[betthinks]

Hi. A friend suspects that my washing has stopped working because the timer is shot., How do I test the timer to know for sure? I don't want to buy one if that is not the real problem. Betty Hinks

[applianceman]

Post the model number and tell us what the washer is doing. Also tell us why your friend thinks the timer is bad. Timers are not easy to check so give us this info to see if there is anything else you need to check. Clothes Washer Repair Guide

[betthinks]

The machine just stopped working. We checked all the obvious: power, hoses, turned on, etc. and nothing puts it in motion. We thought at first it was the lid switch, but we found that it was not faulty. The next thing seemed to be the timer. No place on the timer worked when we tried several different settings. It would not even fill. I await your reply. Thanks, Betty Hinks

[richappy]

Very rare a timer completely fails like this. If the timer is metal, you can pull the cover off and check the on/off contacts for burnt signs.

[applianceman]

If it won’t do anything at all (fill, wash, pump-out or spin) it is a good chance the timer is bad but I agree with richappy they don’t fail like this very often. If you have no luck looking for burnt spots inside the timer try this before you condemn the timer.

I know you said you check the power but did you check it with a voltmeter? Sometimes there can be a loose neutral somewhere in the circuit in your house wiring and a voltmeter will still read voltage. Try plugging something in the same outlet that pulls a good amount of current such as a hair dryer.

Also check for any loose connections in the washer a lot of times there will be a plug that connects the cord to the rest of the wiring inside the washer control, look for a loose connection there. Make sure the timer is plugged in good, things to that nature. Hope this helps!!

[betthinks]

Hi. Thanks for your reply. We did, in fact, check all the internal plugs we could get to, especially the ones under the top panel. I have to find a volt meter to check the other things. We did try changing the plug to another socket and still no results, but the socket worked for other things. They were not big power draws, and I will try that. Mostly, I'm trying to figure out how to test the timer so I'll know whether that really is bad. Any suggestions? Thanks again. Betthinks

[betthinks]

Originally Posted by richappy

Very rare a timer completely fails like this. If the timer is metal, you can pull the cover off and check the on/off contacts for burnt signs.

Hi. The timer is plastic. What now?

[betthinks]

One more thing. The timer is plastic, but it has several metal prongs which plug in. Does that help?

[richappy]

Follow applianceman's advice, I have NEVER seen a plastic timer fail! These new plastic timers have put most of the old timer repair shops out of business! Per the schematic, you can check for continuity across the on/off contacts when you turn the timer on.

[betthinks]

Originally Posted by richappy

Follow applianceman's advice, I have NEVER seen a plastic timer fail! These new plastic timers have put most of the old timer repair shops out of business! Per the schematic, you can check for continuity across the on/off contacts when you turn the timer on.

Thanks so much. I got the same message from someone else who knows washers, so it seems we are back to the lid switch. He said if it failed, the machine would shut down and not operate at all.. Do you agree?