3LWTW4705FW0 Whirlpool Washer - Instructions

This product comes in a bottle with a brush like Liquid Paper. It goes on incredibly easy. A second coat might be needed. I wanted to prevent rust from setting in so I covered the scratches and dings. The paint is a little brighter since my washer is 10 years old but it still looks great.

Replaced the 4 suspension rods/springs. Only disconnect and replace one at a time. The tub will fall out if you disconnect and replace more than one rod/spring at a time.

This was a learning experience but it appears to have worked out in the end. Our 3 1/2 year old washer was not agitating much and I attributed that to a loose bolt. I would tighten the bolt and it would work ok for a load or two and then stop agitating. I would find that the bolt was loose again. I took a number of steps to try to get the bolt to stay on tight - threadlock, a new bolt, more threadlock, and applying progressively more force on the bolt, with no better results. Yet the repair guys on you tube were saying the bolt only needs to be snug, not super tight - something was amiss. I even went so far as to secure the basket with a rope so I could use two hands on the socket wrench (please don't do this). But when I tried the washer again there was no agitation at all! I observed the agitation output in manual test mode and the bolt was turning in lock step with the shaft but the agitator wasn't turning at all. That's when I suspected that the problem was actually a worn lower agitator. Trouble was that now I couldn't seem to get the bolt off. Turning the wrench caused the shaft itself to rotate so I couldn't loosen the bolt from the shaft. I thought I broke the washer. Then I considered that maybe the shaft was rotating because the washer was in an agitation mode when I turned it off. I went back into manual test mode, made the washer spin, then turned it off. Fortunately, this worked. The shaft was again stationary and, albeit with great difficulty, I got the bolt off.

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.

Followed youtube video. The repair was easy and fast.

slipped the new drain hose on and with locking plyers slipped the wire clap in place after three trys

Everything worked perfectly---thanks to the suggestion of your call center agent. She suggested that since the replacement door handles were no longer available, I should consider repainting them--it worked like a charm. Please tell her she was a life saver. We rent that house in Fl and my returning tenants had complained about the discoloring refer handles. Thank you

I was able to look up the issue on Youtube and watched a few videos and was able to complete the repair with help of my daughter. It was little hard to do but you do need gloves with a good grip when taking the rods out of the washer, but putting the new ones in was very easy.

Once I replaced the suspension rods, there was a little shaking but not like before. Very quiet now, no crazy loud banging

Youtube has videos. It's very simple just replace one at a time.

The installation was very easy and took me 45 minutes to complete by myself. I put the washer on two cinder blocks and then removed the lid. I started with the suspension rods that were closest to me and they were really easy to exchange. When I got to the rods in the back they were a little more difficult because there was more tension with the new rods installed. I used the old rods to hook and pull the new rods into place and it was overall very easy.

Watched video from partselect and it was on the money. Removed a few screws and tilted the lid. (after unplugging). Pulled it out from wall and tilted machine to have access to bottom. Had grandson reach from underneath and pull the rods out and inserted the new ones. Work great now. My wife is happy and I saved about $600 because I didn't have to buy a new one.

Nothing to it. Just remember to put the insert in the knob, NOT on the selector stem. Line up the flat part of the insert with the flat part of the stem and push the knob in place.

Don NOT ram it on the selector stem. When it's seated, don't push any more. That's all there is to it. It works. If the pointer on the knob indicates the selector is lined up correctly, but it isn't, the problem is the selector, not the knob.

I watched the PartsSelect video. I was hoping for the tub with the slots in the tub mounts, but mine didn't have them, so I had to lay it down on its back. The only thing I did that was not in the video was I placed a 2" thick closed cell foam knee pad I had on hand between the tub and the back of the housing. When I laid it down, the tub was elevated by 2". This made reaching the two rear rods a little easy. It seems that there would be a more robust way to achieve the dampening affect, but I guess this is cost effective.

It's strange that I searched for my issue several times and only saw recommendations to level the washer. It was level. Then one day I ran across the suspension rod resolution. It didn't do it on every load, but after a year of my wife nagging me and threatening to get a new washer, I finally fixed it. The biggest issue is just logistics in a condo hallway and a little leaking water. I also replaced my hoses. Should be in good shape until the next thing.....

Removed the old hoses and screwed on the new hoses.

My fault completely! I shut a valve off to a spicket that I have in my garage due to a Nebraska winter. The problem turned out to be that my washer was receiving its cold water from the line that I shut off. So it was an expensive lesson to learn after replacing the switch harness and the latch. Water was turned off Ding Dong!

Removed old one (2 screws) slid in place and screwed in.