Dryer Zanussi ZDC67550W motor struggling to start

[gsanto]

Hi there! my dryer ZDC67550W motor was sometimes not starting. I removed the covers and checked the 6uF starting capacitor. It was reading 2.5uF so I replaced it. I thought I nailed it, but the issue is still there, only now I can hear the motor really struggling to start. A good slap on the the side of the appliance usually helps, but not always.
I decoupled the motor from the belt to check for any sign of bearing wear but it spins freely by hand with no effort nor hard point a all.
I also checked the power at the starting capacitor. there is power there before the motor starts, then the power drops as the motor reaches its working speed, so the centrifugal switch must be ok too.
Is there any other checks that I can perform before ordering a new motor? Is there any point of even replacing the motor since the appliance is around 10 years old?
Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks
G.

 

[jj4091]

Are you sure you have posted the correct model number. WM is usually the prefix for washing machinnes not dryers. I don't think you would get an intermitent fault with a motor and slapping the side suggests a bad connnection somewhere.

 

[gsanto]

well spotted JJ4091! I was looking at the picture of the tag of my Siemens washing machine.
The dryer model is Zanussi ZDC67550W. I amended the thread title accordingly.
So there are 2 problems. the first one is when I hear a 'click' around the control board, like a relay closing, and nothing happens. In that case a slap will start the motor. There is another issue when the motor start spinning but is making noise, as if it was struggling to get going. When I had the right cover off, a push on the drum did help the motor to get going.
The reading on the new capacitor is 5.6 uF so it looks fine.

 

[jj4091]

I think I would be looking at the board for a dry joint or loose connection at a plug/socket. Or if there is a relay look for an equivalen replacement if you cannot find anything else on the pcb. It would be unusual for a motor to give the symptoms you decribe especially when you say the voltage to the motor is varying. If non of those things help to rectify it then perhaps the motor will be your last resort.

 

[gsanto]

I think I would be looking at the board for a dry joint or loose connection at a plug/socket. Or if there is a relay look for an equivalen replacement if you cannot find anything else on the pcb. It would be unusual for a motor to give the symptoms you decribe especially when you say the voltage to the motor is varying. If non of those things help to rectify it then perhaps the motor will be your last resort.

Thanks for the advice JJ. I'll have a look at the PCB when I get a chance and update back here