The Maytag Repairman Still Sleeps

Living 50 or so miles away from the nearest washing machine repairman, it pays to learn a little bit about mechanics in order to avoid despair when that inevitable washday disaster occurs. The other day I went to put my clothes in the dryer and found a sloshy brown mess. I tried the spin cycle, but when it stopped, the yucky brown water was still in there. I pulled out the soaking, dirty clothes and put them in buckets to carry to the bathtub where I rinsed them well and let them drain until I could squeeze out enough water to put them in the dryer. I then bailed the filthy water out of the washer and began moving it. A belt magically appeared on the floor. I lifted the washer and set it on blocks to peer underneath. There was a frayed belt which I removed and installed the new one, still wondering why I would have stored it under the machine. I tried the spin again, but the little bit of water in the bottom of the tub would not go away.

Later on, I was explaining the situation to my uncle, a retired maintenance man. We figured it must be the water pump. He described where and what I was looking for and promised he would look at it if I would remove it and bring it by. Thus fortified, I returned home and once again blocked up the machine. I removed the front panel and recognized the water pump from my uncle’s description. No hoses appeared to be clogged, so I removed the pump and discovered a pulley. Putting 2 and 2 together, I reasoned that of course that was NOT a spare belt that I had found on the floor. My washer has 2 belts! One to turn the tub, and one to drive the water pump! Hope-filled, I re-installed the frayed belt, hoping it would last until I could get a new one. I hooked up the water pump, tightened up the belt, and gave the spin cycle another go. Success!! Relief. Mt. Washmore conquered.