Can anyone help. I have a 2 yr old kenmore washer. It starts up then quickly says (ol) I looked in the manual and it says over load. I took all of the clothes out and ran it empty. Everytime it runs with or without clothes I have the same problem. Sears wants to charge me $70.00 just to come out and give me an estimate. Any advice?
What is the model number of your washer?
I’m not sure if I have this correct… The guide says models 110.2703 & 2704 & 2705 & 2715. This is what is printed on the front cover of the use and care guide. It is a Kenmore elite Oasis. Does that help:confused:
Check to see if the basket moves freely.
If it does not then probably there is a foreign object between the basket and the outer tub.
If it does then the problem is a bad motor control.
Gene.l
I have the same problem with my Kenmore Oasis. No matter how many clothes I put in the machine, it will fill up and when it comes time to wash, will drain out and give me the oL signal. That means overloaded per the manual and it will do it with 2 itmes, none or a regular load. I called my repair guy and he said to call Sears about a rework on the control board.
After having Sears come out and replace the control board for free, I still have the same problem. The service technician thought it was the outer tub and basket not floating and most probably fused together. I called Sears again to see if there was a rework or recall on the tub and although he saw a repair warning on the tub, he would not send anyone out for free.
I have a repair company that I trust come out tomorrow to take a look at the machine and hopefully repair, will keep you posted.
Here is an update. There is a wiring harness recall on this machine. When I called Sears the first time they said no, I called again and they said yes. They are coming out on Saturday to fix that. If that isn’t the problem, I 'll go from there. I cancelled my appt today with my trusted repairman as Sears is paying for Saturday’s visit.
Will keep you posted.
I had the same problem getting the OL error and finally, after replacing several un-needed parts, found out how to fix it. So if your have the Kenmore Oasis or the Whirlpool Calypso, then read this before buying any parts.
OK, first off lets define what OL really stands for. Most people think it means “Over Load”, but it actually stands for “Outa Luck” because every time I would replace a part that was suppose to fix the problem I would still get the “Outa Luck” error. So after buying a new “wire harness & motor control” for $100 and a new “Electronic control” for $200, I finally dug in and started ripping the machine apart to figure it out.
What I found out is that there is a critical function I kept reading about but did not exactly know what it actually meant, and that is that the basket needs to “float”. Floating is when the tub fills up with water to a certain level the outter basket will rise about 1 inch from the center agitator. What this does is disengage the basket from the motor so that the agitator can rotate independently from the basket. If the basket does not float then when it trys to agitate the whole basket will turn back and forth at the same speed as the agitaor and this will cause the OL error code. The reason it gives the OL code is because if you pile too many clothes in the washer then it can keep the basket from floating properly.
I was getting the OL error even when there was only 2 small items in the washer, so it was not floating for some other reason besides being overloaded. You can check to see if the basket is floating freely by grabbing the inside top lip of the basket on both sides and pull up and if the basket raises about 1 inch then it is ok. But if it does not raise then you know there is a problem.
To fix the problem if the basket is not floating you will have to take the washer apart. Below are the steps to follow if you are mechanically able to tackle it,
- Unplug the power cord
- Lift the top of the washer up, to do this there are 2 latches in the seams between the top and the bottom sections. These latches are about 6 1/2 inches from the right side and left side of the washer. You need to insert a small screwdriver (be careful not to scratch the paint) and push the latch while lifting the top section.
- The top will actually fold back leaving the inner tube fully exposed. Support the glass lid so it doesn’t get damaged because it is very heavy and will fall open when you flip the top back.
- Remove the plastic top of the tub. There is one hose connected at the back and there are several snaps around the outter edge that hold it on. Remove the hose and unsnap the snaps and set it aside.
- Remove the cap covering the very center of the agitator. It is just snapped in place and can be pryed off with a small screwdriver.
- Remove the center screw under the cap.
- Remove the agitator, you need to lift it evenly and might have to work your way around by pulling on one of the three fins and then the next and so on. I also had luck using a small pair of needle nose pliers and grabing a small lip inside the area where the screw was and pulling from there.
- Remove the 6 phillips screws in the middle holding the plastic top gear in place. Be very careful you don’t drop one of the screws because it can fall through the slots in the basket and be lost below.
- Remove the plastic top gear.
- Pull the plastic lower gear off of the splined shaft. It should pull right off.
- Now you need to pull the basket up and off of the shaft. This is where you might have problems because the basket might be corroded to the shaft. If you can grab the basket on both sides under the outter lip and pull upward it might pull up. If not, then you will have to figure out a way to get it off.
- Once the basket is off you will notice there is liquid inside of it. That is factory sealed in there so do not worry about that, it is normal.
- With the basket is off you will be able to see that the shaft is probably corroded and the inside bearing on the basket is corroded. Clean these both off very good and check to see if the basket can easily go back on the shaft and slide up and down without getting stuck. I had to sand and file the shaft a little bit to get it totally cleaned up. The inned bearing of the basket is plastic so it is pretty easy to clean with light sanding.
- Reassemble in the reverse order and your done. Check to make sure the basket can easily float now by pulling up on it from the top inside lips.
I hope this saves some people a lot of aggrivation and money.
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana]Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your diagnosis and repair with us. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana]Your post was very informative and instructive.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana]
Happy New year!
Gene.
[/FONT][/COLOR]
I had this exact same issue as tracehae did. OL code. Once I determined the basket was not floating I proceeded to take the thing apart. First the wash plate would not budge. I ended up grabbing two of the vanes with locking pliers and was able to rock it off the shaft, but that damages the wash plate (which I just bought from this site!). The basket was even worse - what I ended up doing was attaching locking pliers to the shaft, and rotating the shaft while my son pulled up on the basket. We finally got the basket off the shaft and discovered all that corrosion. Scraped and sanded it all and put it back together and it’s all good.
