Although the homeowner will probably never do a major teardown of a washer gearcase, it is worthwhile to understand its function. The gear train of the automatic washer consists of a sector gear, connecting rod or possibly the rack and pinion gear type. In this type drive, the pinion gear drives a larger main - drive gear. A connecting rod is attached to both ends of the main - drive gear and the sector gear, which pivots on a stud through an approximate 180 - degree arc. A more common type is the sector gear. This gear meshes with the agitator gear to accomplish the washer oscillation. Read the rest of this entry »
A final condition that could cause weak pump-out is a loose drive belt that doesn’t rotate the water pump. A sure and quick check that involves no hand tools is to turn the timer knob to a cycle where there is a motor function such as spin or agitate. With the timer dial on spin cycle, the washer should begin to spin the clothes. If you hear the sound of the motor running, but the washer tub is not moving or attempting to spin the clothes, then it can be assumed that the washer drive belt is slipping on the drive motor pulley or the belt is broken. Read the rest of this entry »
The drive motor start and run windings can be checked with a volt/ohmmeter. Set the volt! ohmmeter on the RX-1 scale and place one probe on the white lead of the drive motor terminal block, the remaining probe is placed on the blue lead of the drive motor terminal block. The volt/ohmmeter should show continuity (or approximately four ohms resistance) if the motor winding is good. No continuity would suggest an open or burned-out winding. If the drive motor has a humming sound when the motor tries to start, the start switch must be checked. Read the rest of this entry »
An obvious failure symptom is when you select a drying cycle and attempt to start the dryer, but it does not run. To find the cause of the problem, move the dryer out from its position and unplug the power cord.
If line voltage is indicated on the volt/- ohmmeter, check the dryer power cord as possible cause of the problem.
To avoid any incorrect readings when using the volt/ohmmeter, always “zero” the ohmmeter before making continuity checks on components. Read the rest of this entry »
Specific failure symptoms include: 1) The clothes dryer is running longer than normal. 2) The clothes are extremely damp at the end of the drying cycle.
Although the problem could be that the automatic washer is not spinning your clothes properly, in most cases the problem is inadequate air movement in the dryer.
Before blaming the dryer, you should check the automatic washer. At the end of the spin cycle, open the washer lid and check to see if there is excess water left in the washer basket. Read the rest of this entry »
Specific problems include: 1) The clothes dryer has excessive noise while running. 2) The clothes dryer stops in cycle. 3) The clothes are extremely damp when removed from the dryer drum at end of cycle.
All of the above symptoms are related to mechanical problems which develop from years of use.
Check the clothes dryer drum belt for excessive play or a stretched condition. A drum belt that is excessively stretched will cause the idler pulley to bang against the drum, resulting in excessive noise. In order to restore the dryer to proper operating order, you will have to replace the drive belt. Read the rest of this entry »
The brush roll is supported on bearings at each end so the barrel rotates freely. Types of bearings, barrels and brushes differ from model to model as well as between manufacturers. Some manufacturers supply individual parts for the brush roll, such as brush strips, bearings and barrel; others supply only complete assemblies. The brush roll on some models may have removable brush strips, whereas others may be a solid brush roll of wood or plastic with fixed brushes. A small selection is shown here to highlight the differences. Read the rest of this entry »
