Frigidaire front-loading washing machine is taking NAPS!

[deja_bhoot2000]

I have scheduled an appointment with an appliance repairman but would like your opinion about the following.

Age of washing machine: 8 years (purchased in March, 1998) Initial purchase price: About $800 Usage profile: 7 to 10 loads per week (About 3000 loads of clothes have been washed; yes, I am a geek and have a tally mark going...) Repairs-to-date: Just one repair, a leaky water pump was replaced in January 2003, $75 parts + $45 labor.

Now, all of a sudden, the washer is taking LONG naps!

When I start the washer, it runs fine for a few minutes, then, on its own, shuts down or sleeps (door lock indicator remains on). After about

5 to 10 minutes, it starts again and runs for 5 to 7 minutes. This pattern continues until the washing is done.

It is going through all the wash, agitate, rinse, ..., sping, fast spin, etc. cycles. It is also using all the soap, bleach, softener, hot water and cold water, properly. When the washing is finished, there's no difference in the quality of the wash. All settings for wash, extra rinse, etc. are working fine. I have opened the top & back covers, and there's no blockage of the vents near the fan. There's no burnt smell indicating any motor burn-out or anything.

Looks like a sensor or timer malfunction.

Q1. Has anyone seen this behavior on thier Frigidaire or any other front loading washing machine?

Q2. The machine has 2 years parts+labor warranty; 5 years parts-only warranty; and 25 years (!) drum-only warranty. I feel GUILTY about throwing and buying a new machine, when 99% of it is fully functional. At the same time, it probably does not make sense to pay $300 or so to repair it. Any guesses on what it might cost?

Q3. I called Frigidaire and their response: call a servicrepairman. Any tips for furtehr diagnostics? I have made simple repairs to some home appliances in the past (microwave, stove elements; electric oven, etc.), but a washing machine seems like intersection of electronics + electrical + mechnaical -- so it may be out of my league. Any tips for further diagnostics?

Thanks a lot.

[Wordsmith]

They're not so darn dependable, huh?

W ; )

[marks542004]

check the pressure and temp of the water inlet.

I have seen this sort of behavior when the machine is draining or filling and low water pressure is causing it to take a long time to fill.

[Gene S. Berkowitz]

That would be Maytag (now Whirlpool).

--Gene

[Don]

Sorry, don't have an answer for Q1 or Q2. Q3. Try this place

[Charles Quinn]

deja [e-mail] wrote in news:1135804354.025946.15880 @o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

Do you have the manual, is there a troubleshooting guide in it. There may be a schematic troubleshooting guide inside the machine. I looked and the Frigidaire website will let you download the manual. Are you using low suds soap?

[amde]

Mine did that for awhile then it got worse and worse and it's spin cycle stopped. It needed a new motor.

[HeyBub]

I agree with another poster: motor overheating. When it cools down, the machine picks up where it it left off.

Is the motor overly-warm at shut-down time? If so, check the directions for replacing the motor - it may be something doable for anyone whose hand fits a screwdriver.

If it IS the motor, more than half the repair bill will be the markup on the motor. See if you can get the replacement motor yourself and pay for only the labor to replace it.

[websurf1]

I just went through this, and that matches my problem. The machine was dead. Later, I played with it some more; it hummed, but no movement. The motor was very warm. I removed it, and it was somehow bound up and I had to use a pliers to turn the shaft by hand. Oh, that's not good.

I surfed around, and found a replacement motor for my Amana (Maytag?) at pcappliancerepair.com

This motor came with a new pully, and the motor switch/connector as well.

The motor and a new belt were $118 and change. I chose 2-day air for shipping, but they emailed and said that it was too heavy, and offered

2-day land for even less money. So I said sure! (Local repair shop wanted $165 for the motor.)

New motor works and I have no complaints. The repair was pretty easy.

Note: As long as you have it apart, remember to check ALL WIRES in the machine. In my dryer, I once found that the wiring insulation had been scraped off by some sheet metal, and had actually been arcing for some time. Scary...

[SoCalMike]

mc master-carr or graingers might carry the same electric motor if you can get the numbers off the old one. chances are all the major appliance makers use off-theshelf parts.

[deja_bhoot2000]

Thanks to all those who responded. Here are some more details and findings.

1. The model number is FTW445GES1
2. Problem does NOT appear tp be the motor. I touched it, and it was quite cool.
3. Quite by chance, I lightly pressed the door, and the nap ended! After that I did a test where I continuously applied light pressure on the door and it went through the complete cycle without taking any naps.

So, most likely it's the door lock assembly. In the parts catalog, it's listed as part number 131269400. A little google search revealed that this part is discontinued, and has been replaced by part number

131888900. Entering 131888900 in Froogle shows a couple of places that sell it for around $70 (plus or minus $5).

The repairman is scheduled to take a look on Tuesday, or Wednesday. I'll talk to him tomorrow and see what price he says for this part, and for service.

If you have replaced the door lock assembly in front loading washer, I welcome your tips, tricks and suggestions.

Bhoot Nath

[mm]

If someone were kneeling on your chest, most likely any nap you were taking would end also.

Congratulations.

One of the most common problems with Frigidaire washers is that they depend not so much on soap and water, but on cooling the clothes and agitating them so the frozen dirt flakes off. So if you have more problems, be sure to check the compressor and the freon.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Mike Berger]

If you run into a problem with the replacement motor, the installer will not warrant the one you supplied yourself. That's why they're entitled to the markup. They're assuming extra risk.

Pay them to do the entire job, and they will make good > If it IS the motor, more than half the repair bill will be the markup on the

[downsized_diva]

I would say repair it, though there is a lot of great DIY advice here. A new machine is definitely going to cost more than $300.

Theresa

[deja_bhoot2000]

???

You are loca or what?

[wordsmith]

I know. I was making a little joke.

W ; )

[Kathy]

Mine (same model) wouldn't spin today. It just loafed a little one way, and sat, and loafed a little the other, and sat, taking half an hour for a quick "drain and spin" cycle and leaving the clothes soppy. I tried four times with no luck and went to hunt down the manual. The manual says that can be caused by an inadequately latched door or a too-small load. In my case, throwing in a couple of wet hand towels with what was indeed a small load solved the problem.

Kathy

[Jumpster Jiver]

If it has a mechanical timer, it is sticking and running slow. The timer needs to be cleaned/serviced or replaced.

The timer uses a motor to make contacts connect to other contacts as the mechanis moves in a full circle. When the contacts are rubbing together, more force is needed to use it so it will run slower or intermittently start/stop along its path.

[trippinkpj]

Front loaders in general seem to have more problems than top loaders. IMO. We went through a 6 year nightmare with Maytag (Neptune model). Can you say class action suit?! Anyway we have another Front loader, Whirlpool for about 9 months so far, so good. Our friends have the Frigidaire for over a year, no problems yet.

[KLS]

Yes, front loaders do tend to have more problems due to the more complicated engineering, so an extended warranty is a good idea for these machines. Our Frigidaire Gallery is coming up on 3 years of good service, only had to have the door gasket replaced with a redesigned one that stopped the small seepage. Works great, does about 5-6 loads a week.