[mrpour]

All:

I have a Maytag Centennial Top Load Washing Machine (Model #: MVWC400XW0) that does not spin during a SPIN cycle. I have attempted to get it to spin during a normal "Wash" cycle and a "Drain and Spin" cycle with no luck. The machine does go through each step of the cycle and it does drain water. One additional item I noticed is that it does not "lock" the lid during the spin cycle. I am able to freely move the bin in either direction with no friction. The motor seems to hum during the spin cycle.

Any ideas or thoughts on this one?

Thanks!

-Matt

[fairbank56]

This washer shouldn't do anything unless the lid is locked. When you start a cycle, does it lock? After drain, does it unlock the lid right away? There is a manual inside the cabinet that will tell you how to get into diagnostic mode to check for error codes and run the machine through it's functions.

Eric

[mrpour]

Eric,

It locks when I perform a wash. I ran the Diagnostic check. During the Automatic check, there appears to be a failure during the Motor Spins check. The WASH, RINSE and SPIN lights are green and the LID LOCK light flashes red (all previous tests it was solid red). I attempted to perform a Manual Test for Low Spin and High Spin, but the Green lights would flash the Lid Lock would not engage for either manual test. The Manual Drain test worked fine.

Update - I performed an Ohm test on the Lock switch, and it measured properly per the diagnostic instructions. It appears that the main board may be faulty.

Any additional thoughts?

Thanks!

-Matt

[fairbank56]

Could also be the shift actuator which is a high failure item on this washer as are bad connections, broken wires and bad control boards. The shift actuator has an optical sensor that fits up into the gearcase and measures for basket rotation speed. It also operates a lever on the splutch to shift between agitate and spin. You can test the shift actuator with your multimeter. Check between the gray and black wires for +13 volts DC. Gray wire is negative. Check between the gray and pink wires for +5 volts DC or 0 volts. Slowly rotate the basket and it should switch between +5 and 0 volts at a rate determined by rotation speed. Check between the gray and blue wires for +5 and 0. Should be +5 in spin mode and 0 in agitate mode. Check that the splutch lever moves between agitate and spin when selected. You can check these voltages at the shift actuator or at the plug on the control board. J2 (blue,pink,gray,black).

Eric

[mrpour]

Eric,

The Ohm readouts came back OK. Anything else left to test?

On a different note, is there a thread on washer reliability? Would be great to avoid certain machines/features if they have a high failure rate.

Thanks!

-Matt