Grey Water in Washing Machine....what could it be? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

HuskyMan · #1 08-11-2018, 12:19 PM

Sorry to post this here, I don't know where else to turn. Recently, when filling with water, the water in my older Sears Kenmore washing machine is grey at initial filling. I've checked all the faucets in the house, no grey water is coming out anywhere including the sink in the laundry room.

Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated....

Diseasel300 · #2 08-11-2018, 12:22 PM

Try filling with nothing in the basket. If it's still grey with no clothing and no detergent, it's the water or some nasty buildup in the tub. If the latter, try running a HOT wash on an empty machine with some bleach to clean out the scummy mess.

barry12345 · #3 08-11-2018, 12:35 PM

Center seal on agitator shaft may be leaking. Not uncommon.

Test for transmission lubricant. Take a pail or two of obviously clean clear water and dump it in. Run the agitator for a minute. If water discolors you have your issue. I have to clarify this by stating. I am not an appliance service guy. If what passes for a bearing down there is still in reasonable condition.

I probably would change the seal. Newer washing machines and other appliances seem to be more complicated in general and failure rates may be higher.

To change the seal look on the procedure on the net. You will probably find the service manual there as well for free if you look.

Parts for Kenmore in Canada might be hard to get as Sears closed down all operations here. On the other hand they are still alive in America. You might be able to cross refferance that seal at a bearing house as well. Or a busy service guy might have one in stock.

Sometimes the agitator gets really stuck on the shaft. Sometimes not but it has to come off if the test proves the leak is there. Wives seem to get a little rattled if you do not fix it fast. Experience has proven in our household. If any appliance has an issue. Either I fix it fast or replace it. Wives seem to appreciate this.

Now if the discolored water is actually entering the machine is another kettle of fish entirely.

Doing the repair yourself eliminates the cost or moderates it as well as the discussion. Simply because the cost of the repair is so cheap. That is should we just buy another washing machine? In that case a person should do their homework. Many today are not that reliable.

I just suspect you lost your shaft seal.

White Westinghouse purchased Maytag and shut their plant down. It was the simplest longest lasting washing machine ever produced on average. They substituted the line with their own product. This to me was an obscenity. On average you could go twenty five years with a Maytag machine. Change two belts and go another long period of time.

Their secret was simple. You paid for lack of parts and what parts they had where of decent quality. Plus well thought out. I sold a truckload a week at one time. Just had one on display with the front cover removed and a competitors machine alongside with the front removed. Explaining to customers that you are basically paying for the lack of parts. Parts break. Back then the average expected lifespan of the average automatic washing machine was about twelve years.

The wifes current white Westinghouse washing machine Is about three years old and has two faults. One is Electronic and the water control valve is suspect. I have temporarily worked around both problems. There is a slight chance both problems are being caused by the one part. That is another problem to determine. Appears to be a common problem with that model on the net research. There are just several ways of failure when it occurs. Not a specific part. The machine is not displaying a code either.

HuskyMan · #4 08-11-2018, 12:49 PM

I'm running a cycle with no clothes or detergent, notice the water is crystal clear. Seems strange to me....

Diseasel300 · #5 08-11-2018, 01:26 PM

That means the greyness is from the laundry you have loaded or the detergent you're using. If the clothes are coming out clean and there's no weird/rotting smell, I wouldn't worry about it.

dude99 · #6 08-11-2018, 01:34 PM

Detergent can cause the water to turn grey. Many washing machines now recommend running a clean cycle (some even have a setting for this). Basically with nothing in the machine, you run it on a short cycle with no detergent except for having the bleach cup filled. Let it run through its cycle. Keeps it fresh.

barry12345 · #7 08-11-2018, 02:16 PM

Just let it sit overnight with only water in it. If the seal is leaking you will see some evidence of lubricant the next morning. I never thought you were checking while the tub had a load.

Normally the soil of the laundry , detergent effect etc will change the color of the water. Tempest in a teapot type of thing hopefully.

GTStinger · #8 08-11-2018, 04:36 PM

Maybe it is grease from the transmission, but it is only exposed to the water when the tub is loaded and causes the agitator to bounce around more.

Diseasel300 · #9 08-11-2018, 05:53 PM

Unlike the Maytags or GE's of yesteryear, the direct-drive Whirlpools don't have a gearcase exposed to water. Even if the centerpost seal failed, the gearcase oil cannot get into the tub. If you had a seal failure, you'd have a puddle under the machine, not grease in the tub.

Clemson88 · #10 08-11-2018, 07:30 PM

Mine does it but I always put the detergent in the tub before the clothes. Is there any chance you hoses are giving up the linings? Try hot only then cold only to see if that makes a difference.

Now I have to go run a cycle without detergent to see if I have the same issues.

rocky raccoon · #11 08-11-2018, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HuskyMan

I'm running a cycle with no clothes or detergent, notice the water is crystal clear. Seems strange to me....

Gray water = dirty clothes. That is what the washing machine is for.

optimusprime · #12 08-12-2018, 05:42 AM

Large rubber seal is perished thats on the drum it will be grey in colour .

vwnate1 · #13 08-12-2018, 10:34 AM

Lots of good info here ! .

I miss my 1964 Maytag, a gift in 1976 when I was newly married and broke, it had a leaky water control valve, replaced it and it was good for ten years before it simply went dead and I had no idea how to test the timer or whatever was the problem ~ across my back fence was an authorized maytag parts & service place, the A-hole there was grumpy and didn't want to sell me parts for it at all ~ he complained bitterly when I'd bought belts and the water pump previously .

Anyway, what do you alls think of Speed Queen washers ? .

They're still made in America .

barry12345 · #14 08-12-2018, 11:33 AM

Things change with time. I might read the speed queen reviews and articles on the net. To get some current ideal. I do not think they were bad in the day. We had a regional distributor in town that moved a lot of them years ago.

Laundromats used a lot of them back then as well. So they had to be fairly decent at that time.

They may have stopped sales in Canada as it is a long time since I have heard the brand name. Our youngest daughter managed a decent sized appliance and furniture store for a few years. At that time she was impressed with some of the Korean brands. Again though changes occur with time.

Diseasel300 · #15 08-12-2018, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

Anyway, what do you alls think of Speed Queen washers ? .

They're still made in America .

Just because it's made in America doesn't mean it's worth the price premium. Do some reading on the web about SQ. Those that love them swear by them. Those that are objective are ambivalent towards them. Those that have been burned by their $**t warranty service and poor reliability swear AT them. The 2018 models seem to be REALLY bad, there are some Youtube videos out there that basically just show them swirling laundry in some tepid water. No thanks. For $1200 I'll buy a proper frontloader that'll actually wash my clothes!

For the meantime, I'm sticking with my '84 GE water-guzzler™ (in Harvest Wheat!). I don't care what I throw in there, it comes out spotless the first time in under half an hour. When it finally kicks the bucket I'll buy a frontloader. There's not a top-loading washer on the market that I'd touch with someone else's 50 foot pole, certainly none I'd spend my hard-earned money on.