INDESIT 1WB5123 - belt slipping off repeatedly

[mplar]

The drum belt for this slipped off over the weekend even before the washing cycle. I reattached the belt to the main wheel on the drum, but noticed that it did not sit centrally after a couple of revolutions. It kept moving its way towards the drum, but stopped when about 2-3mm of the belt was off (i.e. 90% of the belt was on the wheel, with 10% off). This was the only position that the belt would sit in without visibly moving when I rotated the wheel by hand. When I readjusted to the centre of the wheel, it would simply move, towards the drum again and rest in the same position.

After closing the machine up, I did a spin test on an empty drum and everything seemed fine. Then when I added clothes, the belt slipped off again.

I think it could be a worn out belt or a misaligned drum.

For the past couple of months the washing machine has been vibrating quite a lot due to an uneven floor. I think this could have caused the drum to come out of alignment. Or, even worse, perhaps the bearing is damaged. The reason why I think it is the belt or the pulley to the drum is because the drum seemed to spin fine without signs of bearing damage with no clothes in the machine.

If it is the pulley, please could someone help with some advice on how to re-align or tighten the setup? Is this fixable? The machine is only 19 months old, so I want to keep it as far as possible.

Many thanks,

m, x

 

[Burnerman]

Its a wee bit premature for drum bearings to have failed so soon, but it is possible....with the drum empty, grasp it at the top and bottom just inside the door and see if you can feel any play. Naturally the drum will move about a bit so this can be quite tricky!
If the belt has snapped cords on one edge, it will also cause it to wander.
John

 

[mplar]

Hi John,

Thanks for your advice. It is a very new machine, but it has been vibrating during the spin cycles due to an uneven floor. This may have accelerated bearing damage.

I didn't check belt cord damage though, and will do this before trying anything else.

m, x