Brand: Magic Chef
Model Number: CAV2004AWW
Main Symptom: Sometimes, not always, makes a humming noise and won’t spin in spin cycle
What happens & when:
The washer (motor) made a loud humming sound at the spin cycle, would not spin, and within a few seconds tripped the breaker on the power bar.
The sound reminded me of a ceiling fan that would not start, and the fix for that was replacing the start capacitor. As far as I’m aware this washer does not have a start capacitor and uses a centrifugal start switch.
Tests and observations:
- motor starts every time without the belt/load
- water pump turns freely by hand
- main pulley has resistance, which can be a bit inconsistent, but can be turned by hand
- when motor hums/stalls, rotating the main pulley a bit and trying again might get it to start
I know that there is something not quite right about the cams on the main pulley for the brake release: they are not pitted but they somehow stick occasionally on the high, brakes disengaged, position. I have removed and cleaned the thrust bearing, cams, pulley, shims, and regreased with Super Lube 21030 (multi-purpose, synthetic, with syncolon/PTFE, NGLI 2).
I was considering getting a replacement thrust bearing kit, but don’t want to put money into the machine if it is dead or not worth repair.
I removed the cover of the start switch on the motor and noticed the points for the first stage have some discoloration/blackening. I used a bit of sandpaper and isopropyl alcohol to clean the contact surfaces a bit. It did not seem to make a difference.
Since the main pulley is not locked up, to the extent that I can turn it by one hand in an awkward position, I wonder, is it normal for the motor to stall (i.e. lack torque at start) with such a level of resistance that can be overcome by hand?
What is likely the source of the issue? I am willing to test, but given the age of the machine I am reluctant to throw parts at it unless a diagnosis can be confirmed.
A further issue not relevant right now is that the rear left “self-leveling” foot appears to be collapsed. It just slides all the way in, while the the rear left foot stays extended, causing a severe see-saw effect until it is jostled and compensated with extreme adjustments from the front legs. The machine had a fair bit of vibration during operation despite being relatively decently leveled, but I now suspect that it may have had only 3 of 4 points of support. I would think about putting a shim externally on the foot to level manually, if the machine gets operational. However this also makes me more reluctant to spend money on the machine if multiple points are failing.
I’m trying to understand the cause of the failures so that an informed choice can me made of what to do next.
