Washing machine belt running on back of wheel

[janieJones123]

I have a Candy Grand O washing machine that I have had for about 10 years now. Recently the belt has started to slip off the wheel. This morning it happened for the second time. I have got the belt back on but I noticed that it runs on the back of the wheel, no matter how much I try to guide it to the middle.

Is there likely something loose or off-centre that could be causing this, or is this really just a case of the belt needs replacing? It's the original belt.

As an aside, I noticed that when I remove the back panel the drum and everything inside rock gently with a little push. Is that normal? I also found this white plastic thing sitting on the base, is it something that has fallen off, or is this a tool? It was sitting behind the grey pipe in the background.

 

[pete50]

Not sure about a Candy as I have never worked on one but normally the motor spindle has a grooved gear in which raised ribs on the belt should sit in. This keeps the belt centered. If the belt has worn or, unlikely, the grooves on the motor spindle have worn then the belt could slip off. On my junk (Sheppach) band saw there is an adjustment that tilts one of the drive wheels slightly to maintain the center position of the blade on the drive wheel. If the belt is worn and there are no grooves on the motor drive spindle then the belt could have worn unevenly and that would throw the belt off. It could also be the drum wheel has worn, although this is unlikely but the bearing could be worn which is throwing the drum wheel off center. As for the rocking yes it should all rock gently or not so gently if you are spinning heavy items like towels. The drum sits on "shock absorbers" which should take up some of the violent movement when spinning. Again if one or more of the shocks are not doing what they should do the this could cause your problem. As I said I haven't worked on a Candy machine but all the other makes that I have worked on the motor has been mounted on the drum so any movement of the drum doesn't affect the orientation of the belt. I have no idea what the "white thing" is but it could be a nylon retaining bolt that the transit screws were screwed into. The transit screws should be removed when the washing machine is installed and that could have been left behind. The transit screws are there to stop the drum banging around during transit.

Just some things to check.

 

[janieJones123]

@pete50 Thank you very much for the detailed reply. Yes the motor spindle does have plenty of grooves, and the belt itself is still quite deeply grooved. I do find when refitting the belt that the closer to the front of the motor spindle I seat the grooves, the better the belt stays on the wheel. It still runs on the back but doesn't come off as easily. The machine has just completed a wash and is on a second, so it seems to be holding ok. The drum wheel doesn't appear to be loose or moving at all, but I will have a look into all of the potential causes you suggested.

Ah, yes the white thing looks like it could be a retaining bolt. There are no sheared edges or anything to suggest it has broken off anything, so this is most likely the case.