How To Use An Agitator Repair Kit for Your Washing Machine (With Video!)

Is your laundry day in a spin due to a troublesome washer agitator? Don’t let worn-out parts derail your wash cycle any longer! Discover how to swiftly tackle agitator issues with our step-by-step guide and accompanying video, ensuring your machine is up and running in no time.

Your washer is full of small parts all working in unison to clean your clothes. It seems almost silly that one damaged seal or plastic component could disrupt your laundry day so completely, but those tiny components do a lot of work, and a broken bit can cause big problems. Take the agitator, for instance. It contains a number of small plastic parts with teeth, tabs, and seals that will all wear down with extended use. These little parts are vital to ensuring your agitator stays balanced and turns properly. So, when one of them goes bad, it can disrupt your entire wash cycle.

Check out these signs of damaged agitator components:

• If your agitator isn’t spinning or seems to be skipping during the wash cycle, it’s likely that the agitator dogs, small toothed plastic pieces, have worn down or the cam, which holds the dogs, is damaged
• An excessive ratcheting or scratching noise during the wash cycle could be caused by damaged agitator dogs.
• Does the agitator spin too freely, or is it easy to move in a clockwise motion by hand? Then the agitator dogs likely need to be replaced.
• If the washer seems unbalanced or noisy – you may hear a clicking or ticking noise when it’s in use – and the agitator spins slowly, you likely need to replace the thrust washer, which acts as a bearing between the upper and lower parts of the agitator.

If you’re experiencing any of these problems, the good news is you can take care of them in just a few minutes with an agitator repair kit.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to replace several small components found in your washing machine’s agitator, including the cam assembly, the dust cap seal, and the thrust washer. Don’t forget to check out our how-to video, too, for a visual guide to disassembling your washer’s agitator and installing each part!

Let’s start with picking out the right kit.

Need an agitator repair kit for your washing machine? Search below using your specific washer model number to identify the exact part needed:

Finding The Right Parts

As with all appliance repairs, you’ll want to start with your appliance’s model number. You can get that in the manual, or, if you don’t have the manual, from a label somewhere on your washer. Check behind the washer door, either along the wall of the front panel or on the door itself, for a sticker that lists this information. You may also find the washer’s model number behind the kickplate or front access panel. Got the model number? Good. The next thing you need to know is what cam size your appliance has. A cam is a plastic shaft that secures the agitator and holds four agitator dogs — those are the pieces that help the agitator to turn during a wash cycle. Cams come in three sizes: short, medium, and long.The easiest option, though, is to get your washer’s model number and type it into our search bar at AppliancePartsPros.com. You’ll be provided with a list of compatible parts and kits right away.

Kit or individual parts?

Agitator repair kits generally come with everything you need to fix the internal components in your washer’s agitator: four agitator dogs, a cam, a spacer for the cam, a dust cap seal, a thrust washer, and a cam bolt. You can also buy these parts individually if you know you only need to replace one of them, but you may prefer to replace everything in one go if you aren’t sure.

How To Repair A Washer Agitator

For this tutorial, we repaired a top-loading direct drive Whirlpool washer that used a medium cam. If you have a top-loading direct drive washer from a different brand, like Kenmore or Roper, even if you needed a shorter or longer cam, you should still be able to use this guide to fix your appliance. If you notice that some of the steps aren’t lining up exactly, consult your appliance manual for diagrams to track down where a component is or how it is removed.

If you are experiencing issues with a front-loading washer or a washer that has a pulsator in place of an agitator, you can check out our YouTube channel and blog for other, more relevant guides!

