After washing and drying my clothes in my 15-year-old GE "heavy duty"
top-loading washer and dryer, I noticed little grease-colored marks on
my clothing.  These were always in the shape of an outline of a
cross-section of a convex lens. (e.g.
http://www.play-hookey.com/optics/lens_convex.html)

I paid a repairman to fix the problem.  He said it required the motor
in the washer to be replaced, which he did.  I thought the problem was
fixed, but it isn't.  I am not going to pay to have the washing
machine fixed again ($300 last time).  I would rather just get a new
washing machine.

My question is:  is it possible that the dryer is in fact the culprit
here.  If so, I may get that repaired and cancel the purchase of a new
washing machine.  If not, I will go ahead with the washing machine
purchase.

So to answer my question, either provide a link which mentions that
dryers can make these grease-type marks on clothing, or a link which
mentions that this can be caused by the washer.

-Kevin

Hi kevin,

There are two real possibilities, both are in the washer. The first is
that the gear box seal is failing, and the second is that the fabric
softener dispenser needs to be dismantled and cleaned out.

Subject: Grease on cloths from washer or dryer???
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair
"When the seal starts to fail, this oil floats up into the wash water
in the form  of small black drops.  The stains are almost impossible
to remove from  clothing.  Also, as the oil is leaking up, hot soapy
water is leaking down into the transmission, which will eventually
cause it to fail.  As I recall, the seal wasn't difficult to replace,
but to get access to it I basically had to disassemble the whole
machine.  The hardest part was pulling the agitator off the shaft - I
used a slide hammer puller.  I'd start by pulling the agitator off and
see if you can access the transmission seal that way - perhaps yours
will be easier than mine was."
http://groups.google.ca/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=20010619123233.10139.00000065%40ng-md1.aol.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3D%2522GREASE%2520MARKS%2522%2520WASHER%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN%26as_qdr%3Dall%26tab%3Dwg

Robbie's Household Tips Message Board
Requesting Household Help
Spots on clothes AFTER washing
"My wife kept complaining about oily/greasy spots on our clothes from
the washing machine. We have a Maytag washer that's about ten years
old, but still works very good except for the spots. I took out the
tumbler from the inside, and grease had started to climb the shaft
from the gear box below the tub. This is caused by a seal failure some
where between the gear box and tub. Anyway, I've cleaned out the
grease and mess from other stuff, and put the machine back together. I
hope this ends our problem and maybe help with yours."
http://pub19.ezboard.com/fhouseholdtipsandtricks86248requestinghelp.showMessage?topicID=75.topic

>>>>>>

Robbie's Household Tips Message Board
Requesting Household Help
Spots on clothes AFTER washing
"The problem I was having were similar to grease stains showing up on
clothing. I took apart the top half of my inner washer stem thingy. I
took off the top where I put fabric softener, and continued to take
off whatever parts were removable (in the agitator/stem thing in the
middle~sorry don't know the names). There was so much gunked up fabric
softener in there it took me literally 2 hours to clean it all out.
Once I removed the built up fabric softener I didn't have any
problems. I did use a combination of vinegar and hot water to clean
it, because it had a very greasy consistency to it. After that the
problem was gone, clean clothes with no new stains. A couple of months
later we ended up getting a new washer. The old stained clothes that I
wear as 'grubby' clothes, were washed in the new machine at a very hot
temp~120 degrees and the stains were removed! So try some boiling
water to help remove the stains, I guess?! Hope this is helpful!"

"This stuff is OBVIOUSLY the residue from the liquid fabric softener
we were using before changing to softening dryer sheets and it took me
upwards of an hour to clean it all off the inside of our washing
machine - I mean this stuff is like thick and viscous goop - halfway
between wax and mechanic's grease! Weird! It's now half an hour AFTER
dealing with the clean up and I've washed my hand about ten times now
and I can STILL smell it on my skin!!!"
"So! Just to make sure, I even took a clump of the goop and heated it
up in a frying pan to see how it would react (no kidding)- and it
actually turned into a greasy puddle with very little heat! So - this
is what I think is happening:
The washer crud is breaking off in small clumps and adhering to the
clothes in the wash cycle - when the clothes are transfered to the
dryer, the heat is melting the particles and creating the greasy spots
we're seeing! Whadya' think?"
http://pub19.ezboard.com/fhouseholdtipsandtricks86248requestinghelp.showMessage?topicID=75.topic

>>>>>>

To check your dryer, dampen a sparkling white towell, put it in your
dryer and run a cycle.

>>>>>> 

I'm confident that either the seal or the goop is causing your grease
stains (or perhaps both). If not, or if you have any questions, please
post a clarification request before closing/rating my answer and I'll
be happy to reply.

Thank you,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used: 
"grease marks" washer
"grease marks" dryer