Parts ARE available. The techs who said otherwise just don't want to work on the machine.

You did remove the front panel and run a load, or two or three, to observe the source of the leak? Can you pinpoint it better than just "saw suds pouring out onto the floor?"

The leak could originate from another location, and just be exiting from the bottom panel at the right rear, depending on how the machine is leveled.

The detergent dispenser is at the right front. Fill for the wash period and several of the rinses flows through the dispenser and showers down into a receptacle at the right front of the tub ring. If the tub is off-kilter, not centered properly, or if the load is off-balance causing excess oscillation of the tub (the basket spins at 60 RPM some of the time during fills), water can splash over the edge of the tub ring during fill (but not after filling has stopped).

The hose from the water valve to the detergent dispenser routes under the top from the left/center side around to the right rear and then to the dispenser ... but that'd be fresh water, not sudsy. Other hoses run from the water valve to the left side for the fresh water spray, softener dispenser, and bleach dispenser.

If the tub won't stay properly centered, something could have gone wrong with the suspension. It's suspended from the four corners of the cabinet by spring/struts, and there are two shocks at the front of the machine's base.

The recirculation tube and port are at the right rear, but it's contained within the tub and beneath the tub ring. Minor possibility that the tub ring seal is leaking there.

The pump is at the right rear, with a couple hoses connected to it. The pump runs almost continuously throughout the cycle, in both drain and recirculate modes, not just during the wash period ... so if it's the source, the leaking should happen more often than just during the wash period, and vary between sudsy water at the start and clear water at the end.

Thanks for the prompt reply. We only did one load. Will investigate further this weekend and report back.

Dadoes,Isn't there a "bag" on the left side(if you are facing washer) to "catch" suds in oversuds conditions? Could this be leaking and running to the right--like you said if the floor/washer is not level?
I also know with mine, with some loads when it drains the water out if it is a "little more sudsy" than it should be then suds will "blow" over the pipe and run down to the floor. This can happen and you not notice it on the wall cause I know others that have had this same problems(other washers)and they would think it was the washer when it was just the drain line might need some Drano in it.
I also wondered, I have noticed how lint will build up around the outlet of the rec. tube. I keep that pulled out but do you think enough could build up over time that it could cause the rec water to splash back and leak down the back of the tub? BUT in that case it should do it all the time. Mine just does the "flow over" with things like towels that will cause more suds and too if I used a little too much soap. Also I wonder if the owner uses HE detergent? Could the machine just need a "clean" cycle in case it has built-up detergent?
Just ideas I had but I know you know WAY more about these than me.

The overflow bag is open at the bottom, to direct an overflow down to the bottom pan and floor rather than letting it simply flood over the tub. The overflow port at side of the tub where the bag attaches is up high enough that the tub would have to be more than 3/4 full of water to reach it.

Yes, suds or backflow from the drain standpipe would be more of a household plumbing problem than a problem with the washer. That certainly is something to be checked.

Gross oversudsing could result in what looks like a water leak ... suds buildup between the basket and tub could be forced through the overflow port during spin, but that should be fairly insignificant in terms of leaking, would have to occur repeatedly to be noticeable. The OP doesn't mention anything about detergent usage, but doesn't sound like that's the problem in this case.

Lint buildup at the recirculation port is unlikely to cause a leak. I suppose some splashing could occur if the accumulation was severe, but the water flow should keep the buildup from reaching that point.

Several good ideas. Hopefully additional info will come forth to pinpoint what's happening.

We took the front and back off the washer and watched it go thru several cycles this weekend--normal and delicate--and with both cold and warm cycles. I usually use powder HE detergent, but switched to liquid HE detergent for these test cycles. Measured soap carelfully to not use too much, based on recommendations on Tide bottle.

