Product review (3 stars): Story of an old Kenmore, born and still living in America
My 22 year old Kenmore started making a noise 5 years ago and after a few loads the noise stopped. I thought something was in the water pump and was finally ejected to the drain. The washer still worked fine. Fast forward to now. I splurged and bought a new Maytag(MHW5500F) 4.5 cu.ft. front loader,(made in the good old USA) washing machine. I can load 2 heavy king sized cotton woven blankets into the Maytag and they come out completely separated and not tangled in any way. This machine does not know what and imbalance is. What a great machine. Good job Maytag!(and I don't impress easily).  I digress. So, my Aunt's old washing machine finally flumped it's lump. I still had my 22 year old Kenmore machine stored in my garage that looked like new. Well, I finally found out what that noise was 5 years ago, when I moved it from where it sat for 22 years. There was a little 1/4" pile of rubber on the floor under the machine. The direct drive coupler was finally disintegrating. So, I bought this replacement part and installed it. The metal reinforcement in the nylon flange is a great idea in theory, but it was too tight a fit, and I had to file the metal to fit both the motor and the transmission end. I am an automotive technician with 30 years experience, and I know the difference between a tight fit and excessive effort that could damage a bearing. This is where the plain nylon flange would have been better. The nylon would flex and allow the tight, friction fit. This part of the flange doesn't fail, so, if there is a next time, I will buy one without the metal reinforcement. Otherwise the part is working well so far. My Aunt is happy with her new-old Kenmore. A time when Kenmore's were still made in the USA. (long sigh!)