GE washer refuses to Spin / Drain

Washer Repair
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1

I think I busted it.

Please help me go back to enjoying our 17 month old Top loading GE washer model - GTW4460ASJ4WW. It’s the first GE I’ve owned and up till now, I’ve loved it.

Symptoms - It won"t spin or drain. There is a half tub full of water in it. When I initiate the Rinse and Spin cycle, the lid locks and a few seconds later a quiet humming noise begins from down low and a few minutes later the humming gets a little louder, but still relatively quiet. But the washer is not spinning and no water drains from the drain hose. I searched on-line, but I don’t know if its spin motor or the water pump making the quiet humming noise.

This washer does NOT have an easy access front panel to remove w/putty knife. It looks like the whole front and sides are all one piece and joined with the control surface.

Suspected Cause - (me) I washed 2) old rubber-backed entry rugs and after the normal wash completed, I noticed some small rubber bits remained in the empty tub and removed them with a wet paper towel. I decided to run an empty wash (small water level) to clean out the tub. After wash completed, I noticed a couple of inches of water remained in the tub, so I ran the empty wash again. After this 2nd empty wash, the tub contained even more water and was almost half full. So I decided to run just the Drain and Spin cycle, well the lid locked and nothing happened except the humming sound. I got the Lid unlocked and the tub still has the same half full amount of water in it.

The washer is too heavy to move with the water in it, to look at the back.
If the pump is clogged with rubber bits, how would that keep the tub from spinning? Do the water pump and spinning motor have to work together? Also, I don’t know if this is belt-driven, would that matter?

My husband was been able to fix our old machine for years with the information I received from these forums, so I’d like to give him some insight on how to begin on his first repair of this new machine when he gets home from work.

Thanks for your help,
Ultimate2

2

Your problem is likely a clogged drain pump yes. The washer will not spin until it senses the water level has drained. Try using a wet vac to suction the water out of the tub and also try to suction water out of the drain hose as well. You will then need to access the drain pump and clean out the clog.

3

Bro,
Thank you for replying. We took you advice and drained the water from the tub, tilted washer on it’s side, accessed the water pump from underneath the washer. The pump is electrical not mechanically driven from the motor and belts. It spins the sealed small propeller shaft with the use of magnets mounted on the outside of the pump. Tiny little particles stuck between the propellor and propeller housing were enough to stop the blades from beginning to spin. Cleaned it out, reassembled and presto… Bob’s your uncle! Thanks for the reply, saved our family at least $80.00 !

4

My ge top load washer stops after wash cycle makes humming noise won’t rinse spin or drain what could be the problem