Replacing belt on washing machine

[micky]

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, my Whirlpool belt-driven washing machine stalls sometimes.

After not finding anything big wrong with it, I found a 2x2" wheel on a handle and pushed it against the belt when the machine was stalled. And it perked right up.

So I think all I need is the belt, which I had bought a couple years ago.

I couldn't find it for a week, but I did, and tonight I lay the machine face down and took off the old belt.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT the new belt is longer than the old one, 1/2 - 1 inch. How can that be? Shouldn't it be shorter? That is, if anything they stretch with use. I had already tightened the old belt

90%+ as far as it could go so I don't see how I can use a longer belt without it slipping too, right away.

It's also wider, both at the outer edge and the inner one. Is that a problem? It's a sort-of triangular belt, trapezoidal actually in cross section for V-pulleys. All 4 pulleys are V-style. So it won't go as deep into the pulleys as the original belt did!!!!!! And fwiw, more of it will stick out beyond the pulley.

Being thicker seems to make it stiffer. Is that a problem? Is it an advantage?

They both have the FSP logo** and the part number 95405, which is the number specified on the original owner's manual/exploded view parts list that the owner of this house left behind. **FSP is the original equipment maker for Whirlpool.

It's substantial work to change this belt, 24 steps, so I don't want to do it twice.

Interesting details, not part of the question: Despite that the washer ran for 20 minutes or so total without the belt moving, the old belt has no shiny spots on it, and it doesn't smell burnt anywhere

[Dean Hoffman]

The new belt will probably ride higher in the pulley due to its cross section. That makes it shorter, in effect. How do you know it's longer?

[trader_4]

Assuming he measured it accurately, if it's longer than the old one that is already slipping, it must be the wrong belt. It might ride a bit higher, but I doubt it's going to make up the difference. I can't recall ever replacing a belt on anything and noticing that the new one was longer than the old.

[gfretwell]

If the old belt is so warn that it bottoms in the pulley, that is your problem.

[micky]

I should have thought of that, but otoh, I don't know if it's enough.

I first thought only of the motor pulley, but what you say effects all 4 pulleys, so if you multiply the little difference by 4, that might be a half-inch, and it might need to ride up 1/8" in each pulley, which is possible. But next it occurred to me that 3 of the pulleys are not in a straight line but they are not at 180^ from each other either. In fact no 3 pulleys are, so sitting 1/8" further away from a straight line wouldn't require a belt that was a full 1/8" longer.

So how much longer would it have to be, assuming 1/8" or more likely

1/16 inch, call it D. Seems to me that is like making the radius of the whole "circle" D longer, so with 2 pi R, that would make it need a belt 1/8 * 3.14 = 0.39" or half that for 1/16, longer.

So it might require most of the extra half-inch, but would still come out a little longer.

I held them side by side and pulled both through my fingers at the same time. Did this 5 times. The first time it was a one-inch diffwerence, but after that, it was a half-inch. I went both directions, left to right or right to left.

Dean's answer is the sort I was looking for, even though I didn't imagine what it would be, and if it had accounted for the whole difference, I might not be going out now to buy another one.

But I'm definitely glad I asked. I'll let you all know what happens.

[micky]

20 minutes recently. I'm not counting the times in the previous year it stalled on the spin cycle and I had to start the basket spinning. I guess the motor was spinning against the belt before I did that, who knows how long.

It's not visibly worn at all. The original was made more narrow than the other one in the first place. 11mm wide vs 13mm. On the inside**, 6mm vs. 8mm.

Thickness 7mm vs 8mm for the other one.

**The belt is segmented, notched, sort of, so that it can bend.

[Dean Hoffman]

Do you have masking tape around or maybe some string? If so, could you wrap it around the outside of the belts? Then you would be able to compare them better.

[TimR]

No. So that it can bend both directions.

[gfretwell]

The wear will be even so you might not notice it looking worn. Wear is in the width of the "V". If it wears enough to bottom in the pulley it will slip. It is easy to tell, Is the belt marked AXxxx or BXxxx. That is the width for a cogged belt 3/8" or 1/2". A regular belt would be 3Lxxx or

4L.xxx. Your new belt 95405 correlates to a BX475 (1/2" wide 47.5" long).

For the time you have wasted telling us about it, you could have replaced the belt. There should be enough movement in the motor mount to adjust it either way. Look for that removeable spacer. If your machine is new enough for that the only other thing you need to remove is the wires on the wig wag as I recall.

[Clare Snyder]

If the part number is the same it should fit. I'll bet the original was more than 11mm wide at the top and 6 at the bottom. The way those thnings are set up they generally slip on the drum, not on the motor - so they don't burn notches in them or get overly shiny.

[micky]

I hold them side by side and run them together through my fingers. It maybe that the which one is near me and which is on the other side has an effect!! It might even be that going to the left instead of the right makes a difference.

But I got tired of doing this, so I'm not sure.

I think the new belt works better partly because it's newer and stiffer, and it's wider and higher in the pulleys.

Posted and mailed (when I get that part working in the laptop) because it's an old thread.

[gfretwell]

That is the definition of a worn out V belt. It rides lower in the pulley and when it bottoms out it slips.