Leak definitely does not come from plastic suds overflow bag. If you look at the back of the open machine, there is a plastic compartment under the tub that attaches to the pump hoses. It looks like a collecting well at the bottom of the tub on the right back quadrant. If you put your hand under this compartment and feel around you can feel a hose at the front of this compartment. The suds cascade out between the metal chassis the tub sits on and the front of this well that the pump hoses attatch to. The maximum suds leak is at the very end of the wash cycle. On the normal cycle it occurred with 24 minutes left on cycle.

Reference this picture, view from the back, rear access panel removed.

The tub/pump sump is an integral part of the outer tub, it's not detachable.

The sump has two separate chambers. Both chambers have an opening at the top into the tub. Hose X runs from the back chamber to the pump. Hose Y connects from the front sump chamber to the pump. Z is the drain hose, also connected to the FRONT sump chamber. B is a check-ball. There's also a check-ball in the front sump chamber (not seen in the pic).

When recirculating water during washing and rinsing, the pump pulls water from the tub through the front sump chamber (Hose Y), pumping it into the back chamber (Hose X). Positive water flow into the back chamber pushes the B check-ball upward to block the opening from the back sump chamber to the tub, and the water pumps up through the recirculation tube to shower onto the clothes.

During drain, the pump reverses, pulling water from the tub through the back sump chamber (Hose X), pumping it INTO the front sump chamber (Hose Y). Positive water flow in the front chamber pushes the check-ball there (not seen in the picture) upward to block flow into the tub, so water then flows OUT through the drain hose.

A leak at the indicated area could be from the pump hose or from the pump itself.

Or if it's actually coming from between the tub and mechanism support plate, then the main center seal of the tub may be the culprit. This is fixable, but requires major disassembly so labor costs are high unless you can DIY.

I had another technician come out yesterday--one who has more experience with this machine. He believes that the black gasket/o-ring that sits under the top of the nutator is leaking, and that is getting progressively worse. That is why previously it was leaking only sporadically but now it leaks w/ every load.

He went back to the office yesterday and they are going to call me today with the cost to repair (parts+labor).
the part that is leaking I believe to be illustrated in your post on the prior Calypso thread. Is it possible that this would leak suds during wash cycle but not leak during rinse cycle?

We need to decide whether to fish or cut bait depending on what the repair estimate is. Our machine is 7 years old and I really like the way it cleans, its capacity, and its gentleness. However, if I replace it we will go for a top loader without any fancy computer controls (and won't have a matched set w/ the dryer). We paid about $900 for the washer and won't pay anything like that again. We bought it because Consumer Reports rated it #1 for several years in a row but they didn't know the expensive and costly repairs these machines need.

Reference this diagram.

These seals are related to the wash plate and u-joint. Leaking at any of them *should not* result in water running out of the machine. The u-joint itself would be compromised, but water would still be contained inside the outer tub by main tub seal.
- #7 Gasket between the inner dome and top of the u-joint boot. Not all Calypsos have this seal, the mechanism was redesigned during production to eliminate the need for it.
- #14 These little rubber grommets seal around the six bolts (#3) that mount the wash plate to the u-joint
- #12 The number is meant to indicate the u-joint, but the arrow points to a flexible rubber boot that surrounds it. If the boot is yellow, it needs gasket #7. If the boot is black, it does not use gasket #7.
- #22 An o-ring that fits under the u-joint and atop the inner basket hub.
- #6 is not a seal, it's a locknut that secures the u-joint to the drive shaft.
On the other hand, if the outer tub main center seal #15 leaked, then water *would* run out of the tub. This seal is under the inner basket, it's not part of the u-joint assembly.

This is the main tub seal. The part is a whopping $6 or so, and the u-joint seals that should be replace any time it's disassembled run about $20. Labor to do the job would be high, unless as I said previously, you can DIY.

dadoes,
Thanks for your detailed reply. The leak was previously intermittant but now seems to occur with every load. However, it only appears to be soapy water and only seems to leak during wash cycle.

