Choosing between a full rebuild or a simple fix on a 15-year-old washing machine

I had a customer last month with a Whirlpool washer that kept stopping mid-cycle, and I had to pick between replacing the whole motor for $350 or just swapping the brushes for $40. I went with the brush job, and it's been running fine for three weeks now. When do you all decide a part is too far gone to save?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliagonzalez1mo ago

That reminds me of my old dryer and a weird belt noise.

parkerk561mo ago

Oh man, belt noises are the worst. That high pitched squeal means the belt is dry or worn out. Could also be the idler pulley seizing up. Had to replace both on my machine last year. Sounded like a dying animal until I fixed it.

emma_mitchell12d ago

Bought a used car once that had a belt squeal so bad the neighbors would come out and stare when I started it in the morning. Turned out the tensioner was completely shot and the belt was just flopping around loose. Fixed it myself with a YouTube video and a socket set, felt like a genius for about a week until something else broke.