Broken Impeller in a Whirlpool Duet Sport

Broken Impeller

• One of the primary indicators that the washer impeller is broken is if the Duet Sport is not draining water out of the tub but the drain hose is not obstructed and the inlet screen is clear. You can check this out by disconnecting the drain hose at the back of the washer and checking the hose for blockages, and then cleaning out the inlet screen at the hose connection with a small, soft-bristled brush. If there are no indicators in the hose or inlet screen that something is blocking the drainage process, the problem may be the impeller.

Impeller Location

• Unfortunately, the impeller is not entirely easy to get to. The impeller is part of the pump system and is located inside the washing machine. Accessing the pump and impeller requires taking off the washing machine top panel and removing other machine parts, which is not something you should attempt if you are not confident in your ability to properly do so and then be able to reassemble the washing machine correctly. Contact Whirlpool or another qualified service technician instead.

Taking Apart the Washer

• Disconnect the power to the Whirlpool washing machine before beginning the process of taking the washer apart and turn off the water supply valves. Use a nut driver to take off the three hex-head screws that are located on the bottom of the front access panel. Set the screws someplace safe and then slide the panel down and off the washing machine to remove the panel from the washer.

Accessing the Pump and Impeller

• Once you have removed the front access panel from the Whirlpool washing machine, set a shallow dish underneath the drain pump, which is the part next to what looks like a round dial on the right-hand side of the washing machine interior. Unscrew the dial to release the drain pump filter and let the water drain out into the pan. Lift up on the cover over the drain pump to reveal the wires inside and disconnect the wire connector at the terminal connections. Take the wires out of the clip on the left-hand side of the drain pump and lift out the drain pump. To the right of where the drain pump is usually installed is the impeller, which looks like a small fan blade. You can now inspect the impeller to see if the impeller is moving properly or if it is broken, damaged or obstructed. Clean away any obstructions or contact Whirlpool for a new impeller if the piece is damaged or broken.