I still have not received the repair estimate from the second technician. I'm just wondering whether he was thinking about #7 gasket or #15 outer tub main center seal from your diagram. He was basing his opinion on the fact that there was also dried soap diluted soap on a little shelf underneath "z" in your previous diagram. Do you think that a problem with the outer tub main center seal #15 would only leak during soapy phase?

If the center seal leaks, it should leak throughout the cycle. Soapy water during the wash period, clear water later during the rinses.

There's no mechanical difference on what happens during the wash period as compared to what happens during the rinses. Water fills through the appropriate route (detergent dispenser [numerous times], bleach dispenser [usually twice], softener dispenser [only during the last rinse], or fresh water spray [usually a couple times]) the pump runs for recirculating and draining, the basket spins, the wash plate nutates. Anything that leaks during wash should also during rinse, unless it's one of the dispensers.

You can get a service manual here

I should add that once the soapy leak appears during a cycle, any continued leaking probably will still appear soapy until enough fresh-water leaking has occurred to dilute it.

I just received the estimate from the 2nd technician. He wants to replace main seal, u-joint kit, nut spanner, (and 12 clamps which I wanted replaced because they are rusty). Parts ($300.86) + labor ($185) = total $485.86.

Hubby is handy but is reluctant to tackle this job--says it would take him a week. He doesn't want to pay for repair because it's basically the cost (or almost) of a new washer. So, it looks like I will be shopping

dadoes, thanks for your invaluable help. I will be getting a much simpler washer this time (no electronic control board). However, I'm not excited about going back to an agitator, which is rough on clothes and takes up washload capacity.

You can get the parts online at several sources, much less than $300. 1/2" stainless steel clamps (for the dispenser hoses) can be had at any hardware store, probably for less than $1 each.

A possible glitch is if the basket hub is corroded and loosens, the basket would have to be replaced which runs about $180. However, Whirlpool has a lifetime parts warranty on it.

I wish there was some way I could get hold of the machine if you're going to toss it. :-)

Beware that even "simple" washers with rotary controls may have an electronic board for some control functions. It's difficult to 100% avoid electronics.

dadoes,
I would like to summarize this one more time, because I'm not sure tech has the correct fix. He didn't turn on machine or put it through the 90 second test cycle. In addition to the location of the leak I told him about, he noticed evidence of dried diluted soap powder on the left front bracket. However, in continuing to look at the washer I have seen no evidence of recent leak there--just same dried powder.

I have looked at link for manual and cannot figure out source of leak. I ran 90 second test and no leak. On delicate cycle (36 min) soapy water leaks from 30-33 min remaining, stops, leaks again at 27 min remaining. It appears that leak stops after that although there are small drips of clear water after that.

As far as location of leak, if you take birds-eye view of washer from above and divide washer into quarters, the leak occurs in the right rear quadrant. We put a foil pan under the middle back of the washer and it gets about 1 cup of water per load. It also leaks a little above the hole at the right side of the washer floor. If you look at your diagram from Feb 22, it appears to leak from above the hose at "y" which connects the pump assembly to the tub plastic tub, going towards the right direction. I can see foamy soap flowing over this hose?

Any further ideas? Thanks again.

Yes, another idea brought to my attention by a friend who read this thread. This source isn't at the right rear which is why I hadn't considered it ... and it wouldn't be soapy water, although the soap residue could be picked up from elsewhere as the leak flows onward and out.

Just to be clear, are you referring to the right-rear quadrant when viewing from front of the machine, or back?

It could be the bleach dispenser, either the hoses to/from the dispenser or the delivery nozzle. The dispenser flushes twice, at the times in the cycle you are indicating your leak occurs. Doesn't matter if you use bleach or not, the dispenser always flushes. The first is near end of the wash period. A small flow of water goes into the dispenser to "prime" the hoses for siphoning, then it empties into the tub through a nozzle at the LEFT REAR (when viewing from the front) near the overflow port. Bleach flush occurs again as part of fill for the next rinse that follows. A dribble/leak from the nozzle could "stick" to the tub and flow around under it, emerging from somewhere other than the left side.

