Clothes Washer TIMER -- Replace?

I have a six-year-old Whirlpool Direct Driver clothes washer (top load).

Recently, we've noticed on occassion -- not all the time, maybe one time out of seven -- the machine goes through the regular wash cycle and then "automatically" proceeds to the "extra rinse" cycle, which it completes perfectly, before shutting off.

Now, supposedly, WE HUMANS are supposed to turn on this extra rinse if we see the need. So, either this machine has educated itself over the years, or there is some problem.

Working through my repair books, as well as checking out the web, it seems as if the timer may be the culprit. Said timer is about $80. I really don't feel like spending that unless I need to.

So, understanding that my electrical skills are limited, is there a possibility that I just need to clean a connection on the wires, or something like that? I could PROBABLY handle that much. And, I could probably handle replacing the timer outright if I really need to.

If I do nothing, what's the worst that will happen -- it will stop working? As long as I don't have a flood and it doesn't damage more parts, I don't mind being without the washer for a few days until I replace the timer when and if it comes to that.

Thoughts?

Tim

Reply to
tim birr
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I can't take credit for this, but someone here made the claim that it's almost never the timer -- I was telling my Dad this just after he ordered a timer for his washer. Sure enough, his issue turned out to be a faulty lid switch, and he returned the timer. The timer/controller takes in many different sensor inputs to advance/stall.

Is this a mechanical cycle timer? How does it get from the wash cycle to the extra rinse? Does it move directly over to the extra rinse section, or wait for about as long as the regular rinse would take? You need to figure out what sensors it may be waiting for/using to think it already rinsed.

Josh

Reply to
Josh

Josh wrote the following:

I have a Kenmore(Whirlpool) washer. There is a separate rinse knob on the control panel. It has only two positions - One Rinse/Two Rinse. If set at One Rinse, it stops after the one rinse. If set at Two Rinse it continues after the One Rinse stop position on the control panel and does a second rinse, and then stops. If there is anything wrong, I would suspect that it is with this One Rinse/Two Rinse control.

Reply to
willshak

OP again....Washer controls are mechanical -- not digital -- Washer does have this separate rinse selector knob. However, on mine it is labeled as "Extra Rinse," and you can click it to "OFF" or "ON." We have never moved it from OFF. You can initiate the "extra rinse," without touching that separate rinse knob by just moving the timer selector itself after the main cycle completes.

For those interested, here's a link to diagram of the controls. Number 9 is the timer....Number 37 is the rinse knob that Will is talking about:

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Reply to
steve

OP again....Washer controls are mechanical -- not digital -- Washer does have this separate rinse selector knob. However, on mine it is labeled as "Extra Rinse," and you can click it to "OFF" or "ON."

We have never moved it from OFF. You can initiate the "extra rinse," without touching that separate rinse knob by just moving the timer selector itself after the main cycle completes.

For those interested, here's a link to diagram of the controls. Number 9 is the timer....Number 37 is the rinse knob that Will is talking about:

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Reply to
tim birr

So are mine. All are turn knobs. No LED or LCD windows, no keypad.

Reply to
willshak

"tim birr" wrote > We have never moved it from OFF. You can initiate the "extra rinse,"

May be the timer, may be the rinse switch. Given the cost of it all, I'd probably let it do the extra rinse. Check to see that all connections are clean and no corrosion around the contacts, etc.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

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I'd check the extra rinse switch and wiring first for continuity and see what it's doing. If it's not the switch, then it would seem likely it is the timer.

Reply to
trader4

FF.

I tried your link, it didn't work. I need the link to see how the machine normally shuts off if the extra rinse switch is open, which should disable the timer after the one rinse. We have what appears to be the identical Sears machine,

I would take the panel cover off and watch the timer as it gets to the end of a regular wash cycle and see if it continues to move after it reaches the end of a regular wash with no extra rinse selected. If it continues to move, I would give it a pretty good rap nar the timer with a hammer and a wooden bar, hitting the wooden bar with the other end placed somewhere very close to the timer. IF the timer stops moving after the rap, you may have a sticking contact in the timer. I would try this a few times to see if the rapping makes any difference. What frequently happens is that there is an arcing when the contacts open at the end of the cycle. This melts a little contact metal each time the timer goes thru its cycle. If the molten metal from the arcing builds up, it can create a non-smooth surface, and eventually the peaks and pits stick together. if you give it a good rap when the contacts are stuck closed and trying to open, you may tear off a miinute amount of metal that is where there is sticking, and the timer will act normally for an unknown period of time.

I have a furnace fan plenum temperature switch that does stick once or twice a year, a good bang seems to clear things up for at least 6 months. This has been going on for at least 15 years, when it finally doesn't respond, then I will have to get a new switch. But in the meantime I am saving some $$.

Reply to
hrhofmann

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