washing machine

Washing Machine – It May Be Just A Bad Belt

We were getting frustrated with our wash machine, it would work fine sometimes and others it would make some really wild noises. It would wash and agitate normally for about the first ten minutes into wash cycle and then all of a sudden it would start to squeal and shake rapidly as though it was somehow attached to a paint shaker.

It was like that throughout the rest of the cycle.  During the spin cycle it would shake a lot until the drum inside started spinning and the water drained out, as more and more water was drained the drum would spin faster and smoother.

We were almost going to chuck the machine and get a new one when I decided to look it over and see if there was anything binding up the pulleys or something loose.  First I disconnected the power supply and water supply, then I carefully flipped the washing machine on it's side I noticed that the belt that went from the motor to the transmission was almost frayed in two.  It had hardly anything left to give it traction.  I took what remained of the belt off and went to our local appliance parts store and got a new one.  The same belt can most likely be purchased at an auto parts store if you can get it to match up with something in stock, but if you have an appliance store close by it would be best just to go there for a new belt.

Once the new belt was installed The washing machine worked just like it did when it was new.  The new belt cost seven dollars,  a new wash machine would have cost a whole lot more and it would have been a waste since there was nothing really wrong with the one we have, other than a $17 belt.