Neither of the repair men actually changed the belt, however one of the guys was an 'authorized' Speed Queen warranty repair guy so he knows the machine well. He told me there was nothing wrong with the belt, said the motor was not running at the speed it should to have enough strength to power up a good spin, and also said the tub seal was leaking causing rusting on the outer tub which rust was visible all around the outside of the outer tub. He also told me the 'grinding' sound during wash cycle at times shows the transmission was shot. As I stated previously he told me even if the company covered the parts the labor would cost so much to rebuild the machine it was not worth it. I truly wish one of them could have fixed the machine since I have the matching dryer and have been pleased with it's performance until it started giving me trouble,, it still runs through the cycle but you can see and hear the spin is not at top speed. I have been now looking at replacing it, but may want to go with a machine that does not guzzle water as this one does, maybe an LG or Maytag top load, but I am not sure about their reliability either, however they have much higher spin speeds and use less water which is of interest to me. I originally did buy the Speed Queen expecting it to last as my other machines have, but since it did not I am considering other brands now for less water usage and higher spin speeds as the Speed Queen never did really spin out Jeans and clothing like that very well. They are also still only available in white where other brands are offering colors like Black Stainless which is nice because my machines are visible in the laundry room off the kitchen. I am torn between choices as many of the machines seem to be poorly made and the only one that seems sturdy is the LG top load which one of my relatives own so I have had first hand experience using it and I liked it. Funny how every brand I have mentioned to sales people and repair guys they all say 'stay away from that brand' no matter if it is Whirlpool, LG, Maytag or whatever and they say get a Speed Queen.....they all claim other brands simply won't last more than 3 to 6 years. and I have seen more Speed Queen washers being delivered to people lately too..... Thanks to everyone for their impressions here.
Speed Queen top load washer need repair advice
- Thread starter ryanm
- Start date
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I will concur, check the belt. My parents have an old Amana based on the current design from when Raytheon made them which was insanely expensive new but I convinced them to buy back in the day.
They beat the heck out of it when my sister and I lived there. My wife and I lived there for about a year when looking for a house.
My mom helps us out occasionally with laundry if we get too far behind due to work (though I now have two machines a Speed Queen and a Samsung Addwash that replaced two very short lived machines that were a Haier and GE).
She still uses the Amana. It had the same problem as yours at one point maybe about 10 years in. My dad replaced the belt. It's been about 7 years and the machine still works perfectly fine.
If it isn't leaking it likely needs a belt at most. Heck my parents have gotten 7 YEARS more out of a simple belt and the thing still washes perfectly and has had no other issues at all, my mom was using it today when I called her and the thing is at least 17 years old now.
They beat the heck out of it when my sister and I lived there. My wife and I lived there for about a year when looking for a house.
My mom helps us out occasionally with laundry if we get too far behind due to work (though I now have two machines a Speed Queen and a Samsung Addwash that replaced two very short lived machines that were a Haier and GE).
She still uses the Amana. It had the same problem as yours at one point maybe about 10 years in. My dad replaced the belt. It's been about 7 years and the machine still works perfectly fine.
If it isn't leaking it likely needs a belt at most. Heck my parents have gotten 7 YEARS more out of a simple belt and the thing still washes perfectly and has had no other issues at all, my mom was using it today when I called her and the thing is at least 17 years old now.
Thanks! I live in New York Hudson Valley area. As you wrote I thought the same things that my machine should just need the idler and belt, and this is why I had a 2nd guy come look at the machine. I do have 2 small videos of the machine running showing the grinding and squealing sounds it makes, but no way to load them here so you could see and hear it. I am still using the machine as is, and it is still going OK but clothes are heavy with water after spinning so I am just dealing with it for now. For example fabric softener does not dispense well because the machine does not get up to speed to allow it to flow out. I truly wish one of our folks on this site did live near so I could have a chance to try the fix. Both repair guys would not do it because they said it would not fix my issue... and as you know calling in another guy would then cost more for yet another diagnosis, so I just don't want to keep spending for nothing. I really appreciate all the input.
Place your videos on YouTube and link them here. That's how everyone else does it.
supersurgilator
Well-known member
I agree with what others have said, try a belt, what do you have to loose?? I don't think there is anything else wrong with you machine. I've also seen a worn belt cause some noises when agitating as well.
brucelucenta
Well-known member
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- Jul 21, 2013
- Messages
- 1,924
Utterly amazing that so many are 100% convinced that a belt and idler would fix the problem. Having dealt with this same problem before, it is NOT surprising. The tub seal is shot and so are the bearings. Why do you think that not one, but BOTH repairmen told him this??? If someone is so convinced that it is a quick and easy fix, go there and prove it. I would like to see that myself. The machine is beyond repair, at least any reasonable repair that wouldn't cost a fortune.
Replace the belt, while at it, check the idler pully for any abnormaliries (spring tension, the rollers being smooth etc.).
However, seal and transmission issues are not unheared. Didn't we have someone here a few months back who used his/her machine a lot and had those issues within the first few years.
Did you tell the second repairman anythimg about the first one or this thread and its conclusions.
If he had a simmilar diagnostic result WITHOUT any knowledge of the first diagnosis, that makes his results a lot more credible.
Oh, and "leak" dosen't have to mean waterfalls. A few drops of water per load can be enough to severly damage the bearings.
The transmission does verry well play a role during the spin. Force is still applied to it through the motor, they don't magicly disconnect.
It could be a kind of cascade failure event. Small leak leads to broken bearings leads to higher resistence leads to more strain on transmission leads to failure of transmission leads to strain on motor.
However, seal and transmission issues are not unheared. Didn't we have someone here a few months back who used his/her machine a lot and had those issues within the first few years.
Did you tell the second repairman anythimg about the first one or this thread and its conclusions.
If he had a simmilar diagnostic result WITHOUT any knowledge of the first diagnosis, that makes his results a lot more credible.
Oh, and "leak" dosen't have to mean waterfalls. A few drops of water per load can be enough to severly damage the bearings.
The transmission does verry well play a role during the spin. Force is still applied to it through the motor, they don't magicly disconnect.
It could be a kind of cascade failure event. Small leak leads to broken bearings leads to higher resistence leads to more strain on transmission leads to failure of transmission leads to strain on motor.
Thanks again for the additional posts. To answer the question about the 2nd repair man, no I didn't tell him anything about the first repair man's advice, I wanted to see what his independent opinion was. The last 2 posts here just about sum it up as to what they told me about seals, bearings, and the transmission, as well as the strain on the motor which the 2nd guy told me. It has not completely failed as I spoke about, so I am still using it but they told me eventually it would just go completely. The seal leak is small, but evident by the rusting on the outer tub which is clearly visible. I would have tried the fix however I myself cannot do any of that type of work due to a severe back injury. I have learned so much from all of you guys here, so thank you. I am still researching machines to replace this one should it go. It is interesting how many have now put agitators back in the top load machines and have combined water saving too. I happen to like the Black Stainless top load LG pair, I think they are sharp looking and offer many cycles, and I have used my relatives machine for several weeks when I stayed there and I liked it very much, and they are truly pleased with the cleaning results as well as the gentleness on clothing, and the high spin speed. I have to admit the new Maytag and even GE with agitator intrigues me as well, as I like the agitators as well. Time will tell what I decide. I did call the 2nd repair man back and ask him if he would put in the idler and belt to try it, he said I shouldn't waste my time or money and reiterated his belief that there are major parts on the machine that are shot and it would not make a difference.
