[rozimek]

My Maytag Washer Performa top loader performs normally till the water drain cycle. The water drains out but motor continues to run & smoke (perhaps burnt rubber but not sure) comes out of back.
I stop washer & advance a bit to spin cycle which seems to operate normally & complete wash.
What should I investigate first?
pump ok? pump belt?
Thank you for any help.

[jmchenry4]

Hi. Sounds like you have a belt or two that is burning. Probably the drive belt when the machine goes into spin. If it has been burning bad you will want to check it and replace it. Sounds like it is not spinning when you go into the drain and spin part of the cycle, but may start to spin after you get the weight of the water out of the tub.

You could have a sock or something stuck in between the inner and outer tub. Have you had a tub seal replaced on this machine due to a water leak from the tub with in say a year or so? If so it is possible that water could have reached the spin bearing and caused it to seize up. Also, when you do get it into high speed spin does it make noise. A sort of a roaring noise that gets louder as the speed increases. If so, it is another sign that the spin bearing is going bad.

[rozimek]

Thank you, you guys are very good (smart) & professional.
I checked the belts underneath, they are dry & a bit worn & some black residue on plastic tub surround but otherwise seem fine.
You bring up a very interesting point, we bought our house a year ago (appliances were left) & the floor below the washer has water damage, it had leaked perhaps from the tub seal but not sure. There is a white plastic washer tray under the washer which does infer some sort of past problem.

I tried the washer again yesterday (to better diagnos the problem) with a small & small/medum size load & the problem did not occur? now I'm confused. Perhaps problem is only with extra large loads?
The spin cycle is loud but though it is normal for a older washer.
Thanks

[jmchenry4]

Yeah, worn belts would give you a problem with large loads and then it might work a little better with small loads. Another indication of worn belts is a weak agitation during wash.

Of course you could have a combination of worn belts with a bearing that is going bad, and now wearing those belts faster. It's possible that a tub seal was replaced but the bearing and belts were not.

If you are not getting significant bearing noise in spin then perhaps you could start by replacing the belts since it is not very expensive, or time consuming. If it spins good after that and it sounds smooth in spin then perhaps it's just a belt issue. If and when you replace the belts you can rotate the pulley by hand and you should be able to move it in spin. If there is a lot of resistance, and noise in spin, then you could have a bearing that is wearing out the belt.