Can I Repair My Sears Kenmore Large Appliance?

Easy DIY Links That Can Help You Diagnose a Problem

My old Sears Kenmore washing machine conked out on me the other day, and couldn't have happened at a worse time. Broken appliances are never good for a budget since those service calls and special parts to be ordered can be quite costly. However, as expensive as those parts are, nothing is worse than paying for a service call only to discover that the appliance really isn't worth fixing.

Before spending $85 or more for a service call, it's always a good idea to do a little homework on your own first. Research can help you determine the age of your appliance, what might be the problem, the cost of the replacement part, and if the machine is even worth fixing at all.

Preventative Maintenance check list

The Sears appliance department posts preventative maintenance checklists on-line for many of their large appliances. If you bought a used appliance or can't find your old manual, this link to the Sears Repair Service Department is a great place to start.

The checklists won't help you fix your appliance, but will help you identify some of the more common appliance problems. Not all appliance problems are simple ones, and for the ones that are a little trickier to diagnosis, it will be necessary to refer to a repair manual.

Repair manuals

For myself, I usually refer to my Reader's Digest Fix-it-yourself manual which is an illustrated all purpose guide for fixing things around the house. The schematics are generic but close enough to help me determine what might be broken and how the repair must be made. These and other appliance repair manuals are readily available at the public library. However, for those who'd rather not leave their homes, a great on-line appliance repair resource can be found at Appliance 411. This on-line do-it-yourself site contains manuals for all brands of appliances along with easy step by step instructions for making a repair.

It's by looking at these repair instructions that a do-it-yourselfer can determine what parts are needed and if it's something that can be fixed on your own.

Sears Part list