[MikeinTX]

Somehow the system thinks it is a Wards brand, but it is actually a Whirlpool. I can't figure out how to change that so I included the information here.

My wife put some cans in the unit and turned the knob to the start position. The ram went down, made some noises, and then stayed down. When I came to check on it, there was a definite "burned electronics" smell. I assumed that something had seized and burned out the motor. I took the bottom off and rotated the drive gear and the ram moved up smoothly. I took the motor out and tested all of the windings and the resistance checks were all in range. I checked the motor switch (there were two on this unit) and all of the readings were good on it as well. I reassembled the unit and decided to power it up. When I hit the start switch, the ram went down and stayed down. I switched it off before anything got too hot again. This sounds to me like the problem might be with the motor switch, but everything tests good. Could the problem be the directional switch? Given the cost of the motor and motor switch, I don't want to buy any parts I don't need. If the directional switch seems like it might be the problem, I'll try it first.

[MikeinTX]

I finally discovered that the problem was the directional-top limit switch. Took about 30 minutes to replace it at a cost of $43. I'm a little disappointed that I never got any responses from any techs who might monitor this forum. I think we're on our own. The part number was 777811.