:confused: I originally worked on my Kenmore washer about one month ago, thinking the brakes were sticking. I tried taking them down, shaving a bit of the brake pad off, greasing up the metal-to-metal contacts, and so on. It worked fine for a while but now it stopped again. I took the motor off and "bench tested" it. In one direction it seemed okay, but in reverse it hummed at first (as it did before I took it apart) and did not move initially. Tried again and it ran after emitting a small spark. Tried a new capacitor after reinstalling motor with negative results.

I my motor kaput?

sidfink43 - thanks, but that's the worst outcome (most expensive) I could think of :(. At this point considering the machine is 13+ years old, I feel I've gotten my money's worth and will break down and get a new one. Only hope it hangs in as long as this one did.
I appreciate all your answers - of course I've been all over the forum looking at the problems and solutions.
All the best,
Brainiac