[Roj]

We have a Speed Queen Ultra Wash HD Washer (extra-large capacity drum) that's about 15 years old. Never been an issue with it until now. The motor/pump/belt tensioner assembly is identical to an Amana LWA50AW. Here's the parts diagram:

Replacement parts for AMANA LWA50AW | AppliancePartsPros.com

The first thing that happened with it was that it was in the middle of a large load and it wouldn't pump the water out after the wash. It would try and then there would be a loud clunk and it would stop. We tried rebalancing the load a couple times with no change of results so we took the machine apart so we could have a look inside to see what's wrong with it. When I got inside it I couldn't see anything that was out of the ordinary. If I pulled on the drive belt everything rotated easily, The brake released, the agitator spun the motor and pump moved smoothly and easily. I noticed the belt looked old and needed replacement so I went to a place that sold belts for electric motors and got a replacement belt. The only problem was that the belt for my machine is supposed to be 32.5" and all I could get was a 32" or a 33" so I took the 32".

I've installed it and because it's a little shorter I was unable to have the tensioner pulley on the outside of the belt where it's supposed to be so I basically eliminated the tensioner altogether. It seems fine that way with the shorter belt. The belt is reasonably tight around both pulleys but not overly tight so as to put a lot of stress on the motor or agitator bearings.

The machine now seems to run fine through the wash cycle. When it comes time to pump the water out ahead of the rinse cycle it starts spooling up the revs for about 3-4 seconds and then you hear a click and the motor shuts off. Sometimes it even blows a breaker. A few minutes later it comes back on and tries to spool up for pumping the water out 3-4 seconds in it cuts out again. I felt the motor after several several failed attempts and the motor was quite hot.

If take out the clothes and bail out the water to where there's only a few inches at the bottom I can get it to spool up and pump all the water out. If I then put in the wet clothes I can get it to spin them for a whole spin cycle. That tells me the pump is fine so I'm thinking the motor has lost some of it's mojo and is having problems operating under heavy load when there's a full load of water and clothes in there. I'm thinking maybe it needs new brushes or something. Am I on the right track here ?

Could this problem have anything to do with the way I've got the belt setup now ? I'm thinking likely not because the belt is snug but still loose enough you can pinch it in a quarter inch or so and when I pull the belt everything including the motor turns easily so I don't think the belt tension is putting too much load on the bearings, etc.

Any advise/insights here would be much appreciated. I don't want to go getting a new motor or having the existing one overhauled if I don't have to.

Thanks.