Tools for the Job

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A compatible agitator repair kit or the individual parts you’ll need
• Phillips and flathead screwdrivers
• 7/16” socket
• Ratchet and 10” extension
• Agitator grease, if replacing the thrust washer. Order some with your kit if you don’t have any handy
• Work gloves

Repairing A Washer Agitator

1. Be sure to disconnect the washer from its power source before starting, either at the wall outlet or circuit breaker. You’ll be working in the washer tub, so make sure that is drained and dry, too.
2. Assemble the cam. You’ll need to insert each of the agitator dogs – the four small comma-shaped pieces – into the cam, which is the clear plastic shaft. The agitator dogs should be angled with the curve of the cam. Put the spacer on the cam and press down on the spacer until it snaps in to ensure everything is secure.
3. Open up the washer, and remove the fabric softener dispenser cap on the agitator. You should be able to remove this easily by hand. If the fabric softener dispenser isn’t coming free, it’s likely held in place by a lock ring. Pull up on that to release the dispenser. On some models, there is a cap beneath the dispenser, or there is no dispenser and just a cap. You can pry this off with a flathead screwdriver.
4. Remove the dust cap. You’ll find this flat plastic piece in the agitator shaft. It protects the hardware inside the agitator from damage caused by detergent. If your washer is missing a dust cap but should have one, you should buy a replacement. When you remove the dust cap, be sure to check the rubber seal on it. If the seal appears damaged, you can replace it with the seal you got in the agitator repair kit.
5. Loosen the bolt holding the agitator in place until it is free of all threads. Use a 7/16” socket with a ratchet and extension. You will likely need to hold the lower part of the agitator steady while you do this, as it will want to turn.
6. Lift the agitator out of the washer. You can leave the bolt inside the agitator for now.
7. Separate the agitator into two pieces. Set the agitator on the ground, standing upright. Stand on the agitator’s base to brace it. Pull up on the upper half of the agitator to dislodge it and separate the two halves.
8. Remove the old cam assembly and bolt from the upper half of the agitator. This should be as simple as tipping the upper agitator upside down and catching the contents as they fall out.
9. Change out the thrust washer on the lower half of the agitator. You can move the lower half of the agitator to a higher, more easily accessible surface for this step. The thrust washer is a plastic ring that is flared on one side. You should be able to remove the old one by hand and then set the new one in place. Apply a small amount of grease to the top of the thrust washer once it’s in place and then set the lower. These parts are prone to wearing out and cracking or losing the prongs along the top of the ring. Even if your old thrust washer looks to be in mostly good shape, you’ll save yourself from having to repeat this process soon by replacing it with the new thrust washer in your repair kit now. Once you’re done, move the lower agitator back down to the floor.
10. Back to the upper half of the agitator, drop the new cam into the agitator shaft. Guide it in as best you can to make sure it is seated properly.
11. Time to put the two halves of the agitator back together. Lower the upper half onto the lower half, making sure the cam’s locking tabs are properly lined up with the lower half of the agitator. Once they are, use your hand to press the cam into place, locking the two halves together. Your instructions may say to cut the locking tabs out of the cam. In our video tutorial, we instead make sure that the tabs are properly seated and locked into place on our agitator because that is how the washer’s original cam was installed. Test to make sure that the upper half of the agitator is able to turn before moving onto the next step.
12. Put the agitator back into the washer and reinstall the bolt using the same socket, ratchet and extension as before. You will need to use your hand to guide the bolt into its seat, and you will probably need to steady the lower agitator as you tighten the bolt. If you removed the tabs from your cam, you will need to put the agitator back in two pieces. First, seat the lower half of the agitator, then lower the upper agitator into place. Once you’ve seated both parts, you can reinstall the bolt.
13. Reinstall the dust cap by sliding it into place. Don’t forget to replace the seal – that’s the black band around it – if it looks damaged. To make installing this part a little easier, you can apply a drop of liquid detergent around the seal to lubricate it. Otherwise, the seal may flip up or fold.
14. Reinstall the cap and/or the fabric dispenser on top of the agitator.

Wrapping Up

Your final step is making sure your install was successful. Restore power to your appliance and take it for a test spin without any laundry. If the agitator is spinning properly, you’re all done and get back to laundry day!

If you need any replacement parts for your appliances, you can enter your model number at AppliancePartsPros.com to locate and order them quickly. Most orders arrive in just two business days, and we have tons of great information in our repair help section and YouTube videos to help you troubleshoot.

Stay connected with the latest DIY tips, tutorial videos, and repair guides by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We love hearing about your repair stories and successes. If you need more help or want personalized guidance, feel free to contact or call us at 877-477-7278. We’re ready to help you take on your next project with confidence!

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