Hello, I have a front-loading Frigidaire FTFB4000FS1 which was purchased around 2007. It worked well for about 2 years, then went into storage for about 2 years while living in an apartment, and now is hooked back up again. However, after the first few loads clothes starting coming out sopping wet. After 1-2 additional trips through the spin-only cycle they became appropriately dry. I then ran a load and watched the whole thing (boring). It processed through the wash cycle and drained perfectly but then did nothing for a few minutes and then shut off, completely skipping the rinse and spin cycles. There was no humming or sound of any kind... just silence like it was about to start the next cycle but never did. Later, I tried again using the permanent press mode, and this time it performed the wash, drain, and rinse cycles but still didn't spin. I read the manual and put it in diagnostic mode (where it performs the functions but is manually advanced by turning a knob) and every function appeared to work perfectly. Cold water fill, hot fill, tumble/agitate, drain, and spin all worked perfectly. The spin was also incredibly fast and with no wobble so I don't think it is a belt/motor/balance issue. The diagnostic mode was performed with clothes still in it from the previous attempts, so I don't think it is an over/under fill issue. In fact, if I had the time I could wash my laundry using only the diagnostic mode to manually advance through the program, but that is obviously not the preferred solution.
** I want to reiterate that the high-speed spin functions perfectly in diagnostic mode; it spins amazingly fast and there is no grinding, squeaking, rubbing, or wobbling.
The washer does work perfectly in "Delicate" and "Hand Wash" modes. Any other mode ends in only a couple of minutes and results in sopping wet clothes, often with water still in the bottom of the tub. My non-professional opinion is that it is likely either a door sensor or a pump sensor; I think something is not telling the computer that it is safe to go into high-speed spin.
Please help. My son uses cloth diapers and "Handwash" mode just isn't enough...
- the washing machine does engage the "door lock", which can be heard engaging immediately I selecting a mode and pressing Start. The door is locked, too, as I cannot physically open it and the door lock light turns on appropriately on the display.
- the tub does tumble/agitate fine during the wash cycles.
- the tub does drain after the wash cycle. It forcefully shoots the water faster than a typical garden hose does.
- it doesn't spin whatsoever in the spin mode unless in Delicate or Handwash mode. There is absolutely no movement and absolutely no sound during the spin cycle in "Normal" "Heavy" or "Permanent press" modes.
- after a Heavy/Normal/Permanent-Press mode it is hard to tell if the water in the bottom of the basin is from an incomplete drain cycle, or whether the sopping clothes just sat long enough to let gravity pull some of the water out.
- I tested the resistances at the motor terminals using a digital multimeter and they match what the manual said they should be.
- I tested the resistance of the Door Lock Solenoid. It measured 1413ohms and was supposed to measure 1325 ohms +-10% so it is within spec.
- I have had the machine apart to inspect for frayed wires, random socks jammed in belts/gears, etc. I found nothing out of the ordinary. I there was a penny in the filter inside the rubber boot attached to the pump, but I removed it and I doubt it caused the problem.
** I tried to measure the resistance of the pump motor but was not able to. My digital multimeter would not settle on a reading and bounced from "open" to 2kohm, to 1Mohm, etc. Perhaps I'm not using the correct location; I'm checking the resistance between the only two electrical terminals that I can find (unplug the only wiring harness and then measure resistance between the two metal posts that the wires touched).
Does this mean that the pump is the problem, even though it works fine in diagnostic mode and in Delicate/Handwash mode?