This happened on one of my machines, a leak at the delivery nozzle. You can check by removing the back panel. Feel around the tub toward that side, past the water level pressure hose that comes down from the console, and past the overflow bag. The bleach nozzle is up toward top of the tub with a small hose attached. If anything feels wet, dry it as thoroughly as you can. Run a Quick cycle, watching for when the bleach dispenser flushes at end of the wash period. You'll notice that nutation stops. There's a fill of ~17 seconds through the detergent dispenser, then to the bleach dispenser for ~3 seconds. Reach around the tub again toward the nozzle and feel if there's any leaking, and watch if any dripping occurs at the location where you've seen the leak appear. There'll be a period of nutation, drain, then the dispenser should flush again.

If the leak is from the hoses beneath the top, that's a little harder to observe directly, as the top can't be raised while the machine is running or water will flood from the dispensers when they flush. There are three hoses and several clamps involved in the bleach dispenser with a "venturi" valve at the midst -- hose from water valve to venturi, venturi to bleach, venturi to nozzle. You mentioned that the hose clamps are rusted ...

The nozzle removes by rotating and coming out of the keyed-slot opening. There's a sort of foam gasket on the face of it. The nozzle/seal was redesigned during production, can't say if you have the new or original style. Unfortunately, a replacement is expensive and includes the attached hose ... so best route is find something alternate as a seal. I cut a gasket from a thin foam sheet I had, and added an o-ring. The o-ring must be thin enough so the nozzle will reattach but thick enough to seal, and large enough diameter to encompass the keyed slot but not so large to slip from around the nozzle. After I did the deed, I noticed that the little foam packing rings that are atop a spool of blank DVDs or CDs are just about the right size, and compressible for sealing. Since the o-ring was working, I didn't disassemble it again to try the the foam ring, but kept the idea in mind for possible later use.

Another possibility has been brought to my attention.

Reference the picture of inside of the tub, and below. The recirculation tube inside the tub presses onto the port down at the right side of the sump, then a rubber tab at top of the tube anchors into a slot near top of the tub. If the tab for whatever reason gets loosened from the slot, there would be a leak through the slot. This IS on the right rear quadrant.

Raise the machine's top, check for leaking and/or presence of the tab in the slot. The recirculation tube is accessed by removing the the tub ring, unsnap it all the way around. The fresh water inlet hose would need to be detached to take the tub ring completely off, but you can move it aside with the hose attached for access to the recirculation tube. Check that the recirculation tube is properly anchored in the slot. If the rubber tab or the seal flange around it is torn, the tube would need to be replaced. It's a little expensive for what it is ($33 for one I bought 2 years ago), but much less than all those other parts. It removes by loosening the tab then pulling the tube up off the sump port.

We will check this out this weekend. You may be onto something. Thursday hubby detached bleach dispenser hose where it attached to tub because he had noticed some wetness there. He let it dry for 24 hours, attached plumbers goop where foam was deteriorated (the discs from dvds were too thin and he couldn't make them thinner. We were hopeful fix would work, but with normal load last night night we had leaking. The leaking seems to be getting worse.

Today I did a load with "rinse and spin" cycle only--no soap. With about 14 minutes left I saw water pouring not only into our collecting pan but also from higher up at the right side of tub and down the right rear support bracket. Will investigate this new theory.

As always, thanks for your help.

dadoes,
We now think that the main tub seal (#15) is leaking. I know the part is $6 and we have to replace u-joint gasket for $20. Is the repair difficult? What do we need to do? Do we also need to replace u-joint when we replace gasket?

Also, with a few load we have found small pieces of metal in the steel drum when we remove washed clothes. Do you know where these are coming from? Thanks.

See my reply above dated Fri Feb 27, 20:11 for a link to download the service manual. It'll give you an outline of the procedure.

