installed in about 15 minutes saving me a bag of money from the repair man.

Removed the agitator cap, then removed the plastic, spring loaded retaining part (needed a square head tool). Once out, the cog retainer came out, replaced all four cogs, and replaced in reverse. Easy as pie & took 10 minutes!!

Repair was simple and quick. Started by removing softener cup and removed bolt holding part that housed dogs. Removed housing and slipped of hold down clamp and replaced the 4 dogs then reversed procedure all took about 8 mins

Could be done in place, but it's easier to pull the full agitator assembly out first, and work at a table. Remove the fabric softener dispenser, then the plastic cap below (with rubber o-ring)- both pull out by hand. Reverse the now visible bolt with an extended 7/16" socket and pull the cog housing up and out, gripping with gentle pressure with pliers ( locking plastic tabs make this piece impossible to remove by hand). Once the housing is removed it's easy to separate the two halves with your fingernails and replace the cogs. I was able to reassemble everything and push it back down into the drum in about two minutes. Piece of cake- I highly recommend anyone with a tool box do this himself.

With the help of a You Tube video, which was watched first, then when the parts were delivered, the video was watched again, then we played the video back and paused it after each section was done so we could make sure we were doing the repair correct. The one thing I will mention that the video doesn't mention to do is, before taking the agitator out of the washer, put a mark somewhere on the agitator to tell you which end is the top. Just remember that the top( cap ) will be off, so that will not work. Otherwise it was a good, easy fix

basically pop off the top spindle cover, reach in and pull off the water cap from the agitator cog cover, unscrew the bolt holding the cog holder and pull the agittator assembly up and off the machine. Remove the piece holding the gogs in place and replace cogs making sure to put them back in the same direction as they came out. Turn the agitator upside down and stick the piece holding the cogs in and snap it in. Replace all components in reverse order they were removed, and there you are. Works great.

First I popped off the very top cap of the agitator. I then used a socket extension to access the mounting bolt in the interior of the agitator. Once the bolt was loose i pulled the agitator off and dropped out the middle piece. With this out i switched the 4 cogs with the old. I then held the agitator assembly upside down and placed the middle piece back in. The most difficult part was aligning the agitator back onto the bottom part. Screw it back in place and pop the top back on.

To replace the dogs that cause the ratcheting motion:

I removed the softener cup by pulling straight up. (You've probably found, as I have, that the softener cup and the bleach dispensers are problematic: the softener cup must be cleaned with every use or the old softener liquid turns to glue, and the bleach dispenser mechanism plugs and distributes bleach onto your next load, ruining entire loads of clothes.)

Then I lifted the cap covering the retaining bolt by inserting a screwdriver alongside in the square holes provided, loosening it, and lifting it out.

Then I used a socket and a very long extension to remove the retaining bolt. I lifted the agitator straight up.

The next step can be a problem: I survived it (though I did strain my back). What's required, as you can see by reading the preceding letters, is to lift sharply on the upper agitator while holding the lower agitator with your bare feet or some soft shoes. What this does, at least on my model, is to break off the tabs that are fused together over the ratcheting-dogs, which are the focus of the repair. (These tabs hold the upper and lower assemblies together, moving the dogs assembly with the lower agitator.) In my case, one of the tabs broke off a half inch below the top, but that wasn't catastrophic and I didn't lose the rest of them, so when I reassembled the two halves still snapped back together.

One problem was that when I jerked the two assemblies apart, the parts of the dogs assembly went flying. Everyone had said to make sure everything went back the same way it came apart--for me there was no way to tell what that way was, but common sense tells you which way to reinstall the new dogs; they have to catch every stroke.

To reassemble, position the dogs with the retainer cup inverted. Then hold them upside down while sliding the upper agitator down over them. This holds them in place. When sliding the upper agitator down onto the lower, make sure the slots line up and use a smooth even pressure. Snap the two halves together, bolt the agitator back into the machine, replace the cap with the large o-ring (make sure you clean and/or replace the o-ing), and reinstall the softener cup.

Et, voila! You're back in business.

First I removed the pop off cap at the top of the spiral shaped top agitator. Then reach down inside and pry off another pop off water tight cap exposing a 7/16 or 1/2 inch nut. A deep socket would probably be easiest but I didn't have one so a nut driver and luck got it unthreaded- it was pretty tight and yoiu have to hold the agitator from spinning while you unthread. Then the upper agitator asslembly lifts out and the cog assembly falls apart but it's only like 3 or four housing pieces and it only goes together one way to hold the four new cogs in place. reassemble and the machine works great again