Splendide drive belt broke

[erniet]

I think the drive belt for my washer/dryer broke, the tub doesn't spin when it should and you can spin it very easy by hand-no resistance to it.

My question: How hard is it to remove the W/D from an Itasca Meridian or another Winnebago/Itasca model similar to a 2004 Merridan? Any hints on this repair ahead of time will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Ernie

[emiddleb]

I had to remove mine to replace the hot water valve, but mine was mounted in the rear cabinet, not on the side as I see from your floorplan.

On mine, the washer was held in place by about 4 screws along the front bottom under the removable panel. Once those were out the washer was free.

That puppy is heavy... according to the manual its about 180 lbs. You'll need a strong friend to help you pull it out. Be careful of the hoses and electric cord. You'll probably have to disconnect them first before removing the washer.

The back comes off easily, and the top too. Not sure what you'll need to remove to access the belt, haven't had to do that.

From here you can download repair manuals and other docs that might help, if you don't have them already.

Splendide Combo Washer Dryer Technical Education Site

Good Luck!

[workinrvers]

the belt on the unit in our 5er came off the pulley one time, was not hard to take the back off the unit and put it back on the pulley. Was a bit of difficulty getting it out of the closet it was in though.

I looked at the one in our 02 Journey and there are brackets on the front legs that screw into the floor in the cabinet it is in, looks like once you remove the screws and brkts you can pull the unit forward some to unhook the vent and water connections?

Phil

[macantic]

mine seems to spin very easy by hand with no resistance to it anyway,and mine works just fine. If you spin it does it keep on spinning or does it stop in a second or two?

[docj]

You don't say what model Splendide you have, but I don't believe the newer fully electronic ones have a drive belt. When mine lost its ability to turn its drum last year the problem was the main circuit board which controls the motor.

If you have the model with indicator LEDs then you have the newer series. If there are no LEDs you have one of the older models.

[erniet]

In general I've learned it is heavy, I'm thinking of seeing if I could build a platform in front of it to pull it out onto and work on it there. Mine is in the very back raised up to the same level as my closet floor, which is 2 steps up from the main floor. And it sounds like the back comes off fairly easy.

I hope to get to this project later this week or next week. I will update my progress then.
Thank you to all of you.

[tomsm]

Ernie, my W/D had the same symptoms a few years ago and I found it had thrown the belt off the pulley, but did not break it. Reinstalled the belt and it's still working fine. If you don't mind it sitting there in the way, I would suggest checking to see if it's actually broken before you order a new one.

I agree with your idea of a platform - it's not too hard to slide it, but you don't want to lift it... Lucky for me, the back of my W/D is accessible by removing drawers in the bedroom. I just had to slide it forward a couple of inches and that was not hard to do. Good Luck!

[Finhawk]

Were you drying a rubber backed mat when it quit?? That burned mine thru twice. Cost was about $500 to repair it. The cabinet face had to come off and the washer had to come out in order to remove the dryer. What a mess!!

[dengraham]

Ernie,
You have been given some good advice. I had mine out in my 07 Vectra and I helped a friend take his out of his 04 Meridian. I built a "stand" out of 2x4's so I cold slide it out to work on it. He built a stand with big wheels so we could roll it down the hall and out the door into the back of his pickup.
Before you start it is worth a call to Splendide technical people and ask them what you are getting into with this project. With the model number they will be able to tell you if it is just a motherboard or a belt. Keep us posted with your progress.
With our new motor home we will have to pull out the front of the cabinet to access the new one.....hope I don't have to do it. Good luck.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by erniet

I think the drive belt for my washer/dryer broke, the tub doesn't spin when it should and you can spin it very easy by hand-no resistance to it. My question: How hard is it to remove the W/D from an Itasca Meridian or another Winnebago/Itasca model similar to a 2004 Merridan? Any hints on this repair ahead of time will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ernie

Ernie,

You have to be able to access the back of the unit. The access panel is easily removed at which time you will see the motor, pulleys and belt. If you have to fit a new one, they are very, very tight when new & you will have to pre- stretch unless you are the incredible hulk. If it has just jumped off the pulleys but is undamaged you might just refit it.

[erniet]

Thanks for all the assistance, many good ideas.
Update:
I did build a platform to so I could slied it out for inspection as mine is against the back wall, the same height as my closet floor about 16" off the main floor. I did follow one person's advice and pulled it out before ordering a new belt. Mine had jumped off the pulleys. Splendide was exceptional, they sent pdf's and some notes. I called them to ask why a belt might jump off, the answer was just as I thought, overload is the main cause. He encouraged me to reinstall my belt vs buying a new belt. And yes after I was told the washer quit, I went and found it FULL of bath towels and wash clothes!! There was way too much in it.
I reinstalled the belt and did one test wash & dry. Found out I had pulled the dryer vent tube away from the wall discharge vent. So I removed the AC vent screen, where you get into to change or clean the air filter and was able to reach in and reinstall the dryer vent tube.
Lets hope she has learned NOT to overload the washer!