What’s interesting is this was my parent’s machine. They had a different code and the service tech replace the motor sensor and harness. When that didn’t work he threw up his hands and said the machine wasn’t repairable. So my folks went out and got a new washer and dryer. They gave me the old one to try to fix. All I did was replace the main board and then solve the basket float problem. So I have a near-new Oasis pair for less than 200 bucks (including new wash plate). It’s obvious the tech new nothong about how these machines are supposed to work, despite his claim he fixes them all the time.
Last comment - they don’t make them like they used to! I have a 23-year old GE washer and dryer that still work great, although the tub and basket are rusting.
I sincerely appreciate this post for the OL repair issue but i’m having a bit of a problem with one of the steps… after removing the agitator cap with a small screwdriver i look inside and see a big clear plastic piece… is this the center screw you are talking about removing and if it is then how do you remove it because it is stuck good.
I’m afraid I don’t know about this one - when I removed the cap on mine the screw was pretty obvious - there was no clear plastic piece.
Yes, like Yorbadad says, the screw is real obvious when you remove the cover in the center of the agitator. My washer is the Kenmore Oasis but if yours is the Wirlpool Calypso I can’t say for certain if that one is a little different design.
Don’t be offended but I need to ask the obvious, because you never know.
Are you working on the Kenmore Oasis Washer?
Are you getting the OL error?
Did you remove the little white plastic cap in the very center of the tub at the bottom?
When you removed that cap you can’t see a little screw in the center that can be removed?
If the answer to all those are “yes” then I’m stumped. Sorry.
Hopefully someone else has an answer.
Good luck.
Call 1-800-659-7026. Sears is replacing the Computer Control. You will have to give them the Model number and/or serial number.
I’ve taken my oasis apart as stated above. The tub is frozen solid to the shaft. I’ve tried WD-40, no luck yet…Any advice. I’ve got a literal rust bucket :eek:
Thank you so much. This worked like a charm. My washer would start up and spin to level out then it would fill with water. Spin a little then fill with water until the tub was full then the timer would go from 28 min down to 6 min then it would drain. I couldn’t figure it out. Its not washing. I called sears and they told me that my circuit board had a defect and that they could change it out. Once the service guy came it said that everything was fine after changing out the board and that my basket was kinda stuck but he pulled it up. I told him to wait wanted to run a full wash while he was there. He kept trying to sell me their warranty saying that my tub is going to wear out and that I needed protection. I was like so you not going to fix my washer? He smiled like he knew what my problem was. He watched the washer get to 28 and then 6 min and he hit the door. Loser. So I found this thread and opened up the washer as instructed. I am a woman and was able to do it with no problem. The basket was a little hard to pry away from the tub but I got it loose. I went to home depot and got some silicone grease and phosphoric acid. I also got a wire brush. I cleaned all the corrosion off and made sure everything was smooth. Rubbed a thin layer of silicone grease on and I’m back in business. I cleaned the washer with bleach and I am now on my 3rd load. Thank you!
thanks for this tip. i went through the motor troubleshooting steps in the service manual and it said that the control board was bad (failed giving the oL error on the agitate test, but all of the cables ohmed out in spec). i had replaced the control board last year for a different issue, so i was pretty sure that was not the problem.
my tub was very hard to remove. i found a tip on anther site that said to fill it with water and it would help. i manually filled it with hot water (to just above the top of the shaft) and let it sit a few minutes. after that, i was able to pull it off the shaft.
I know this is old and you have the issue long resolved by now. What you seen inside your agitator when you removed the cap is a plastic seal that keeps water or liquid detergent / softener from gettng in to where the agigator connects to the transmission. This piece just pulls straight up like pulling the stopper out of your kitchen sink. I know this will not help you, but maybe it will help another reader. 
Can anyone help me.
I have a Kenmore Elite Oasis Washer, blue top loader with the glass, Model # 11028087700
It starts up fine but then during the wash cycle it just adds water, spins and drains but never agitates and at around 18 minutes it jumps to 3-4 minutes then drains and spins again but the clothes are always dripping wet and an error code comes on #OL
I get this error code #OL (over load) with or without clothes, either way I still have the same problem even if I just use the clean washer button only.
I read all the info hear and throughout the internet.
I did the test that was posted here by:[SIZE=4][COLOR=#0000ff] tracehae[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=4][/SIZE][SIZE=4], dated 01-02-2010, 10:57 AM [/SIZE][SIZE=4]) by grabbing the inside top lip of the basket on both sides and pull up and if the basket raises about 1 inch then it is ok. But if it does not raise then you know there is a problem, I don’t have this problem as my basket rises up fine. [/SIZE][SIZE=4]
I read that I might need to have the circuit/control board replaced but thought I would see hear first if anyone has a thought of what I should do.
Thanks for any help anyone can give me.
[/SIZE]
Hi Weslee,
If the basket raises free then very likely the problem is a bad control board. If you will order it from APP and it would not fix the problem you can simply return the part back.
- The main control board AP6016602
Gene.
Thanks so much. I paid a Sears guy to come out and look at my non-spinning, oL problem. He recommended a new computer board. So I got it at a local appliance shop and replaced it. Same problem. So I called the tech back up and he said it must be my suspension rods, so I bought them on amazon and replaced them. Same problem. So I googled it, found you, followed your directions and my washing machine is running like a champ.
Thanks again!