I've got a Maytag Ensignia MAV8557AWW (top loading) washer that just started putting out a burning smell. More precisely, it smells like very hot plastic (not like burning rubber). In the time span of doing a single load of laundry, the entire house smelled like this. No apparent smoke.
The washer doesn't have any other symptoms...works fine, agitates, all that jazz...just the smell.
The washer is 4-6 years old and the only repair it's needed was a new water inlet valve because it would continually drip inside the tub. That repair was about 4 weeks ago and went off without a hitch. Everything has been fine since but then this smell began. Could something have happened when I was replacing the water inlet valve that is now leading to this smell?
Today, I tilted the washer to examine it from underneath and was surprised to see the belt is fully exposed. The whole area under the washer was covered with old dryer sheets and some other debris. That said, the belt is on firmly and shows no signs of tearing/shredding or otherwise getting ill. Both plastic "wheels" (for lack of the proper terms) that the belt connects to move easily when I pulled the belt a bit.
I cleared out the debris, plugged the machine in and started an empty cycle to see if the smell came back. It did, and the first place I noticed the smell was around the water inlet valve (not near the bottom of the machine) and this was while the tub was filling with water. When I switched the partially water-filled washer to spin, the smell continued. I'm not certain if the machine was putting off a greater amount of the smell when it went into spin or if I could just smell it more because the machine had been on for a few minutes. I only let this test run go on for 5 minutes because I didn't want to potentially make the problem worse. I visually inspected all parts around the water inlet valve and didn't *see* anything suspicious.
Replacing the belt was the first thing I came across online, but as I've looked more and more regarding this smell in washing machines (nothing on my specific model), it appears there can be quite a few problems that would result in this smell. Because of the variety of possibilities I'm seeing, I hope you smart people might have some specific thoughts. Belt, pump, motor, other?
What might the best strategic approach? I've prefer not to spend a dime trying to fix the washer if, in the end, the smell is from a dying motor or some other significant piece of equipment (or a combination). But if I can accurately gauge the problem and fix it for less than $100, that's clearly the route I'll take. It's been a great washer for the past few years.
I welcome any advice, questions or leads to help me get a better picture of what I'm facing with this machine.
Also, I've never been able to find a repair manual for this specific model. But since this model was exclusive to Lowes or Home Depot (I forget which), I assume there are other model numbers that are basically identical under the hood. Would love to know which models those are and where I may be able to get repair manuals for them.
Michael
The washer doesn't have any other symptoms...works fine, agitates, all that jazz...just the smell.
The washer is 4-6 years old and the only repair it's needed was a new water inlet valve because it would continually drip inside the tub. That repair was about 4 weeks ago and went off without a hitch. Everything has been fine since but then this smell began. Could something have happened when I was replacing the water inlet valve that is now leading to this smell?
Today, I tilted the washer to examine it from underneath and was surprised to see the belt is fully exposed. The whole area under the washer was covered with old dryer sheets and some other debris. That said, the belt is on firmly and shows no signs of tearing/shredding or otherwise getting ill. Both plastic "wheels" (for lack of the proper terms) that the belt connects to move easily when I pulled the belt a bit.
I cleared out the debris, plugged the machine in and started an empty cycle to see if the smell came back. It did, and the first place I noticed the smell was around the water inlet valve (not near the bottom of the machine) and this was while the tub was filling with water. When I switched the partially water-filled washer to spin, the smell continued. I'm not certain if the machine was putting off a greater amount of the smell when it went into spin or if I could just smell it more because the machine had been on for a few minutes. I only let this test run go on for 5 minutes because I didn't want to potentially make the problem worse. I visually inspected all parts around the water inlet valve and didn't *see* anything suspicious.
Replacing the belt was the first thing I came across online, but as I've looked more and more regarding this smell in washing machines (nothing on my specific model), it appears there can be quite a few problems that would result in this smell. Because of the variety of possibilities I'm seeing, I hope you smart people might have some specific thoughts. Belt, pump, motor, other?
- The washer appears to work fine.
- I replaced the water inlet valve 4 weeks ago.
- Now the washer has started to put off this smell.
What might the best strategic approach? I've prefer not to spend a dime trying to fix the washer if, in the end, the smell is from a dying motor or some other significant piece of equipment (or a combination). But if I can accurately gauge the problem and fix it for less than $100, that's clearly the route I'll take. It's been a great washer for the past few years.
I welcome any advice, questions or leads to help me get a better picture of what I'm facing with this machine.
Also, I've never been able to find a repair manual for this specific model. But since this model was exclusive to Lowes or Home Depot (I forget which), I assume there are other model numbers that are basically identical under the hood. Would love to know which models those are and where I may be able to get repair manuals for them.
Michael