How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP3953640 / 280187 Washer Drain Pump Assembly

I first removed then catch on the pump housing and found it was full of a collection of 13 year old solidified detergent and other junk (including 5 coins incrusted in the junk). I then cleaned the trap and replaced it back in the pump housing. I ran the washer several times and still got the error 2 out of 3 times. I then ordered the replacement pump from Appliance Parts Pros. The pump arrived in 2 days. Yeah! I had previously watched the video on how to replace the washer pump. Unplug the washer and shut off the water. Remove the bottom cover by unscrewing the 3- T-20 screws. Flip up the power connector cover and remove the power connector. At this point, get a towel and place it close to the hoses connection before you remove the first hose. Use channel lock pliers to remove the hose clamps on the pump. Expect a rush of water out of the first hose you remove from the pump. I found a shorter handle channel lock pliers worked better to get in position to remove the hose clamps. My pump had a #2 philips head screw in the front of the base holding it in the washer. Removing it I was able to remove the old pump. I had to use the smaller rubber bushings on the back of the pump to fit my washer. On the front of the pump, I had to remove the bushing an use the grommet and brass bushing. I was then able to install the new pump. Make sure the bushings on the back of the pump are correctly inserted in the holes in the washer. Reinstall the hoses, the power connector and then the bottom cover and you are done. Congratulations. I did a tear down of the old pump. The impeller was partially worn away and would wobble and jam on the pump housing. Definitely a bad pump. 

I have a Kenmore front loading washing machine (model 110.42822201). Using the great information I found on Appliancepartspro.com, I confirmed that I needed a new pump assembly. I ordered a new pump from the site. I then found a possible cause for the pump failure was a high build up of nasty "gunk" in the drain hoses. While waiting for the ordered pump to arrive, I removed the black rubber drain bellows containing the ball check valve going to the inlet of the pump, the drain hose going from the output of the pump to the plastic elbow going to the discharge outlet on the back of the washer, and finally the black discharge hose outside of the washing machine to carry the waste water to the sewer. Using a three foot length of small chain with an old rag wired to one end, I managed to feed it through several times to clean all the nasty "gunk" out of the drain hoses. The check ball was really coated in a big blob of nasty slime. No wonder the pump failed trying to push water out of the hoses. The pump arrived earlier than scheduled. Additional rubber parts were included for my model and installation was easy after viewing the pump installation video conviently posted on the Appliancepartspros.com site. The washer worked perfectly after I reinstalled the hoses and both top and lower bottom front panels I removed for the repair. I think I should be good for another 10 years of washing. I am a very pleased customer with the technical advice posted here, the do itself videos, and the availability of parts for my appliance. My wife has now done about 15 loads of laundry since the repair and no issues with SUD or "F" error codes. 

Whirlpool Duet Washer quit spinning, was getting the suds alarm, then the F2 fault code. Called the neighborhood appliance fix-it guy. He looked at it for a minute or so and decided we needed to spend $1200 on a new washing machine, said the motor was going out, and they were really expensive. Kinda got the same story on the ice dispenser on our refrigerator a few years back, which is how I found Appliance Parts Pro to begin with. Repaired that one for under a $100. Not long after, the Samsung Authorized Repairman wanted $250 for an oven element + service call + labor and told us it was going to take 10+ days to get it. Was the week before Thanksgiving, not an option! Repaired that one for under $150 w/shipping, and had it up and running 8 days faster than the factory service rep figured he could get the part. Therefore I told the wife not to go rushing out buying a new washer until I looked at it. I had hoped to avoid the learning curve, but it was not to be, again. After going through a whole lot more than necessary to diagnose the problem, I determined the machine was NOT DRAINING, motor the local appliance repair retard was hearing, was the stuck drain pump motor. If you want to verify, pull the cover on the trap, front of the drain pump, and drain the water out of the machine. Everything works great up until it's supposed to drain the washer and spin, and it can't, if it's the pump, then it quits and starts throwing fault codes again. I got my pump, watched the DIY Video, simpler and easier than I expected. Have the optional drawers under our machines, used an aluminum turkey roasting pan to drain the pump in. If you pop it loose, there is just enough hose to get to the front edge of the machine. My machine had a wiring harness stretched across the front of the machine, in front of the pump, elected to squeeze the little tabs on the backside of the clips that hold it, pop it loose, and get it out of my way. Honestly took longer to drain the pump, than it did to take the machine apart and remove the pump. That part was almost scary. The hose on the back end of the pump is a bit of a pain as noted above. Was almost ready to go to the barn in search of a hose clamp, when in it popped in place. The other hose was simple and easy. Can't say enough good about Appliance Parts Pro. Always a pleasure doing business with these guys. Never had a problem with parts, always promptly shipped, and the videos always make the repair so simple it boggles the mind. Job took maybe 15 minutes, needed a plier, and I used metric socket on my cordless 1/4" impact. 

