My Kenmore washer (110.26852501) does not seem to spin all the time or maybe not all the time at full speed. It does agitate. I have to make some more observations, maybe jump the safety switch and observe the spins. The clothes are too wet sometimes, but sometimes OK after re-spinning.

Last night I de-cloaked the washer and found a drop of oil under the gear case/transmission with some more coating it. I suspect it needs a new gear case. If not for the oil, I might suspect the lid switch. I checked that anyway and I can get alternately open and closed circuit at the harness connection point.

I am far from an expert on these things. A gearbox fail might be fatal, as they appear to cost nearly $200. Since parts are available to rebuild the gear case, but I wonder if it is worth cracking the case and looking. (I have been known to successfully open machines and fix them.) It would be nice to know if there is a usual failure mode.

Dirty clothes are piling up! Thanks for reading.

Thanks. I will have a look.

Do the brakes engage only when the lid is open or do they engage normally in a cycle even with the lid closed?

Thanks for all the help so far. The motor coupling looks fine. I took out the trans. There is a lot of fine black material in the clutch shell and on top of the trans. How do I tell that the clutch lining is worn out? What are indications that the whole clutch assembly should be replaced? Before I replace the band with lining and button it back up, is there anything else that I should service or check?

How does the clutch work? Does the brake cam driver just push on the clutch band near the clutch spring cap to release it then when the motor starts and then allow the clutch to grab more as the speed of the basket catches up? The slots in the clutch “shell” have nothing to do with the engagement?

The brakes seem to have plenty of lining and disengage easily. I could not care less if the brakes actually function to stop the spin. I just want to make sure some part of that mechanism does not break and cause other problems.

I have fixed several washers with this symptom just by cleaning the clutch and brake assymbly.

Thanks. I got it fixed and did several loads last weekend.