[FIXED] Spin / drain starts out slow, but catches up to normal speed

[4995NfiT575_for]

Model Number: LA882
Brand: Maytag
Age: More than 10 years

I have a Maytag LA882 washer, purchased in the late 80s. I have over the years replaced the inlet hoses, both belts and the injector valve. It has performed very well.

Recently, at the beginning of any of the drain / spin cycles, the motor starts out very slowly. It soon “catches” up to normal speed and the spin cycle leaves the clothes well wrung out — dry as usual.

I’ve pulled off the front panel and the belts seem OK and the pump drains well and quickly.

The motor used to spin up so fast, one could hear the water being forced through the drain holes. Now it starts out much slower, before "catching up" to normal speed.

Again, the water is all pumped out and the spin cycle completes just fine — it’s the motor “starting out slow” that bothers me.

Any suggestions on what’s going on?

Thanks — A

[Doc Ryan]

I am not sure what is causing your problem. Some things that come to mind would be slipping belt(s), the brake sticking on, or bad tub bearings. If you find the cause, please let us know the solution.

[4995NfiT575_for]

Problem solved!

Summary:
Belts were OK, but the pulleys they wrapped around were greasy.

Details:
I cleaned the pulleys off and installed the new belts. Everything worked OK after this. When I originally check the old belts, I had not noticed the slippage. Someone suggested I check the platform the motor was mounted on (it moves back & forth a bit when it engages on a greased roller) and that’s when I saw the belts were slipping as the motor came up to speed.

Thanks for the advice!

[Doc Ryan]

Thanks for the update, I have updated the status of this thread to FIXED. I would recommend to look for where the grease might have come from that got on the pulleys. Sometimes the transmission can leak grease, and if this is the case you could have issues in the future if the transmission is still leaking grease.