[GaryK]

OK, I know that my washer is 19 years old, but if I can fix it for less than a third of what a new washer (albeit the new ones may be better and more efficient), than I figure it is worth it (unless someone more experienced can make an argument otherwise).

The last couple of times it was used, I noticed a slight electrical burning odor. I could not tell where it was emanating from, but I figured the motor was the place to start. I took off the cabinet and tested the starter switch and the motor as the repair manual indicated. Everything tested fine until I checked for shorts to the motor case. There my ohm meter gave readings in the magnitude of about 8 MILLION ohms between the case a few of the wires from the motor. New motor, right? But then I went back and tested again and got no reading. So what does this tell me? Do I need a new motor or not?

Second question - I removed the agitator and the tub to clean out all the stuff that accumulates over time and found that the porcelain in the center tube of the tub has chipped and the underlyinf metal has rusted a bit. No holes rusted through and the metal is still thick and strong as best I can tell. Do I need to replace the tub with a new one or is this "normal" and will last many more years? If I don't need to replace the tub, should I try to seal the bare spots with epoxy or is that not necessary?

Thank you for any assistance you can offer.

Gary

[GaryK]

I forgot to mention - I used a can of compressed air to blow some of the dirt and dust out of the motor housing.

[richappy]

I would check the motor current in agitate and spin, if the current is over 10 amps in spin, you have dragging brake shoes that may burn out the motor. Also, I would pull the cover off the timer and check for burnt contacts. Also, pull the motor and check for bad bearings.

[GaryK]

Thank you.
Do I have to dismantle the motor to check the bearings? Also, How would I go about checking the current draw as you mention? Could you give me detailed instructions? I have a high quality meter, but I am a bit of a neophyte when it comes to electrical things (I am much better at mechanical items).

Thanks again.

Gary

[richappy]

If there is any lateral play in the bearings, you need a new motor. They sell digital meters with amprobe at Lowe's.

[GaryK]

Thanks for the response.
Are you referring to the clamp on ammeters?

Originally Posted by richappy

If there is any lateral play in the bearings, you need a new motor. They sell digital meters with amprobe at Lowe's.

[richappy]

Yes, they are not that expensive at Lowe's. You just clamp it around a wire to measure the current.

[GaryK]

Thanks. Sears has one for $33. Lowes has one for $70.

Can I measure the draw on the wire that plugs in the wall? I know that will pick up the amperage of the entire machine, but that is essentially the motor.

Thanks for all your help.

[GaryK]

I re-assembled everything and measured the current dram at the wire that plugs in the wall and found that on agitation the machine has a total draw of about 7.75 amps. On spin it varies from 9 to 10.75 amps (the 10.75 is near the beginning of the spin cycle and after a couple of minutes it settles down to a little more than 9 amps.

How does that compare to the way it is supposed to be?

[richappy]

Sounds normal to me. You might want to test at low speed and different cycles.
If you have dragging brake shoes, the spin current will be 10 or more amps. I would do the test I suggested, turn the tranny coupler to check for dragging brakes.