Black Grease Spots?
Hi
I have a Whirpoll AWG 338 washer dryer and all seems to work well, its about 12 years old.
Recently, on occasional washes, i am finding black spots on some of the clothes when they come out.
I am wondering if it is grease?
A friend mentioned that the bearings are sealed for life and when they wear they can leak grease in to the wash.
I have looked through other peoples posts and am wondering if this may be my probelm. Non of the other symptons seem to be evident though like the drum moving back wards and forwards or too much noise.
Given the age and relative cheapness of bearing kits I thought I would give it a go before buying a new machine.
Hope some one can advise?
Thank you
:-)
Solution Summary
AI-generated from this discussion
This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.
Whirlpool AWG 338 leaving black grease spots on laundry
- The problem
- A 12-year-old Whirlpool AWG 338 washer dryer was occasionally leaving very black spots on some clothes, while the machine otherwise appeared to run normally and did not show the usual obvious bearing symptoms such as excess noise or drum play.
- Likely cause
- Leaking front drum bearing/seal area allowing black grease contamination into the wash. This was supported by the owner's strip-down and later comments that the bearings showed signs of water on them. A moderator noted this was unusual and that failed bearing seals more commonly lead to water entering the bearings and causing rusty staining, so the exact mechanism was discussed but the bearing area fault was strongly supported.
- What fixed it
- The machine was dismantled and the owner concluded the front bearing was leaking. Replacement parts were said to be about £40, but because of the machine's age, the awkward repair, and no guarantee against further leaks, the owner chose to replace the appliance rather than rebuild it.
- Checks to try
- Checked for other common symptoms such as drum movement and excess noise
- Considered and rejected black mould as the cause
- Machine was taken apart for internal inspection
- Front bearing identified as the suspected leaking point
- Photos of the bearing area were reviewed and it was noted the bearings had definitely had water on them
- Parts or tools mentioned
- Bearing kit
- Front bearing
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
9 Answers
Try this article black mould spots on washing
If it doesn't help please post again.
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Hi
Thank you for getting back to me. It isn't mould, I really think it is grease and very black as well.
I did see a post about a dryer saying ensure the watse pipe wasnt too far down the drain. I will check but dont feel this is the issue.
Other than bearings, is there any other possibility?
Thank you.
Drum bearings tend to create brown rusty spots. If it's 12 years old it could just be caked in grease and gunge inside, which is now starting to come off onto laundry. Try this article on grease and smells to see if it helps, have a good look at the underside of the door seal to see if it's got gunge on it - http://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/what-causes-washing-machine-smells/
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Hey,
I thought i would post my out come to help others.
Having spent all day today taking my machine apart it is quite clear my problem was leaking bearings, letting by black grease which is finding its way in to the wash. The spare parts seem to be out £40 but given the age and fiddillyness of putting it all back together and no gaurentee of it not leaking i have decided to get a new one.
Thanks Andy Washerhelp - a great site!
Spoon Washer :-)
Thanks for the update Spoon Washer. It's an unusual one that as in theory bearings shouldn't be able to leak and get into the machine as there's a seal between them and the rest of the machine. Plus there's nothing put thick grease inside them and only a bit unless someone's oiled them at some point. If the seal protecting the drum bearings goes it normally works the other way round, i.e water gets into the bearings and washes all the grease out, which quickly causes the bearings to rumble and tends to cause brown rusty stains especially on the back of the washing machine's drum and the floor.
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It was the front bearing by the way. I took a photo but am not sure how to upload it on to this forum?
I think if you click the "More Reply options" button you should be able to upload it using the attach files option.
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Pictures as discussed - Many thanks.
Those bearings definitely look like they've had water on them.
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