New belt saves the day :-)

[roto204]

Remember the lackluster WCI Frigidaire performance? Well, I finally got around to changing the belt (arguably one of the worst belt changes I've ever experienced). To do that, you have to:

- Pull the back panel
- Remove the pump hoses and drain the two gallons of water the machine holds onto
- Remove four pump screws that pass through the pump to sandwich it onto the motor (and comprise half of what holds the pump together), including one you can't see
- Remove an Allen screw that holds the pump onto the motor shaft
- Pull the pump down and enjoy as more water goes all over
- Remove the idler pulley mechanism and spring, being careful to keep track of the bushings
- Remove the belt

Then...

- Replace the belt
- Get the idler sandwiched back between the pump and motor, without displacing or losing the bushings
- Get the belt back on-track
- Retighten those four magical screws
- Use a pliers to pull the pump collar back up onto the motor shaft, since being pulled up onto the motor shaft and secured with the Allen screw is what pulls the carbon-porcelain seal in the pump together and causes it to seal
- Reattach the hoses
- Reattach the back panel (don't move the machine without it; it'll fold in half)
- Dispense any residual obscenities

I think it did need a new belt, though. What do you think?

Here are the old and new belts, with the old one on the left. The belt is fabric-coated, similar to a Maytag's--only WAY smaller:

 

[roto204]

The new belt, up close

Here's a close-up of the new belt, all fresh and minty:

 

[roto204]

The old belt, all scary

The old belt. Good grief! There's almost no fabric left--small wonder it smelled like burning rubber when it went to spin!

 

[roto204]

The results

The results speak for themselves. The machine is quiet as a mouse now, and performs quite well, actually. Not only is there a real (and fairly aggresive) spin-drain now, check out the agitation--the pink towel shows proof of actual turnover! The agitation is MUCH better now. You can compare the stroke speed between the old and new video.

Old video

New video

 

[frigilux]

No wonder turnover is better---your clockwise stroke is longer in the new video. Granted, the length of the clockwise stroke is largely determined by the drag on the agitator, but you seem to be washing a similar-sized load in both the vids.

Nate, your description of the belt change did seem like the stuff made of nightmares.

 

[laundromat]

FRIGI-SCARE!!!!!

 

[supremewhirlpol]

I thought that there was a short-cut to replacing the belts on those. Does it have the same system as the 1984 White Westinghouse? (pump secured to top of capacitor-start motor)

 

[mrb627]

New Belts ROCK!

There isn't much that can compare with the restored vitality of a new set of belts. I think belts should be changed out on a regular basis, not just when they break!

I have heard recommendations that fill hoses should be replaced every 5 years. Belts should follow the same rule in my opinion.

MRB

 

[roto204]

Yay belts

Like a pack of fresh bubble-gum, as they say...

There is no shortcut on these machines as there seems to be on the Westinghouse designs (the idler is the most difficult part on those; otherwise, the belt slips off underneath the motor and tranny pullies). The belt is sandwiched in the mix, like a belt-drive Kenmore (although that was an easier belt to change, IMHO). It's motor-baseplate-pulley-pump, with the motor pulley and pump collar all forming one continuous shaft. Ick.

Newer WCI machines have a neutral drain and electric pump, and with the pump no longer in the way, the belt just slips off and back on--a fifteen-second job when I worked on that style of machine. But having the pump on the bottom of the motor makes this one a horror .

 

[rp2813]

OK Nate, so how does this impact your Filter-Flo plans? You still looking to pass the Frigidaire along now that it's working so much better?

That's a very nice Maytag-esque belt. A much more satisfying replacement part than the skinny little thing I had to battle a Kenmore Quiet-Pak to install.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

ok?!? I'm not seeing how just slipping the belt on the motor pulley first, then incorporating the idler, then rolling the rest of the belt on the transmission pulley involves the need to disassemble the pump and take the motor off the base. Isn't disassembling the motor/pump assembly just to put the belt on a little unnecessary? On BD Kenmore/whirlpool machines, I understand why those take a while.