Whirlpool WP8577374 Seal-Shaft OEM Part

We initially thought the issue was the gasket at the base of the tub, but that ended up being okay. We replaced it just in case. In order to even get the agitator off, we had to drill through the agitator bolt. The thing had completely rusted through. inside that basket drive rod we could see that the seals were in poor shape, and the liquid sprayed at the top of the shaft was getting through. We assume this was how the water was getting dirty. We replaced both shaft seals (which meant also replacing the oil in the transmission), the upper transmission shaft seal, the tub gasket (just in case), and the agitator bolt we had to drill through. I recommend buying several of the shaft seals and upper transmission shaft seals- the fit is tight and they're very easy to damage. Double-check the shaft before you try to put them in too- our shaft had some damage and the gouges inside the shaft were keeping the seals from seating properly. We were able to use a razor blade to scrap it clean enough to go in.

It was fairly difficult, but I watched and followed the Appliance PartsPros video and was able to get it done using the parts I purchased from APP. The leak has stopped (but I'm still watching after 5 loads).

After some research, I found its a good idea to change the transmission oil. So I did and along with that, I replaced seals and tub gasket.

Since most new washing machines get terrible reviews, we decided to basically rebuild our existing one. The transmission was leaking oil onto the floor, sometimes the machine would smell hot. Otherwise it was still working fine. Since I was to have it all apart, I decided to also change the clutch, brake and water pump. I was also able to thoroughly clean the inner and outer drums since they were quite gross with old soap scum and God knows what. Removing the outer cabinet was the trick to making the job much easier. The how to videos are great and are an absolute must for anyone who wants to try fixing it themselves. I was impressed with how quickly the parts arrived. I ordered the parts on a Thursday evening and received the parts two days later on Saturday! The machine is much quieter now and is working great. Hopefully we will get many more years of service from this machine.