This answer just speculation & wild guess.
I would suspect the motor Start/Run capacitor - used to provide a high starting torque to get the motor going and to enable forward / reverse running.
Use google - select Images - enter motor capacitor
http://www.tradevv.com/TradevvImage/offerimages/A25a0.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_motor#Split-phase_induction_motor
Relatively big can - usually fixed to inside frame of machine - take care when removing wires as you may get a shock even with machine unplugged - make drawing or take picture of wiring so you can reconnect the new one correctly.
Peccavi, December 2009
