Recently we were smelling a sewerage smell from time to time when we did the laundry. I called the landlord to let him know and he sent over someone who told my wife that many times, this can be caused by items stuck in the filter of the washer not allowing water to drain.

He removed the panel on the bottom front and was apparently rather rough with the drum while getting to some filter that is in that area. He found some loose change and said that was the problem. After he left, the washer no longer worked.

My wife ran a cycle of laundry, the machine filled with water and then did nothing. It did not agitate and by turning the timer, she was able to get the washer to drain. She checked the drum and you can't turn it by hand. The motor sounds like it's trying to go though.

I called the landlord back and he sent the same guy back who said what we smelled must be the motor burning out and that it's just coincidence it no longer works.

Is this a case of maybe the drum being off a track or something? How can I check that? Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

more news from the war on washers. moving the drum back and forth from the front finally got the thing back on track. it now spins freely. i tried spin cycles though and it only spins slowly maybe 3-5 revs per second or so. BUT i dont have water or anything in the washer. i broke a hose in the process and need to buy a new one, so cant run a cycle with water. i dont know if theres something that makes it spin slower if there is no water or load in it. or perhaps its still broken.