Swallow is asking for a belt: repair of the washing machine with your own hands

Even good washing machines sometimes break. Exactly the same thing happened to my Samsung S1021 – after five years of its trouble-free operation. The reason for breakage, as it turned out, was banal: the drive belt had come undone and slipped off the drive. This is a fairly common malfunction, which can be easily eliminated for 10-15 minutes.

Author: Andrew Kashkarov, St. Petersburg

When a soldier’s blouse is left unshrunk

So, I bought my “swallow” five years ago – this washing machine with front-loading laundry. It did laundry just fine – first in a city apartment and then in a country hut – on more treacherous well water. Five years without a single repair speaks for itself, I think.

I usually use my sweety for its intended purpose, but I used it to the fullest extent: in both weight and volume. Used to wash blankets, curtains, military jackets and winter clothes. It happened that the door would close with difficulty, and the drum could barely spin. And then one day “my swallow” to me refused.

The symptoms were simple: the motor would spin but the drum would not. Such a breakdown is easy to recognize visually and by ear.

What to do? Whether the strap that came off the belt drum or the new belt should be put in place after removing the belt drum cover .

Beware, the repair begins

So it’s time to start repairing. To freely access the drive belt, open the top cover of the washing machine. We unscrew the two self-tapping screws on top of the rear wall and remove this very cover, applying a small amount of force by moving “away” if you look at the door hatch . A half-dressed washing machine is shown in the picture.1.

Rice. 1. View on the drum

The drum and the engine to reduce the detonation when wringing at speeds of 1000 rpm are installed on special shock-absorbing cushions and fixed to the main body of the machine by springs.

This should be taken into account when you start pulling the drum with one hand up to the stop see Pic. Figure. 1 , and the other hand almost freely enter between the back wall and the drum and feel the belt – the only thing left is to put it on the drum.

The width of the working surface of the drum, with which the belt is in contact, is more than 5 cm, and the width of the belt does not exceed 10 cm. Perhaps that’s why drive belts from a large or prolonged load become a risk factor.

Obviously, the belt “stretches” over time, which provokes a malfunction even if you do not shove a soldier’s jacket into the open hatch and limit it to a pair of shoelaces.

Rice. 2 Pulled and stretched

The best thing to do, of course, is to replace the drive belt with a new one. If you can’t find one in your village, the old one will do, unless it is broken of course.

After reinstalling the drive belt, rotate the drum by hand for 2-3 turns and make sure that the belt is not on the edge this will provoke a malfunction again , but in the middle of the working surface of the drum.

Now you can put the lid back in its rightful place and use your favorite “swallow” on.

I do not call anyone to “test the strength” of their washing machines. However, the proposed here a simple way to locate the failure, for which the service center will take at least 1500 Dollars + transportation hassle and loss of time, in my opinion, will protect many owners from unnecessary costs.