How to Fix a Drive Motor for a Washer That is Noisy and Leave Marks on Clothes

If the drive motor in your washer starts to fail or becomes seized, you are going to hear a loud buzzing or humming sound when the motor attempts to start up. Often this noise will be accompanied by a burning smell. If the motor is completely defective, the wash basket will not be able to spin. You can use the information below, such as the sound clips and video guides, to help you determine if the drive motor is the cause of your noisy washer. If so, you’ll also find step-by-step instructions for how to replace the drive motor.

What is a Drive Motor and Where is it Located?

The main drive motor on a top-load washer is used to operate the transmission, to spin the wash basket, and, on some washers, to operate the pump as well. On front-load washers, the drive motor operates a belt that drives the wash basket pulley. The drive motor has a thermal overload that will remove power from the windings when it senses an overcurrent condition, and the motor will shut down. This could be caused by a driven component of the motor that has seized or by a defect in the motor itself.

General Location of the Drive Motor in a Washer

What Type of Noise Can You Expect?

No matter what type of washer you own, if you have heard a loud buzzing or humming at the same time as the motor starts, or smelled a burning odor coming from the machine, you have reason to suspect a problem with the drive motor.

How to Access, Remove, and Inspect the Drive Motor in a Washing Machine

1. After disconnecting your appliance from the power source, open the cabinet of your washer.
2. Remove the cabinet, remove the back panel, or tip back the machine in order to locate and remove the drive motor. You will need to disconnect the wires attached to the motor in order to remove it from the appliance. Do this by pulling on the metal connectors, not on the wires.
3. Set your multimeter to the Rx1 setting. Test for continuity by placing the probes onto the terminals of the motor. You should receive a reading of zero or nearly zero.
4. To test the ground connection, leave one probe on the terminal and place the other on the metal housing of the drive motor. You should not receive any reading from this test.
5. If your readings differ from those described above, you need a replacement drive motor.

How to Install a New Drive Motor

1. Remove the motor base and the ground wire from the old motor, so they can be used with the new one.
2. Reinstall the motor mount base and reinstall the nuts to hold it in place.
3. Then you can reverse the steps used to remove the motor from your washer.

Next: Troubleshooting the Pulleys

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