Hello again. SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry for the long post, but I just HAD to tell someone. I hope its a good read for the stubborn, pigheaded, DIY diehards out there like myself...
Oh boy, what a story. Thanks Erik, for your tips on the connectors. I hadn't checked every one and when I did, I saw a few that were bent. Hoping for a miracle I tightened them and tried again, but no go. Since it wasnt the speed control board, I went back to the diagrams to trace EVERY pin from the timer to the speed board to the motor. Everything had power like it should and the motors resistance checks were all fine again too.
So now what? I 'broke down' and called a few repair guys. One never called back, another just kept saying that you cant test/fix motors. The 3rd was helpful when I told him everything I had done. He did say that even though the motor windings check out OK, it can still be broken. He thought it might be the internal tachometer. Funny though - neither of them even suggested to come out to fix it.
If it was the motor, I wanted to verify it was bad before spending the $. I went to an electric motor repair shop. This guy took one look at an appliance motor and said "no we cant do anything, cant test it, cant fix it, cant clean it." I asked what I could check or verify - could I clean the brushes and could that cause the problem of no fast spin. He said "those motors dont even have brushes." He suggested an appliance parts store. I called them - can they test it or what might be the problem. He said "no, we cant test it, have no idea, and we cant even get that motor since its Kenmore - gotta call Sears". Uh, its made by Frigidaire and has Frigidaire part numbers... {sigh}
Out of options, I figure I better just buy a motor and hope. But, being too damn curious, I just HAD to take it apart first and see what I could find. I figured there would be a small circuit board inside and then of course, there's no way to tell if it went bad somehow. I take it apart last night and it looks fine. I take out the white 'plate' (see pic) and see that there is NO circuit board. So damnit - it HAS to be a mechanical problem! I check all the 'wires' and connections. One brush (ha brushless???) was considerably shorter than the other, but otherwise it looked fine. I cleaned the commutator to a shine and was getting ready to put it back together not really finding anything wrong. I doubt the windings and metal plates go 'bad'.
However, there was these two pieces - each a half circle magnet that wrapped around the armature at the end of the shaft, between the commutator and the bearing (see pic). It looked like they sat on a plastic shelf making a circle around the shaft. I didnt know if they were supposed to spin or be stationary, but when I took a close look I saw a mostly sheared off plastic 'tab' on the shaft (see pic)! I then noticed that the two pieces werent perfect semi-circles, then were meant to be a circle - it had broken in two right where there was in indent for the tabs! Since it had a tab that was supposed to lock it in place (ie it spun with the shaft), the fact that it was broken and the tab sheared off meant it had STOPPED spinning when it broke. AND this lined up with where the TACHOMETER winding was deep in the housing by the bearings!
Its sad that I was so excited by this, but WOW! This magnet must sends signals to the tachometer winding to report the speed. I suppose during slow spin (tumble) the speed board doesnt care about the tachometer reading, but any water-extracting spin had to report the correct speed. So, without this magnet turning, the speed board knew something was wrong and shut down the motor just as it was starting! HA - it WAS a mechanical failure.
Doubting I could ever get this part (probably $5 vs a $160 motor), I figure super glue is worth a try. I glue the pieces together and to the plastic 'holder' on the shaft. Let it set, put it all together, put motor in washer and DAMN, my airplane is flying again!! The motor had a little scraping sound, but I think thats the brushes 'seating' themselves to their new position on the communtator. However long this lasts will be fine and if it fails, I know exactly what to do or buy.
What caused it to break - it must have been from the violent jumping the machine did - which must have been simply an out-of-balance load. I never had that in 10 yrs of doing laundry so was unprepared for what it was like. That motor must be incredably strong as that machine weighs a ton with all that concrete! I was amazed when I saw it lift off the floor.
So what did I learn through this?
1) Memorize the wiring diagram and figure EVERYTHING out - checking EVERY circuit/voltage.
2) Professionals (parts stores, repair shops, repairmen), except one, are a$$holes when it comes to dealing with DIYers.
3) You will be tempted to kill yourself before you figure it out.
And of course 4) ALWAYS have a full load with no balled up sheets!
CNR
CNR attached the following image(s):
