Kenmore Belt Drive Trouble

[lordkenmore]

I have been having problems recently with the Kenmore belt drive I use. It is having trouble going into spin. At these times, the motor seems to be running, but the belt does not move.

I had this problem a few months ago. The belt turned out to be loose, and the problem went away when the belt was tightened. That is, it went away until now.

It could, I suppose, be simply need of a new belt. However, I wondering if something else is possibly wrong to cause this belt to decline from working OK a month ago to marginal now. I noticed that when it "sticks" moving the belt by hand (with the machine off, of course) is hard. Move it a bit, and then suddenly there's a slight cracking click, and it moves more easily. Is this normal--stiffness a functioning belt can handle? Or is this a sign of bigger troubles?

 

[supremewhirlpol]

I just wonder if you have something in the pump. Check the belt for splits, missing pieces, tension, etc. How long has it been since the belt has been changed?

 

[duet83]

I would have to agree about the pump, based on what your describing. If there is something stuck in the pump, it would have to be like a lint accumulation or a button, or calcium deposits that have come loose. I've seen it. Even a nail that somehow doesn't get trapped in the plastic trap, just below the tub.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

John,

I have seen this happen on a machine or two, and have noticed the added drag on a belt when you try to turn it by hand when it's in the process of shifting from neutral drain to spin.

A lot of things happen when this shift occurs:

- The energized spin solenoid in the wigwag (aka control magnet) clicks and raises the plunger.

- The raised plunger pulls the spin cam bar in it's track about an inch and a half distance toward the motor. Sometimes if the motor is in an unnatural position, the cam bar can actually contact the motor.

- The movement of spin cam bar allows the spring-loaded basket drive/clutch to drop down and the basket drive pads contact the surface of the spin pulley.

- Once the basket drive is engaged for spin, the wash basket is ready to turn.

During any and all of this process, there is considerably more load on the belt than there is during neutral, or even during agitation. If your machine is pausing or failing unnaturally during this process, and you rotate the belt, you're going to feel the resistance until the process disengages, which it will quickly without the solenoid being energized. At that point the machine will simply revert back to neutral.

The clicking you hear can be anything from the plunger in the spin cam bar making contact with the bar itself, to an old belt that creaks and moans when moving (which MANY do after they've aged). You may also hear the spin cam bar contacting the motor if you have the motor cocked in an odd position trying to compensate for a stretched or worn belt.

If this were my situation, I would suspect that the belt is your weakness, especially if the motor slips inside it. Usually a belt is strong enough to slip past a locked-up pump, or even strip the pump's pulley off the shaft. A locked pump shouldn't ordinarily drag down the entire system to where the motor pulley slips unless the belt itself has seen better days.

If I were you I would replace the belt with a new, properly adjusted one, and see how all these functions work once a 'tacky' new belt (vs. an old, dried out belt) is running in the pulleys. Another good idea would be to lubricate the spin cam bar in it's two tracks with Rykon grease or white lithium. Also lubricate the yoke support that raises and lowers the basket drive. If these parts are all free to move easily, there will be less drag on the belt.

Gordon

 

[lordkenmore]

Thanks for the answers!

We'll start with a belt transplant operation...and hope that fixes things.

One stupid question: should a new belt be an official Whirlpool/Kenmore item? Often, it seems that the "official" parts are better, but I have access to an almost new, unused Kenmore belt that's apparently generic. If that's good enough, well, I might as well use it.