On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 09:06:58 -0700, Engwar wrote
(in article ) :

Every once in awhile we'll find an article of clothes with ugly (and
seemingly unremovable) spots after removing it from our washer. It was
a mere annoyance when it would happen to a t-shirt but now a nice
skirt of my wife's has been ruined!

A photo of the skirt is below (ignore the obvious moisture from a
spraying of 'shout')

The area of spots is always localized on the clothing. Usually only 1
article of clothings is affected, not the entire wash. There are black
spots and also some reddish spots.

Seems to happen with both cold and warm loads.

We assume it's the washer and not a problem with our water system as
it only affects one part of an item of clothing. But we could be wrong
there. Think we need a new washer? Or is this something that can be
repaired? Or do you think it's something other than the washer itself?
This item was hung to dry.

Again please see the photo below.

Thanks.

http://gatewayarts.net/temp/washer.jpg

Here's the info on the washer
Kenmore heavy duty 70 series
model 110 91278800
serial no cc2406622
unsure of age. Bought used 7 or 8 years ago

Engwar -

Appears to be transmission oil from the washer. I'm told it often happens
with old machines, and I've had two that went that way.

Under the agitator, there's a seal where the shaft enters the transmission.
When this starts to fail, little bubbles of black transmission oil start
floating up into the wash water. They cause stains that are almost
impossible to remove.

Also, as the oil bubbles out of the transmission, hot soapy water seeps in,
which eventually ruins the transmission.

If money's tight, and you're handy, you can replace the seal yourself. But
this involves pulling the agitator off its shaft, which can be damn near
impossible on an old machine. I made this repair once years ago - a helpful
pro at the appliance parts store told me to use a slide-hammer on the
agitator.

I think the pros would tell you when the transmission seal fails, it's
usually time for a new washer.

Unfortunately, an appliance service call will probably cost more than it's
worth spending on an old machine, but it will cost less than a new machine,
so if money's tight that could also be the way to go.

Sorry for the bad news.

- Kenneth