Silly question-washing machine info needed

[groucho]

I just got back from our Friday nite cruise spot and decided to do laundry. After the wash cycle it won't drain, rinse or spin. It just stops. Any ideas? Thanks

[Beagle]

You have a Neptune and it's time for a new one cuz the board cooked on yours. Next one, get a simple old timey mechanical knob one...

http://www.applianceaid.com/neptune15.html

oh wait, that was my story. The door lock safety circuitry blew. It thinks the door is open so it won't drain/spin. What kind of washer?

[Barry Donovan]

You have a Neptune and it's time for a new one cuz the board cooked on yours. Next one, get a simple old timey mechanical knob one...

http://www.applianceaid.com/neptune15.html

oh wait, that was my story. The door lock safety circuitry blew. It thinks the door is open so it won't drain/spin. What kind of washer?

that works for air conditioners and fuel injection too.

[Deaf Bob]

Beagle is probably right... To test..find the "safety switch". It will be on the lid's opening somewhere...stick a wood something in it...if it works... That's it
Doubt it is anything else as it "washes"

[BigBlockMopar]

Maybe the washer just gave up on your filth and went on strike...

Oh and Groucho, you're a day early...!

[groucho]

You have a Neptune and it's time for a new one cuz the board cooked on yours. Next one, get a simple old timey mechanical knob one...

http://www.applianceaid.com/neptune15.html

oh wait, that was my story. The door lock safety circuitry blew. It thinks the door is open so it won't drain/spin. What kind of washer?

Sears Kenmore

[nesabo]

Belt or Pully would be what I checked first. Probably one belt runs the drum as well as the pump.

[pdub]

I'm not a big fan of problems or even troubleshooting. Washing machine doesn't work? Get a new one.

Ours is about 12 years old and it makes an awful roar on the spin cycle. That's the symptom - roar.

Unit got a repair man over here last week and he diagnosed it as a bad gearbox. For a $35 service call he said this thing is the way it is. It's not hurting anything but the ears. It'll keep working but it'll make some serious noise.

So I'm thinking a new one. But upon shopping the market....dang, those things are now very expensive. They last so long that when you're looking for a new one, you're in for some sticker shock.

No, noise is good, if that's all it is. Noise.

[Beagle]

the one I worked on was my moms - was close to 2 grand, I'll stick a wrench on it. Super quiet huge capacity apartment stack meant i could get my 16 foot stand up freezer in the other side of the laundry room. The first time it stopped draining but I could hear the pump running the intake to the pump was full of dimes. I got paid something like 1.70 to fix it. The second time, bad news. The circuit board that monitors the safety junk fried and I'm not creative enough to work around it. For 600.00, yeah, I bought new units. They are louder, smaller, and waste more space. On the other hand, they work.

The washer will fill with the door open, but won't spin and if it can't spin, it probably isn't turning on the pump either. It could be the switch actuator broke and Deaf Bob's idea if it is a mechanical problem may work if the switch is just broke and sitting too low. They are a momentary switch, so you can probably hear it clicking when you test it. If the actuator arm doesn't push it far enough when the door is closed, it won't close the circuit.

The pain in the ass on most of them is getting to the switch with a meter to test or for replacement if that is the cause. I looked at a couple of web sites with similar complaints to my problem with the model number in the query, and turns out the board failure was a failing common to the model. I suck at circuit board repair and my dad is too old to give a shit anymore, so I bought new ones. When I was a kid, Dad would have fixed the board. I actually really miss those days... soldering iron plugged in and smoking next to the cigarette in the ashtray, Dad muttering something about "this isn't really the right part, but it will work".. something about NPN and PNP, hell it was all mystery mumble to me, some goofiness about Violet Goes Willingly. I retort now with All Programmers Should Try Not Doing Pushups (OSI geek stuff).

I can monkey see monkey do okay, buy the resitor or cap that is obviously blackened and replace it, but not much more than that. I lack the skills on modern boards. There is something about the way they mass produce modern shit that makes it very difficult for me to unsolder it.

Short version of that - check the door switch for continuity open and closed. If that works, it may get expensive. The boards stuff on mine ranged from a couple hundred to several hundred.

[gearhead1218]

If it's a top load machine, then it's made by Whirlpool. If the motor's not running at all, then it's an electrical issue (lid switch, motor, timer). If the motor's still running then you may have blown out the motor coupler which is an easy fix. Lid switch is also an easy fix.
Easy is also defined as cost as well. A timer or motor are also easy parts to replace, but a lot more costly.

[pdub]

I've always thought that if you can't fix it with a sledgehammer, it has to be an electrical problem.

[Deaf Bob]

Useless info

The quieter machines (read $$) are counter weighed. Usually some form of concrete...

[Huskinhano]

What type of washer? Front load or topload? We have a Sears front loader for quite a few years and basically trouble free. Last year I had a very similar problem. Stopped working with a lot of water sitting...period. I found out the pump went bad, had a crack or something and lost suction. Anyway it was about $50 and easy to replace. With the high efficiency washers you need to make sure you use detergent made for them and not regular detergent. The cost is about the same. The difference is the high efficiency detergent doesn't make as much or any suds. The suds cause cavitation in the pump and burns them out. Over all we end up using less detergent.

[groucho]

It turned out to be the motorized switch behind the main control knob. A friend gave me a # for a guy that showed up in 30 minutes, had a large amount of the unit apart, fixed it with a new part he had with him in 30 minutes for $120. This is my 1st washer repair experience....but doesn't that sound reasonable? I called Sears and they kept trying to shove a $240 warantee up my ass. Sears personel also asked my name/address 6 freakin times. Very annoying. Those that know me know I have no patience for shit like that

[Beagle]

Even better when they do it in either an Indian or El Salvadorian accent you can't understand.

Yes, it's a deal. You don't have to f* with taking it in or out, it's done, and you can go back to worrying about shit that counts. 120.00 is cheap to have a guy come out and fix it.