Product review (5 stars): This will probably fix your machine - learn from my misfortune!
I bought a Whirlpool WTW4800 washer in mid-2011. Me and a roommate used for for about a year and it's been just me using it since. It hasn't had nearly the amount of use as one in a larger household, but it still broke down on me just past year three. I'm pretty disappointed in Whirlpool, given that they're the biggest name in appliances and this is a fairly simple and non-"high tech" unit.

I knew my washer had an issue when it started to hang up before the spin cycle. It would fill up and agitate, then sit for over an hour before deciding to pump out all the water and leave me with soaking clothes. After a few weeks of doing that, it would fill with water then drain before even performing the agitating wash cycle.

I had looked up the "technical manual" for the machine and was a little intimidated, although hindsight is that I could have done it myself. I paid over $100 for the repair tech to tell me I had a few spin cycle error codes, and he tightened the belt and left. He said he had this part on the truck for $55 (a pretty good sign that this is a common Whirlpool issue), but I declined.

I ordered this item from Amazon, and installed it myself in about 10 minutes. There are videos online that show you exactly how to do it. You have to remove the two 5/16 hex head bolts from the belt cover, and then replace this actuator using two Phillips head screws (unplug the cable from the old one and plug it into the new one). The most demanding part is that you have to use the washer's controls to enter the diagnostic mode, then use the dial to select the "calibration" mode. Once you do that, the machine works for about 5 minutes and you're all set.