The checked Kenmore Elite top-load family lists OE with slow or absent draining. Use the actual water state and model before following a front-access filter procedure or buying a pump.
Keep retained water contained
Record whether water is visibly left in the tub and whether the cycle stopped before spin. Do not open a hose, pump or filter connection into retained water. Water may be hot; keep away from wet electrical connections and stop if water is escaping.
Make an external routing observation
Look only at accessible drain-hose routing for an obvious bend or pinch. Do not pull a heavy washer forward alone or disconnect the hose to investigate a hidden blockage. Describe the installation if the problem began after a move or plumbing change.
Distinguish a delayed drain from an empty tub
If water eventually leaves, record how the result differed from the original failure. If the tub looks empty but OE returns, preserve that observation for diagnosis. Neither state alone identifies a pump, sensor or control as faulty.
Do not assume there is a front filter
A guide for an LG or Kenmore front loader may describe a small front service panel. This page’s checked source is a top-loading family and does not establish that access arrangement. Ask for a model-matched drain-path finding and exact fitment before authorizing a replacement.
What the checked manual establishes
Printed page 33 associates OE with slow or absent draining in the 796.3151#21# family.
Source scope: Kenmore Elite top-loading family 796.3151#21#, where # denotes color. The checked document is MFL67221339. Other Kenmore families and exact replacement-part fitment require separate verification.
Source and applicability
Kenmore Elite Top-Loading Automatic Washer Use & Care Guide MFL67221339. Cover; printed p33. Reviewed October 16, 2026. The retrieved PDF has incomplete/reordered pagination; the cited cover and pages were visually checked. No front-load applicability is asserted.