Whirlpool 285805 Inlet Valve for Clothes Washer

My 1999 Whirlpool top loading washer was no longer filling with cold water. I did a little research, and it appeared that the inlet valve was the problem. I got a repair estimate of $200, and I wasn't going to pay that to fix an 18-year-old clothes washer. I had never repaired an appliance, but after watching some videos, I figured I'd give it try. The washer already didn't work, so what was the worst possible outcome? Received the valve and tackled the project. I installed the valve rather easily, then cleaned the machine thoroughly. The hardest part was putting the washer frame back into place since the metal had a tendency to twist. Finally got it seated, plugged in the electricity and water, and voila! Works great! So excited and proud that I accomplished this repair by myself! And I got a great price on this part!

I liked that it was only $15 and it is a genuine Whirlpool part. I gambled and bought this instead of the Whirlpool 8578341 that was the original part. That one was about $70 and had some kind of bimetal thermistor , I think it automatically adjusts the water temperature if the incoming water is too cold to help with detergent dissolving better. The Whirlpool 8578341 had a third electrical connection instead of two . I just taped the third wire connector off and set my wash for warm water in the winter months or if the water just feels really cold . It fit right in where the old one went and so far it appears to be working fine. I'm not sure if the bimetal thermistor worked that well anyway. It seems as if the detergent is dissolving better now. I seem to be getting a more sudsy wash than when I just ran the cold cycle.

Functions as intended. Fits like a glove. Much cheaper than repair man markup. Still working perfectly several months after install.

Even though it lists as "fit," it wasn't. The mounting holes were on the wrong side and I had to drill new mount holes and add a spacer to make it fit. I'm glad this is an older washer because I would not want to be the next person replacing this. They will not speak kindly of me. In the end, it took about an hour to fix and it worked. Saved a lot of money rather than calling a plumber. Good luck!

Quick and easy!

Waterflow into the washer was getting slower and slower. I tried cleaning the valves. Things got better but not good enough. When I saw the price of this valve, I knew that it would be worth replacing the valve. Boy, was I right! The washing machine fills ever so quickly. I guess you forget how a washer is supposed to work after 19 years. The part is easy to remove the old valve with a screw driver and a wrench. Unplug the machine, unscrew the hoses. Open the control panel, pop off the two clips. Unscrew the valves and slide off the hose from the outlet of the valve. To put the new valve on, I needed to put the plate provided with the valve to replace the old plate which did not fit the new valve. To get the plate in position, I had to tap the valve with a hammer so that it could be screwed to the plate (the new screw is included). Reverse the removal procedures and start doing laundry again. Our washer filled in about 2 minutes. It was taking almost an hour.

Bought this as a replacement for a bad valve in an old Whirlpool washer. Couldn't find one in local appliance parts store. Actually, couldn't find a local appliance parts store anywhere near my son's house. A store very far away wanted 36 bucks, an on line store wanted for [...] bucks + shipping. I checked Amazon. Wow, this was really a deal! Con: Valve didn't have instructions (appliance parts never do) but had a separate mounting plate, which needed a #6 x 1/2" or 3/4" sheet-metal screw to attach (not supplied). KEEP THE OLD VALVE AS A GUIDE! I am sure the other parts stores supply the identical item, also less screw. Tips: Whirlpool's site had a "Repair Part List" that included diagrams of our machine. I googled our machine model number with the words Whirlpool replace inlet valve and got a hit on "Replacing Water Inlet Valve on Kenmore & Whirlpool washers" witten by JSROCK516 (Thanks!) on: [...] This gave me detailed instructions on testing (which I had already done) and opening up the machine, which differed significantly from other Whirlpools/Kenmores I had worked on in the past. Very happy with Pandora, even though they only offer USPS mail. Placed order late Monday, arrived in Saturday mail. Installed Sunday, washer works fine. Easy repair, cost [...] bucks, including shipping and screw.

I replaced the one on my 20 year old Kenmore Model 80 that was starting to get a little flakey - sometimes the cold water wouldn't open up without flicking it to hot, then warm, then cold. This is almost identical in size, but required a little metal plate to be installed to mount correctly - which it comes with, along with a screw to secure the plate. Don't worry, the plate slides under the outlets and locks in place, only the one screw is needed. After that, a direct bolt in, and I was shocked at how much more water came out of every setting - my old one had a bunch of sediment on the screens, and maybe some more inside the valve. I'd recommend you replace your hoses at the same time - chances are if this valve failed you haven't touched your hoses, either, and older rubber ones will scare you when you take them off - they feel really...weak. At least replace the washers. 20 years of compression sort of invites leaks when you try to reuse them.