My Kenmore 600 series washer fills to the proper water level, but when it gets to the point where it should start agitating the motor hums and nothing happens. I was able to turn the timer directly to the spin/drain cycle and the tub began to spin slowly (seemed slower than usual) and the water drained out. It also smelled like hot/burning insulation/plastic.
I removed the pump and verified that it’s free and clear, and I attempted to check the motor winding resistance but I don’t have a reference value to compare it against. I know it should be low, and I also don’t know which leads are which.
I have a feeling it’s either the motor or the transmission, but I would appreciate any guidance on moving forward to figuring out which one it is.
Well, after tinkering with it some more I realized the humming isn’t coming from the motor at all. I bypassed the lid switch and energized it with the cover off and realized it’s the solenoid fill valves that are humming.
I did some reading on how the spin/agitation cycles work, and I took the pump off and rotated the motor shaft counter clockwise and it moves freely and I can see the agitator doing its job inside the tub. I don’t think it’s a problem with the gearcase.
I found the motor resistance values and all of my readings were within 1 ohm of the range given.
I’m starting to think it’s a control problem related to the timer. Is there a way to test this to make sure? This part is nearly 1/4 of the value of the washer brand new. I’d like to make sure before I pick one up.
One other thing to add, I used an inductive voltage wand and waved it near the motor. It’s not getting any AC power when it’s in the agitation cycle.
With the water shut off and the timer at the beginning of a cycle. The water valves are going to hum. the water level switch is waiting until the tub is full. Then if the lid switch is closed, the washer can agitate.
The burning smell was probably the clutch overheating from trying to spin with a full load of water. That’s a lot of weight and resistance.
It could be the motor or the timer.
BTW your model number won’t come up. Please check it. It might have a 110. in front.