Start Capacitors - Clothes Washer Style

[stokester]

Although I frequently deal with capacitors designed for auto radios I'm dealing with one for a washing machine and am hoping for some advice.

My daughter's clothes washer decided to quit this past weekend showing a motor fault. Using online references the most common component is the actuator which shifts the agitator - replaced, no joy.  We found the service technician's manual and did some deeper diagnosis to find proper voltages from the control board and continuity in the motor windings.

Observation of the motor during the selection of a wash shows the motor trying to start but then stopping.  I removed the drive belt and the motor would spin freely without any load (drum spins easily).  This leads me to think the starter capacitor is shot or weak.  I used my multimeter with a capacitor check to get a 50uf reading.

So after all that my question is for those of you who deal with these...  can they be weak but still read at the full value?  If so, how do I test or check?

[goodfellow]

Nick, your capacitor could most certainly be weak but still read at the full value. Using a multimeter with a capacitance testing option can often lead to such confusion. Do you have an old fashioned full voltage tester?

In these situations I always take it out and bench test it with the old Heathkit just to be sure.

[stokester]

Wish I had one of those vintage testers, it would be able to tell if it was breaking down at high voltage.  My hesitation of just changing it out was the ~$50 price but I've found suitable substitutes, albeit not in the special mounting case for less than $10 so may do that.  The service manual has you use a 20K resistor to discharge it an use a ohmmeter to check.

I've still got more diagnosis to do as I read the service technician's manual there are more tests to be run.