GE Washer Headscratcher

Washer Repair
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1

My GE washer would not agitate or spin. After some inspection, I concluded that the timer had gone bad (whether or not this was the right repair I do not know at this point). So, I ordered the part online and installed it. After I put it in I plugged the power cord back in and did GE’s motor reset procedure (open and closed the lid 6x). I then tried to do a load of clothes. The machine did agitate, but when it came to the spin cycle it would not spin.

So, I pulled off the front panel and completely removed the air hose which somehow starts the spin cycle. The hose had no holes and nothing was plugging it. I then removed the clothes and did a trial on the spin cycle. At first the drum move slowly, clockwise and then counter-clockwise, and after a minute of this the machine went into a full spin mode. The drum moved fast as it normally should.

I thought it issue was fixed, so I put the clothes back in and attempted to wash them again. This time, the machine would not agitate or spin…very frustrating. I’m really confused as to why it will work sometimes, but not others.

Any thoughts? Is it the lid switch? I already sunk $120 into a new timer, so I want to avoid buying parts willy-nilly.

Thanks for any help.

3

You should have had an error code from flashing lights on the motor. If not the motor/inverter could be bad or since it spins with no clothes the mode shifter could be the problem but in that case you should have gotten an error code.

These GE models are incredibly complex and without a clear error code they are very difficult to diagnose. You may want to replace it with a basic top loader with NO NO NO electronics.

4

Thanks for the reply, Sid. But this IS a top load GE washer. It’s about 8-10 years old. I think they may be a loose wire/connection somewhere, but from what I could see everything looks okay as far as I can tell.

5

I understand that it is a top loader, but GE built a diagnostic error report into the inverter on the motor with flashing green lights. Here is a link on how to interpret the codes if you have them.

http://www.appliance-repair-it.com/GE-washer-repair.html