Washer stopped mid-cycle. When I attempted to resume, there was a continuous clicking noise. I couldn't cancel the cycle after restarting it, and had to unplug the washer. At first I thought the belt that turns the basket had broken or slipped off, and that the clicking was a loose belt slapping around. I learned how to activate the diagnostic cycle, and everything seemed to work (including the basket spinning). So I started a load of clothes, and the failure repeated as before. Info online suggested the problem might be that it was failing to drain. I cleaned out external drain hose, but it was clear. I cleaned out the debris filter just before the drain pump. A couple items were in there, but not enough to explain the problem. I concluded the pump itself had failed. I found a video on Appliance Parts Pros' YouTube channel showing how to replace the drain pump motor on a similar but newer model. There were a lot of steps just to get access to the motor. At first, I didn't have much success finding specific information for my model. I couldn't even access my washer's model number because it's on a tag behind the door, and the washer refused to unlock the door since it was unable to drain. The model number shown in my manual didn't seem to match anything online. (Sears-Kenmore Elite HE3 front loading washer model 110.461970205515.) To clean out the drain pump filter, I had removed a panel from the front. So I could see the drain pump assembly (confirming that mine was much easier to access than the ones in the newer models I'd seen in the repair videos). Using a camera with a flash, I was able to capture the part number stamped on the pump assembly. That was almost an exact match for the one on the APP website. Based on the photos, it was clearly the same part. The product page led me to the correct repair video. I ordered the part. It arrived quickly (even though I'd chosen the standard shipping). The instruction sheet was missing, but the customer service folks sent me a PDF right away. It turns out I didn't actually need it because the APP video was comprehensive. Taking my time, I replaced it in about an hour. I just needed a Torx screwdriver and a pair of pliers to squeeze the hose clamps. I had a small LED working that helped me see what I was doing. I tested with the diagnostic program (which exercises all the main functions in just a few minutes). Right now, the clothes that had been locked inside for several days are being washed again. This was totally worth doing. Even if we decide to replace the washer in the near future, I like having the time to shop around rather than buy something just because we need it now. 

The first time the washing machine did this it was due to having pieces of fabric caught up in the pump impeller, they had worked past the plastic screen. I simply removed the fabric and it worked fine. 6 monthes goes by and it started not draining again. I removed the pump motor and impeller to dicover that it was clean, however the impeller had worn so that it was not being driven by the motor. I suspect the impeller was damaged due to the previous WORKOUT it got from being fouled with fabric. I got online, found appliancepartspros.com and ordered the new assembly. very easy to install. I opted to buy the whole assembly rather than just the motor / impeller because it was discribed as being an improved part, glad I did. I was a very simple part swap out. 

Replaced exactly as the AppliancePartsPros.com showed on their video. It went perfect. Although this was the second pump I placed in 3 years. 

Repairing the problem was the easy part. Diagnosing the problem took a little more time. To diagnose the problem, it took longer because I first cleaned the Drain Pump trap from all the material it collected. Socks, hair pins, and other materials that were not cleaned from pants pockets. It then still did not drain. Repeated the process after finding more materials and a toy that punctured the hose between the tub and the drain pump. Running the drain and spin cycle takes about 11 minutes. Water cleanup also takes some time. Work was fairly easy. The tools needed was a star nut driver, and some pliers to remove the hose clamps. The bit to open the hose clamps were positioned where it was awkward to position the pliers to remove. Replacing the hoses was done easiest with the pump removed except for the hose connecting to the tub. That went on fairly easy, except my slip nose pliers kept opening up to the larger setting. So I had my wife close the pliers while I positioned the teeth on the hose clamp teeth and held the joint of the pliers to not slip. With the extra hand it went smooth. After receiving the parts to replace, the job only took 15 to 20 minutes to connect the hoses and replace the cover. 

Replaced the pump which was very easy (and you can find instructions on line )and still had the same problem code f02 and sud the upon further investigation i found the water pressure switch and found a small diameter rubber hose and blew through the hose and found it was plugged after clearing the hose out the washer worked fine 

Prior to ordering parts I had pulled the pump strainer basket and cleaned it out. There was both soft and hard scale build up. The tub-to-pump hose was also pretty crusty/slimey. Still got warnings for SUDS and repeated F02 errors. Ordered parts and replaced the pump, tub-to-pump hose, interior drain hose and exterior drain hose (both hoses has some slime build up). The water standing in the tub when I emptied it the first time had very little suds but we kept getting the SUDS warning. It's not clear how this is determined, but it looks like the pressure switch is involved. Suspected the pressure switch and/or sense line hose may be fouled so I replaced those as well. Replacement was pretty easy - GM/Ford should take lessons from Whirlpool on building things so they're easy to maintain! Your video on the pump replacement was spot on - it really was as easy as you said it was. Parts were delivered on the original order promise date and they were in good shape. The washer is back up and running again. 

Previous owner thought the washer was beyond repair and when he explained the symptoms i did some research and guessed that drain pump was dying or having combined issues due to clog or something blocking. Looked up the parts and ordered them before taking anything apart because as the washer was used and had a slight smell figured if its that far apart might as well go for the while line. The original Tub Drain Tube (Black with ball in it) was clogged with gunk to the point it was not moving as freely as it should, as well as there was string bound up in the pump/motor compartment. My guess is that the pump was over worked on the first load and would not work properly or as efficiently for additional consecutive loads. I did have some concern because when i ordered replacement part per the "Kenmore Part Number" the Recommended replacement does not have a Ball (anti-syphon), and well with my current drain configuration my house would flood before my washer does anyways. Also the numerous reports of this part clogging and causing more drain issue than preventing problems so I opted to continue with the Non Ball Version of this part. Put everything back together and it works like New. This project could be done well with the 30 - 60 min time frame but it took me longer just because i took the time to throughly scrub, clean and