Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - Whirlpool washer won't work

Our 11-12 yr. old Whirlpool top load washer will fill with water but won't agitate or drain. I can hear the motor hum but nothing else. It is belt driven and the belt appears to be in good shape. We tend to abuse it with large loads and wonder if we've burnt it out! The lid switch appears to be working.

Pleae give model # so we can see what machine you have. If it's belt driven it's at least 20 years old, Usually not worth fixing.

It be nice maybe if you tried to see if the motor is turning anything, or just sitting there doing nothing but humming. Observe the shaft, not just the pulleys and belts.

Did it make it fine through your last cycle from beginning to end?, and now it started doing this at the start of a fresh load?, or did it act up between cycles? Did it drain out the last time you used it?, or did you find water sitting in it then, because it could not drain?

Model# LA5700XMW0. Nothing is moving. It made it through the previous load fine. It came with the house in 1998, so I am not sure of it's true age. No problems other than the wigwags.

Ahhh, the wig waggy thingies. For a while a number of years ago, I seemed to be working on these fairly frequently. Testing power to solenoids, and just plain getting down there and trying to free up a wig wag that somehow just jammed, and trying to figure out why. And hoping I did not pinch my fingers from the yanking I'd be doing.

I'm not sure how to coach you on this. Maybe pugsl or ? can shed specific light.

All I know is I was able to fix my problems, in every case, by just observing, fiddling with these, tripping shift levers, and replacing a solenoid if necessary. I'd have to actually see one of these contraptions again. I remember going from those dinosauer contraptions to say a newer Amana or similar that had no belt, direct drive, and I was mystified how something that simple could both agitate, drain and spin, with almost no visible parts - like there was no parts compared with the wig wag type Whirlpool. And I remember saying to myself "THAT'S more LIKE it!"

I sense that the writing is on the wall. No wonder the repairman was so appalled three years ago. If it would at least drain I would have some hope.

The reason I said that usually not worth repair is that model has a medal tub and I almost always find that the tub is rusted to where it leaks or is about to leak and tub is NLA. There is a repair kit but have never used it. If you want to check the wig wags ues ohm meter and see if you have conitunity in each solenoid.and that you are getting power to them.