Today we’ll be taking a look at the timer, the temperature switch, and the water level switch when dealing with a washing machine repair, thanks to our friends from Appliance Repair of Scottsdale. First we’ll look at the timer. Tools You May Need:
Once this pin is pulled out of the knob shaft the knob can be pulled off. The two halves of the shaft expand when the pin is in place holding the knob in position. With this pin slid out they can contract inward releasing the knob unbroken. Next we need to pop off this indicator disk. This exposes a 3/16” screw. Remove the screw with your nut driver. And now from the back of the timer look for a tab. The tab needs to be lifted allowing the timer to slide out of the console frame. There is a clip on the wiring harness which needs to be lifted to unplug it. The timer is not a repairable part so don’t take it apart trying to fix it. A mistake could lead to arcing or an electrical fire. But so you can understand how it works let’s rip it apart and take a look. The timer is made up of contact bars in a can, kind of like a player piano. The internal motor rotates the can causing the contact bars to raise and lower opening and closing contacts that will send power to each part of the washer at the correct time. The gear system determines the speed that the can will turn. The symptoms of a bad timer would be sticking on one particular part of the cycle, power not being supplied to a particular component when it should be, or an electrical arching sound or smell. This is an older style timer. The knob is threaded on. To replace this style all the steps are the same, however, to remove the knob, push in, hold the indicator disk, and rotate the top counterclockwise. The basic mechanics have not changed. There are grooves on all the washer timers that, like a puzzle piece, can only allow the indicator disk to go on one way. This insures that the washer will point at the correct portion of the cycle. Next we will look at the temperature switch. The temperature switch is the control center for the water valve. 120 volts is supplied by the timer through the water level switch and routes power to the appropriate valve allowing it to open. In order for power to pass through the water valve, the water level switch must sense that the tub needs water. If the water pressure switch senses that the tub is empty it will allow power to circulate through to the temperature selection switch, labeled as TSC in the wiring diagram, and flow through to either the hot or the cold water coil depending on what the washer requires. Now this part is rare to fail, but in the event that you do need to replace it, I’m going to show you how. First pull the knob off of the shaft. Next, there’s a mounting tab on the right that needs to be lifted. It’s helpful to use a flat head screwdriver or, in my case, a dental hook and rotate the switch one quarter turn after you’ve lifted the tab to free it from the mounting plate. There’s a square cutout that receives the switch. Simply insert the new switch at the same angle and rotate clockwise, locking it into place. Now there’s a few things that need to happen for a newer style washer to agitate. Older models have performed the agitation portion of the cycle with the lid open. However, on newer models, Whirlpool has eliminated this for safety. Power flows through the closed lid switch telling the washer that it is safe to agitate, or to spin, depending on what part of the cycle the washer is set to perform. I’m going to be doing a few things here to demonstrate how the water level, also named the pressure switch, functions. First, I will set the washer to the start portion of the cycle and fill. The switch senses that the tub is empty so it sends power through the temperature switch to the valve. When I apply pressure to the switch by blowing on this hose the washer thinks that it is full and it will agitate if the lid switch is closed and it says that it’s safe to proceed. This model has three settings: small, medium, and super. Your model may have more or less sensitivity settings, but the function is the same. The hose that I was blowing on earlier attaches to the bottom of the tub. As the water level rises in the tub, the pressure in this hose will increase until the diaphragm within the switch opens the switch stopping the flow of water to the water valve. Pressure flexes the internal diaphragm and opens and closes the circuit. If this switch were to fail, or the hose were to be pinched, punctured, or eaten by a rodent, the switch would not sense the water level in the tub and thus would continue to fill and overflow. If you have determined that you need to replace the switch it can be removed in the same way as the temperature switch. The mounting tab on this one is a little harder to reach so you’re definitely going to be needing to use a tool of some kind. Rotate it counterclockwise one quarter turn and remove. The pin inserts into a small hole to the right of the square mount and mirrors the switch. Now if we remove this hose we can trick the machine into thinking that the tub is full of water by blowing on this port. This can help to isolate if the problem is with the switch, or a small hole, or an obstruction within the small hose attached to the tub. The plug that attaches to the switch is shaped in such a way that it can only be inserted in the correct direction. When reattaching the hose you want to give it a small tug to tighten, similar to a Chinese finger cuff. A few things to remember:
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