The u-joint would not need to be replaced unless it also has leaked and been damaged/corroded, which can be observed during disassembly. The u-joint seals, however, are to be replaced any time it's disassembled. This consists of six rubber grommets on the bolts that mount the wash plate, and a large o-ring that fits on the basket hub under the u-joint. A seal kit is available, approx $20.

You'll need a spanner wrench to handle the spanner nut atop the u-joint in order to remove the u-joint and basket for access to the outer tub and center seal. The lowest price I found on checking a few sites is this one:
Universal Spanner Wrench

A potential snag is if the basket hub has corroded and loosens from the basket when hammering on the spanner nut to loosen OR tighten it. I had this happen. The hub loosened during reassembly, which I didn't know had happened until I ran a spin and the machine vibrated violently due to the off-balance. The hub, u-joint and drive shaft turned when I tried to disassemble again, so I had to cut the spanner nut. The hub is not replaceable separately so the entire stainless steel inner basket would have to be replaced, which isn't cheap. Whirlpool has a lifetime limited warranty on it (meaning they provide the part, but not labor to replace it), but depends on if they'd send one to you for DIY.

NOTE that the outer TUB has a 10-year limited warranty against cracking or "failure to contain water" ... BUT this likely doesn't include the center seal since it's a separate piece.

In consideration of all this .. and depending on your husband's dedication to DIY ... you'll have to make a decision on whether to proceed or get a new washer.

Oh, the metal bits. Can't say much without seeing them. Could be from rusted dispenser hose clamps, depends on if it was rusty bits or not.

I too bought a Calyso in 2002 based on CR recomendation, capacity and HE. When the lawsuit letter came, I threw it away because I wasn't yet having problems. I read the manual, watched the video, used the correct detergent, etc. It's now less that 7 years later and I am replacing it. We have had numerous problems and many service calls, most out of warrenty. Sometimes the clothes would come out with brown or black marks that they did not go in with. I definely do not want another plate agitator, even if they are new and improved. I really don't want another agitator but the FL issues bother me. My old Maytags worked fine, but I traded them for larger capacity, etc. Last year the Calyso needed a new pump ($300), this year it is the u-joint and plate (400+). I've had enough, but not sure what to do next. Good Luck.

I'm the son of laballet (who brought me in to take a look). I think I've found where the leak is coming from. It seems to originate near the center of the tub. The water is running down the black metal plate that is under the tub, and so most of it is ending up at the back right corner (looking from the front). I took a couple of pictures to show better.

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Both images are looking from the front of the washer towards the back, about 8-10 inches off the ground. The first is a zoomed out view to give you an idea of what the second is showing. The leak is originating not from the black seal surrounding the shaft, but from just outside the plastic ring that extends down from the tub (as shown in the closer picture).

To test this, I tried filling the tub with water (with no load and the machine unplugged). The water rose past the sump resevoir and started to fill the basin. Once the basin was about 2 inches full, water (no suds of course) started to leak from this area pretty quickly.

I'm not sure if there is another seal outside of that plastic ring, or if it is just the tub (which might indicate that the tub is leaking).

Let me know if that's not clear.

There is only the one center seal, reference picture above showing inside of the tub. It's possible, but unusual, that the tub is cracked near the seal causing the leak at elsewhere than the seal itself. If so, that should be covered by the 10-year tub warranty. Whether the seal is included under warranty terms as integral to the tub's function in "holding water" is not clear. Remember that the tub warranty during 2nd through 10th year is only for parts, not labor to install it. Check your warranty copy to confirm it states the same terms. Replacing the tub is a big job, can you DIY?

sue15c,
If my son and husband do not fix it, I will probably get Kenmore 700 washer (also made by Whirlpool). I do not want to pay big bucks and have a complicated machine that is prone to problems. However, I do want something gentle and with large capacity. I want as few computer contolled switches as possible since both boards needed to be replaced with my Calypso (under warranty). As much as the new Cabrio seems tempting, I will not go there again. The reason I like the Kenmore is that, in addition to other switches, it has a knob to specify how dirty the lad is in addition to water temperature and load size.

dadoes,
if I get rid of the machine you are welcome to it. What state are you in? In looking at my son's picture in detail, perhaps it is the center gasket that is leaking because I see what residue from soapy water there. The amount of the leak is related to the size of the load. With a small load there is little leakage. If I replace center gasket, do I need to replace ujoint and seal around it? It's difficult to tell from repair manual.

