Calypso Washer Repair

[Eric Johnson]

Predictably, after about 3 years of service, our Whirlpool Calypso washing machine quit working. Specifically, it quit pumping all of the water out of the tub after the end of the load.

My wife's suggestions were both unacceptable to me: 1.) Buy a new washer and drier; 2.) Call a repair man.

I'm thinking "I know this appliance is a well-documented piece of junk, but I'm not paying some moron $100 to come and tell me that it's a well-documented piece of junk and that I need a new washer."

I'm also thinking: "It's either the pump or the belt."

Once I figured out that the only way to access these parts is through the bottom (the manual was absolutely no help whatsoever), I was able to determine that both the pump and the belt were in good working order. The two dimes and three pennies sitting in the reservoir at the near the pump outlet, however, could be the culprit. They were either clogging up the inlet or getting into the pump and jamming the rubber impeller.

The coins are gone and the washer works fine. Not only did I fix it for free, but I made 23 cents on the deal.

I'm wondering what a service call would have involved. Probably a new pump and/or a new belt, plus the labor. Probably more than the washer is worth.

 

[titan]

Good job Eric-and thanks for the info...you may have just saved many folks a future service call.FWIW.....you made yourself a Canadian quarter

 

[BrotherBart]

That is absurd that 23 cents could stop a high dollar appliance like that. Call the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Call the FTC. Call Nancy Pelosi. Demand that a Maytag exec come to your house and personally apologize. Better yet, demand that he brings a CFM stove dealer with him. After all it could have been a stove that malfunctioned. And it could have been made by CFM.

Well, if you had a stove that is. But it's possible so talk to your lawyer.

 

[velvetfoot]

When they delivered out washer and dryer last year, I noticed that they have error codes, just like a car!

 

[wg_bent]

Well good job Eric. That's the first of probably 500 things that can go wrong with that washer. I thought the same as you did with mine. I had an error code that said "Communication error". I'm thinking..Communication error, christ!! What the H##L is it communicating with? turned out the motor controller board was attemping to "talk" to the master control board, and a fuse had popped on the motor board. o.k.... get out the soldering iron, remove the non-replacable fuse, find a replacement fuse 30 miles away, solder in a replacable fuse socket, new fuse... reassemble.... poof fuse blows instantly. CRAP

(oh and this was like the 5th time I had "fixed" other problems with the piece of S**T in the space of like 6 months)

It was at that point that I found all the law suite info on that machine by searching the internet, printed it out, took it to Sears and got 700.00 towards a new machine. I can happily hear the sound of my bomb proof Matag as I sit here writing this.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I think there's a Maytag set in my future.

$700--not bad, Warren. This is the first problem I've had with this machine, but I'm not at all impressed with the design or construction. Mostly just cheap hangers and sheet metal screws. The suspension system is interesting, though. And I kind of like how everything mechanical is accessible through the bottom plate.

Most of the error codes referenced in the manual say "Call for Service," so they're about as much help as the ones on most cars. You'd think the manual would include (at least) a cutaway diagram of the machine and the location of all the vital parts. But noooooooooooooo!

 

[MrGriz]

Good work Eric! I wouldn't spend a single dime on that machine. We bought one five years ago when we moved to this house; we're now happily well into our second year with the Maytag that replaced the calypso piece of $h!t.

I wasn't going to pay for a service call either and started digging into mine when it quit. It was so clogged with some type of sludge made up of un-dissolved detergent, fabric softener and lint that just about every passage was blocked. Cleaned it up as best I could, slapped it back together and called the Maytag man.

Good luck...

 

[wg_bent]

Eric, look on the inside of the sheet metal after you remove the top. I found a whole service manual taped to mine with all the error codes and circuit diagrams.

McGriz- Hmm, Osburn insert, Calypso washer ditched for a Maytag... I 'm thinking you and I are actually the same guy living in parallel universes. (WI just has got to be in a different universe than NY)

 

[TMonter]

I'm surprised there isn't a rough inlet strainer to the pump. I know my frigidaire has a inlet strainer that will catch particles larger than about 3/8".

 

[Jay H]

This is what you get when you try to launder money... Serves Eric right. < GRIN >

Jay

 

[Eric Johnson]

You wouldn't think that anything that large would be able to get anywhere near the pump, but they did. No strainer, either.

Hey Warren--I'm originally from Wisconsin. Coincidence? I don't think so!

 

[MrGriz]

Eric, look on the inside of the sheet metal after you remove the top. I found a whole service manual taped to mine with all the error codes and circuit diagrams.

McGriz- Hmm, Osburn insert, Calypso washer ditched for a Maytag... I 'm thinking you and I are actually the same guy living in parallel universes. (WI just has got to be in a different universe than NY)

Hmmmmm... :-/ There are days I swear that some of the people around here may just be from anohter planet (present company included).

 

[begreen]

Way to go Eric. Don't ya just love it when the fix is easy. And I'll bet you're your wife's big hero right about now.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I think she's got her heart set on a new washer and dryer, but the EKO 60 is somewhat higher on the budget priority list, so I'm counting on luck and a modicum of farmboy mechanical sense to buy some time.