Whirlpool washer won't drain

[Robert MacNutt]

Hi. Just got finished reading some excellent posts here on this topic

- unfortunately, none exactly match my problem:

Whirlpool direct-drive washer, about 5 years old. Pump has two different sized pipes - no flapper.

Washer fills, agitates, then stops, dead silent for a minute or so, then starts to spin with a full tub of water. The water does spin out, but I'm sure it's hard on the motor. There's no leaking at all.

I was certain it was the pump, so I replaced it (boy, what a pain THAT was!), but it still won't drain. The lid switch seems to work - If I lift the lid during agitate or spin, the washer stops, when I close it, it starts back again. There aren't TWO sets of contacts on that switch, are there?

Might it be the timer? It does seem odd that it will stop during agitate if I open the door. Then again, it seems there've been times that the door was open, and it kept agitating.

[jeff]

Hi,

Most DD washers will agitate, stop, motor reverses and washer starts draining only for a bit, washer stops and this is when the tranny "sets up" for spin and the washer restarts draining and spinning together...-sounds- like your predrain is missing somehow...timer??

Most DD washers will still agitate with the lid open/up and will stop draining/spinning with the lid up.

jeff.

Appliance Repair Aid

[Robert MacNutt]

Followup - I checked out the symptoms a bit more closely, and here's what it does:

• During the wash cycle, it agitates with the lid up or down,

• Then(at what looks like the end of the wash cycle on the dial)it switches to another state, where it's sort of agigating, but not as vigorously as before, and it will stop if the lid is opened - could this be the drain cycle? It stays like this for about 3 clicks of the timer, but no draining happens

• Then it goes another state (about 2 timer clicks) for about 2 minutes where it's dead silent (with a tub full of water)

• Then it goes to spin, during which the water eventually spins out.

[Oscar_lives]

My Whirlpool washer also does this-- intermittently. The lid switch seems OK, but ??? I am eagerly awaiting some sage advice...

[Robert MacNutt]

Does the agitator normally run, albeit less vigorously, during the drain cycle? If so, then it would seem the lid switch is ok, the drain cycle is "happening", but no water is being drained. Is there a valve of some sort that's perhaps not being opened during the drain cycle, but is being opened during Spin? The water drains out fine during Spin, just from the sheer pressure of being spun around, I guess.

[Mad Mac]

OK...the bit where the agitation stops when you lift the lid towards the end of the wash cycle, that is quite normal. In models which have an automatic bleach dispenser, they dispense during the last couple of minutes. They were designed to require the lid to be down while the bleach was flushed from the dispenser. Even if you don't have the dispenser, many models will still stop agitating if the lid is lifted in the last few minutes of the wash cycle, since the wiring for this is still "built in".

At the end of the wash, what is supposed to happen is that the washer goes into what is called a "neutral drain". Basically, the motor runs and turns the pump, pumping the water out, but the transmission is in "neutral" at that point. After 2 minutes, the pump out stops, and you will hear a "thump", which is the transmission engaging spin. The machine then spins for about 6 minutes. You appear to be missing out the entire "neutral drain" part - sounds to me like you need a timer. Can you post your model and serial numbers?

[jeff]

Kinda does -sound- like that eh!??!

jeff.

Appliance Repair Aid

[Robert MacNutt]

Thanks for clearing that up - makes perfect sense now!

My model# is LSR7233EQ, serial# CF3088142

FWIW, I tried it on all four cycles, and it does the exact same thing.

[Robert MacNutt]

I just called my local appliance parts store, to get a price on a timer, and the fellow there (they've always been very knowledgeable and helpful in the past), said it sounded like the washer was working normally. Could that possibly be? Are there washers that actually drain the tub as part of the spin cycle? It sure seems like a tremendous load on the motor, to spin that tub full of water. And if I lift the lid while that's going on, it slams to a stop with a tremendous jerk(from all that extra weight), which just doesn't seem right. Could my appliance parts guy be mistaken? I'd hate to have to throw away money on a timer, but I don't want to have to replace the motor or transmission at some point down the road, either.

[Daniel L. Belton]

I have a Whirlpool washer that is one of that same series (different model, but same series) and it drains before starting to spin. When the spin cycle starts, the only water in the washer is what is in the clothes themselves since the extra has been pumped out of the tub...

Is it possible that the pump itself could be bad?

[George Myers]

[charlie]

in article gKQrb.29647$ [e-mail], Daniel L. Belton at [e-mail] wrote on 11/10/03 1:25 PM:

check the pump as daniel suggested.

[jeff]

Hi,

Yes.

I checked your model# *Transmission (Gear Case) commonly used on Direct Drive model Whirlpool/Kenmore brands clothes washers that utilize a neutral drain.*

Yours should pre-drain.

Possible the brake is grabbing to quickly.

Check with a different company to see what they say.

jeff.

Appliance Repair Aid

[Robert MacNutt]

I've already replaced the pump. Wish I'd come here first - oh, well. I'll order a timer today - bet that'll fix it. I'll update this thread after I get it installed.

Thanks so much for everyone's help and advice.

[Oscar_lives]

OK-- I finally caught mine. It intermittently doesn't spin after the wash. It goes through its "neutral drain" cycle OK, but the tub never spins after the wash. Then it fills up for the rinse and finishes the cycle, but it does spin after the rinse.

What's up with this? timer still?

TIA

[Tony Hwang]

[Dan O.]

BTW. The model number you posted previously is incomplete. I assume you didn't get it right off the appliance's identification tag like is normally necessary? You can see the possibilities for timers for that model at the following links:

Timer for LSR7233EQ0 (zero at end)

Timer for LSR7233EQ1 (one at end) Dan O.

- Appliance411.com

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opened - could

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[Dan O.]

But after the "neutral drain" cycle does it pause?? That's what resets the neurtal drain assembly in the transmission.

If it doesn't, try opening the lid for a couple of seconds and then closing it again. That would sinulate the pause the timer should do. If it spins after that, the timer may not be pausing which would mean it would likely need to be replaced.

If it still doesn't kick into spin, the problem is likely in the washer's transmission.

Dan O.

- Appliance411.com

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