My washer will only spin when the load is very small. But if add more clothes once it is spinning it seems to do ok. It definitely won’t start spinning by itself though with more than about 1/4 of a load. If the load is too big I don’t think it agitates either. Any ideas? Clutch, coupler, drive block? THanks.
No coupler or clutch on this type washer. Open the front panel and check to see if belt is slipping. Whats going on when it won’t spin? Motor pulley rotating? What about belt and main drive pulley?
Eric
Thanks for the reply. I will take off the front panel and see what is going on. Are the main drive pulley and motor pulley two different parts? If the pulley isn’t moving when it won’t spin then what do you think that means?
Also, it doesn’t always start spinning by itself. There can be nothing in the tub and when I press on the lid switch you hear a thump and it spins about 1 inch and stops. Sometimes if you manually start spinning it by hand it will eventually pick up and spin on it’s own. Any help would be appreciated.
Please click one of the Quick Reply icons in the posts above to activate Quick Reply.
Hello? Does anyone have an update on what I should try? When it agitates I see the pulley belt moving, but when it tries to spin I hear a clunk, the tub moves just a little and then nothing. I think the motor is still running because I hear the humming. Since there is no clutch or coupler on this model how do I tell if it is the transmission or pulley or something else?
With washer off, observe the bottom of the transmission while you rotate the motor pulley CW (viewed from below). You should see the cam dogs rotate towards the brake hub dogs and a gap should open up between the cam and brake hub. This should release the brake and start rotating the transmission and basket. If you don’t see relative motion between the cam and brake hub, the cam is not working. If you do see motion but the transmission and basket will not rotate, you may have clothing caught between the tubs.
Eric
that picture is exactly what I have. When I rotate the pulley, the cam dog does get closer to the hub dog and the hub dog rotates but looks like only because the cam dog comes in contact with it. After rotation the cam dog separates from the hum dog again. The clunk sound I hear when the cam and hub dog meet is the same sound I hear when the washer tries to spin. When it goes in spin cycle you hear a clunk, the basket moves just a bit and then nothing else. I think that clunk is the cam and hub dog hitting each other.
Does this tell you anything? Thank you
also, the tub and transmission spin when I rotate the pulley manually. I think what is happening is when the washer tries to spin the two dogs are hitting each other and then nothing happens, that is the clunk I hear. When I rotate by hand the cam dog is contacting the hub dog and therefore moving it due to the forced contact.
Does this mean the transmission is good?
I think you may have something binding the transmission or the basket. Normally, when you rotate the motor pulley by hand, the transmission and basket should start rotating without the cam dogs and brake hub dogs even meeting each other. It’s usually not possible to make them meet when rotating by hand. It is normal for them to meet, and make the clunk sound, when driven by the motor. Here’s the way it works. There are six tapered grooves in the top of the cam and the same in the bottom of the brake hub. There are six balls in these grooves. The balls are in the deep end of the grooves and the two hubs are against one another. The brake is holding the brake hub and in spin when the cam starts rotating, the balls roll to the shallow end of the grooves and push up on the brake hub releasing the brake. This causes the gap to open between the cam and brake hub and you can actually see part of the balls in there. If when you rotate the motor pulley by hand and the transmission doesn’t start rotating until the dogs meet, something is binding up. Could be clothing between the tubs, the tub bearing seizing up or the lower transmission bearing is seizing up. If the tub has leaked at all, the water will go right into the lower bearing and cause it to rust and seize. At this point, I would take voltage measurements at the motor connector when spin mode starts to make sure you don’t have a voltage drop problem. If that is ok, I would probably swap the capacitor to make sure that isn’t the problem as it gives the motor it’s starting torque as well as helping the motor along while it’s running. If these are ok, it’s time to take the washer apart.
Eric
I took another look and the tub does start to move a bit before the dogs
meet but the dogs definitely are meeting, then when I release the pulley they separate. At this point I’m not sure if I can do the rest you are talking about. I have to decide if I am going to have someone look at it.
Do you think the transmission is fine but maybe it is just a bearing? There is a local repair shop that charges $45 for diagnosis and then parts plus a little more labor if needed. I don’t mind taking it in if it may be something minor, but not for the transmission. Your thoughts? Thanks for your help.
I can’t really say about the transmission. If it’s the lower bearing binding up, that is part of the transmission and is not a normal replacement item. You would have to replace the transmission if that bearing is faulty. As I said, If I was working on it, I would rule out any problem with the motor not being up to the task and go from there. The $45 diagnosis charge is not bad so see what they say and then decide. Let us know what you find out. I will say, that if the washer is in good shape otherwise, not rusting out or anything, it may be worth it to fix. I have a similar GE model that is older than yours. Last year, I had to replace the motor and transmission. Of course, it was parts at a discount only but I refuse to buy the junk washers they are selling nowadays. The only decent new toploader that I would recommend is one of the Speed Queen models and they run around $800.
Eric
is there any chance it can be the lid switch? I just want to rule that out for sure. When I manually press it the tub moves just an inch and you hear the clunk, that is it.
Not likely. The motor runs so the switch is closing. If the contacts are in very bad shape though, it could cause a voltage drop at the motor. Another reason for checking voltages at the motor. You could make a suitable jumper to jump it out to rule it out as a problem.
Eric