I need some help troubleshooting my washer. Two days ago, after the full cycle had finished, the clothes were still very wet. I ran the spin cycle again and made sure the balance was ok, which it was. I observed the spin cycle and it was spinning very slowly and still did not dry the clothes.
Yesterday, I tried to wash another load and mid cycle (during agitation) the washer completely shut down and started to smell like something was burning. I looked at the belt, which appeared to be quite worn and had small bits of rubber lying around. I started up the washer again on spin cycle and the motor turned on, but neither the tub nor the agitator moved. The drain pump did appear to work as the last little bit of water which I couldn’t bail out, came out of the drain hose. I flipped the washer over and removed the belt. I tried manually turning the agitator and tub, but could not move them. I obviously need to replace the belt, but does this sound like something else is wrong also, perhaps the thrust bearing assembly?
Remove the belt and check the drive pulley movement. Turning the pulley clockwise should oscillate the agitator and turning counterclockwise will release the brake for spinning action. If the pulley does not turn, replace the transmission.
I checked the drive pulley movement. It turns easily by hand and rotates the agitator in opposite directions when I turn it clockwise and counterclockwise. It didn’t rotate the drum in either direction. Does that help at all or is there anything else I should check?
Is there a chance that all I need to do is replace the belt and I’m just overcomplicating things by thinking something else is broken? I have had this washer for over 7 years. I have a belt on order which should be here today, but I was hesitant to put it on without first determining if there was an additional problem. Any thoughts?
Ok, I will try replacing the belt and hope that solves it.
I also ordered the thrust bearing pulley assembly, just in case. I guess I will try to inspect the thrust bearing while I replace the belt. I am guessing I will be able to see visible wear on the two ramped features if that has worn down.
I disassembled the thrust bearing assembly and everything looked fine. Just to be sure, I installed the new thrust bearing assembly and it behaved exactly the same. When rotated in either direction, it just turns the agitator. If I understand correctly, when turned counterclockwise, the thrust bearing should cam upwards and disengage the brake, allowing the basket to spin, but for some reason, this isn’t happening.