I'm in Texas, Houston/Victoria area. As detailed earlier in the discussion, the u-joint does not need replacement unless it is damaged from leaking of its seals or a puncture/crack of the flexible rubber boot that surrounds it. See previous replies above for further detail.

dadoes,
My son wants to open up the machine and fix it, but my husband doesn't want to spend the time to do it.He's worried that once he opens it he will need to replace more than he thinks and that it will be expensive and complicated. He's also worried that in 6 months something else may fail and he doesn't want to put any more $/effort into the machine.

You are welcome to the machine/components if you want them. I live in Florida.
Do you know anything about the Kenmore 700 (model #2972 aka #29722)?

Thanks for the offer, but FL is a bit much of a road-trip. If you're going to otherwise toss the machine, maybe the son can have a go at it to see what's what.

Kenmore's 700 is a typical Whirlpool-built direct-drive (meaning no belt), transmission-agitator machine. They've been producing that design for 25 years. If the picture is accurate, it has the new triple-spray fill flume. The soil level selector modifies the wash time (and possibly water temp) accordingly. Lower soil level gets less wash time (and possibly lower temp) for the same cycle setting than does a higher soil level.

He may do that. If not, do you want any of the parts--computer boards or anything?

Do you have a link to tech service manual for the Kenmore 700? Thanks.

Parts ... possibly. Always good to have some spare parts on-hand! You can contact me to discuss arrangements off-board through the email function on my GardenWeb registration page.

This is a basic service manual for direct-drive/transmission machines.
L-55

This is a wiring diagram with a few operational notes on the Kenmore 700.
29727

I found that I have a small leak coming from the overflow bag during spin / drain. Model is 110-22062102. After a bunch of online research, I concluded that this was caused by a faulty pump. I replaced the pump with the new style motor/pump combo and replaced all the spring style clamps with SS worm gear clamps up on the top end. Got it all back together and still had the exact same issue. Also verified there were no bra wires in the water tank messing with the ball float. Only thing I could see was a penny in the bottom, but it didn't seem to hinder the ball.

Not sure what to do next. Original Calypso was replaced under warranty in approx. 2004. This 2nd unit hasn't had any problems until now. Wife doesn't care much for it, so I don't want to invest too much $$ in this one.

Any help out there?

There's no connection whatsoever between the pump and the overflow bag. What led you to believe the pump was at fault?

What detergent are you using? Oversudsing can cause some seepage into the bag. If suds builds up enough between the inner basket and outer tub such that some is forced into the overflow port during spin, the suds will "condense" into a small amount of water.

We use HE detergent always. I have it connected in my garage temporarily and have run 4 empty loads with water only and no soap. Always same water from overflow bag. I don't see any indication that there is any sudsing issue.

Ok....repair guy came out and after a phone conversation with someone "in the know" detremined that Whirlppol makes a deflector. He indicated there is some incidental slahing that finds its way to overflow tube. I'm partly considering blocking it off completely. Overflow water goes down to the floor either way. However, I did order the $5 deflector, so I'll see what it looks like.

Received the deflector today that is supposed to keep water from splashing into the overflow tube. It is essentially a little piece of plastic about 1.25" x 1.75" with a hole on one end. I'm not quite sure how this is supposed to help. I fabricated a SS cover to close off the overflow tube instead. I'll take my chances with that. So far I'm pleased with that solution.