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Last month I made a post on here asking for help when my 23 year old KitchenAid washer had stopped spinning. After a few days it was discovered that a new coupler was needed to get me back in good shape, and it's been working fine since then, until a short while ago. I was running a medium load of clothes on perm press and everything was running as normal, but when I lifted the lid to empty it I saw that it was still filled with water from the rinse cycle. It has done this a handful of times over the years, and normally the fix is just to reset the dial and let it work, but it's not working this time. I pull the switch out and nothing happens except I hear a very faint clicking sound coming from the control panel, which I assume is the dial counting down to its next step. I tried setting it to start from the top as if it was a new load and it filled up with a tiny bit of water and then stopped. What could be the cause this time and what could be the solution? You guys were a big help to me last time so that's why I'm turning to you once again. The model number is KAWE540WWH2 serial number is CB2501219.
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Ok, I've removed the cover like I did last time, and I see no evidence of what the cause might be. Nothing is leaking and nothing looks or smells like it shorted out, so I'm still at a loss. Yesterday I drained most of the water out using a siphon, but there's still some sitting in there that I'd like to get out. I don't want it getting nasty and I really don't want it possibly gumming up the works later on.
Since the pump is right there in the front, the inlet and outlet hoses are obvious, couldn't I simply unhook the hose leading from the tub to the pump and stick a bucket under there and let gravity do its thing? Or as an alternative, take the pump off the motor and stick socket wrench into where it connects to the motor and turn it by hand? Would either one of those be safe to do or would I risk messing something up even worse?
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I've done a bit of research and bounced the problem off a friend of mine, and he thinks it might be that my timer has gone bad. Whirlpool 3355825 Timer - AppliancePartsPros.comIs that barking up the wrong tree, or is that the most likely source of the problem? I see that the part is discontinued, but I've already found several used units on ********, so tracking one down shouldn't be an issue. I'm just waiting to get some feedback before I order one, I don't want to spend money on a part that won't fix the problem.
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If the problem is that it will agitate ok but won't drain or spin then it's most likely a faulty lid switch. If it won't agitate either, take a close inspection of the motor wiring harness connector. Unplug it and check for any corroded or burned terminals or wires. Pull on the wires to determine if any may be broken where they enter the connector housing. If all looks good there, then I would go with replacing the timer.
Eric
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Thanks Eric. It will fill with water but won't do anything else, I'm not sure when it decided to stop working but it's my guess it was sometime during the rinse cycle. So I don't think it's the lid switch. I took a look at the motor and wiring harness like you said, and while I saw a tiny bit of discoloration (just a tiny hint of light brown), none of it looked actually burned or damaged, just signs of old age. Same with the wires, nothing appeared to be broken or burned out. I took some pictures, what do you think? Is that normal for its age or is it signs of burnout? http://pic.armedcats.net...ass/2015/08/31/Wash1.jpg http://pic.armedcats.net...ass/2015/08/31/Wash2.jpgIf you feel the same, then I'll get a replacement timer ordered. The one I've found matches my part number, all I can do is assume there wasn't some design revision between the two that makes it incompatible with mine.
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The terminal on the motor receptacle where the white wire connects looks a little suspect. That is neutral to the motor and if the connection is not good, it won't work. See if you can clean that up with fine sandpaper. The inside of the terminal in the plastic header can be cleaned with a round jewelers file.
Eric
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Ok, I hit that terminal with a little 2000 grit sandpaper (top and bottom), and here's what it looks like now. http://pic.armedcats.net...ass/2015/08/31/Wash4.jpgI don't have a jewelers file, so I just wrapped some of the sandpaper around a toothpick and used that to get inside the connector. What's the next step now? Reassemble the whole machine and see if it works? If so, should I try running a small load from the very start, or at some midway point? And if it still doesn't work, could it still be a wiring issue or should I just go ahead and replace the timer?
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I went ahead and put it back together and tried running a test load of towels, and still nothing. It will fill up just fine but won't do anything after that, it just sits there with the timer ticking away. Which means that's probably the issue and I should get a new one, right? This is my timer, http://pic.armedcats.net...ass/2015/08/31/Wash3.jpgAnd the replacement I found matches the main part number, but the two sets below it are different. Does that make a difference or does it just signify what batch it was from/manufacture date? I'd post the link but it just seems to make things go haywire on here.
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Yes, sounds like a bad timer. If the main part number is the same, it should work fine assuming it's a good timer to begin with.
Eric
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Ok, I've got a "new" timer here, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to remove the knob on my current one so I can swap them out. I thought it would just pull off but that doesn't seem to be the case, so what's the trick?
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