Our whirlpool washer (direct drive) was making a whining noise, and
then quit altogether. I found that the motor coupling had broken, so I
replaced it. That worked, but it was still whining. I had not noticed
the whine before, but my wife (who does most of the laundry) said that
after the coupler replacement, it seemed to be louder. After a few
loads of clothes, she noticed water on the floor, so I pulled it
apart, and found that the pump had failed. It was real weird - it
looked like the plastic had melted, and there were these blobs of dark
colored melted plastic on the outside. So I figured, "hey, I guess two
things can go out at once", so I replaced the pump, and all seemed
well. The whine was gone, and the washer worked. My wife called this
morning to say it was whining again., but still working - so far.

Anyone have any idea what in the world might be going on here?
Everything seemed fine with the motor and such - all the parts came off
and went back together pretty easily, nothing seemed bent or broken or
otherwise amiss.