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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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The water on my WASHER will not cut off and the tub overflows
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My WASHER does not fill. Water is coming in but it seems to be siphoning the water down the drain.
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How do I remove the cabinet from my direct drive Whirlpool / Kenmore / Roper / Kitchen Aid washer?
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The
oven will not come on (electric)
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Surface element stays on high (electric)
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The clock on my STOVE started flashing F1
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My GAS STOVE oven will not light. The glow bar (igniter) is glowing, but it will not light
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My GAS STOVE oven will not light. The oven pilot light is lit.
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My DRYER just quit. Fuses and breaker are good, but the motor's not running.
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The DEFROST on my refrigerator malfunctions.
The water on my WASHER will not cut off and the tub overflows
- It all depends on if the water will stop flowing into the washer when you turn
off the
timer. If not and the only way you can get the water to stop flowing is to
turn off the
water spigot, the water valve will need to be replaced.
- If the water will cut off when the timer is turned off, then you may have a bad
water
level switch. The water level switch controls the water level, and when it
detects that
the tub has enough water, it's job is to cut the water off AND start the
agitate cycle. If
the water level switch does not detect a full load of water, it will never
start the
agitate cycle. You most likely have a defective water level switch.
- However you could also have a pin hole in the vacuum tube that goes from the
tub to the
water level switch. As the machine is filling, pressure backs up through
the vacuum tube,
and when the pressure is great enough, the switch cuts the water off and
starts the
agitate cycle. If there is a pin hole in the tube, no pressure can back up
inside the
tube, and the switch will never activate.
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My WASHER does not fill. Water is coming in but it seems to be siphoning the water down the drain.
This shouldn't be too tough to fix. There are 2 causes for this:
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The drain hose is too low.
The drain hose must be looped higher than the water level in the washer. If it
is too low, raise it up. If it is impossible to raise the drain hose, the cure
for this is to install a siphon break in your drain hose. The part is cheap and
easy to install.
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The drain hose must be able go get air in order to prevent setting up a siphon
action.
If your drain hose is taped to the plumbing pipe, or fits in too tight, it will
siphon. The drain hose must just drop into the plumbing pipe. If it is
impossible to give the drain hose air at the plumbing pipe, use a siphon break
in your drain hose.
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How do I remove the cabinet from my direct drive Whirlpool / Kenmore / Roper / Kitchen Aid washer?
If you have ever tried to check out the direct drive washer manufactured by
Whirlpool Corp., you found out pretty quickly that you can't do anything until
the cabinet is removed. The older Whirlpool Corp. washers with a belt do not
have a removable cabinet.
While it may sound like a pain to have to remove the cabinet, in reality it is
quite simple, and it makes getting to the parts a breeze.
All you need is a phillips screwdriver and a flat blade screwdriver.
First step, of course is to unplug the machine. Then remove the 2 phillips
screws on the bottom of the timer console.
The timer console in hinged in the back. Pull the console forward slightly to
clear the hooks on the bottom of the end caps, and roll the console up from the
bottom on it's hinges.
Under the console you will see a 3 wire harness that is plugged into the top of
the cabinet. Unplug this harness.
Using the flat blade screwdriver, pop off the 2 metal clips that are holding
the back panel to the top of the cabinet. These clips are sort of "S"
shaped, and are located near the left and right edges of the top of the
cabinet.
Grasp the cabinet on each side, pull the top of the cabinet towards you to a 45
degree angle. Pull straight back on the cabinet and it will slip right off.
To replace the cabinet
Put the cabinet up to the front edge of the base, open the lid so you can see
the inside bottom of the cabinet.
Tilt the cabinet to a 45 degree angle and slip the bottom front lip of the
cabinet under the front of the base (make sure the console is hinged up).
Now let the cabinet go down. There are 2 dowels on each side of the base that
must match up with slots on the side bottom lips of the cabinet.
After the cabinet is in place, look at the back and make sure it is lining up
properly on one side. Reinstall the "S" bracket on that side.
Now move to the other side. Line it up properly and reinstall the "S"
bracket
on that side.
Plug in the harness.
Lower the console, and reinstall the screws
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The oven
will not come on (electric)
Things to check:
- fuses ok?
- timer set for manual operation?
- start time must be same as the clock time. it does not matter if the clock works
- stop or cook time must be set to manual operation
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Surface element stays on high (electric)
The problem is
always
the infinite heat switch.
Unplug the range, note which switch it is, take it to the shop and buy a new
switch.
Install, and presto...the element now works correctly.
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The clock on my STOVE started flashing F1
This diagnosis is for stoves manufactured by Maytag, Norge, Magic Chef, Crosley
and Jenn Air.
You have either a bad ERC (clock) or a bad touch pad. Here is the procedure for
determining your problem.
- Disconnect power to stove
- Gain access to the back of the clock (electronic range control or ERC).
- Unplug the touch pad ribbon connector from the ERC. This will be a flat wire
approx. 1
½" to 2" wide.
- Make sure everything is clear and will not short out when power is turned back
on.
- Turn power back on to stove.
- Watch for the F1 and listen for the beep.
- If you get the F1 and beep, replace the ERC.
- If after apx. 30 minutes you do NOT get the F1 and hear the beep, replace the
touch
pad.
NOTE: Some models incorporate the touch pad and the clock as one part.
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My GAS STOVE oven will not light. The glow bar (igniter) is glowing, but it will not light
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I'll be glad to give you some pointers, but I always recommend that consumers
hire a
trained tech to repair their gas appliances. Gas appliances can be
dangerous to work on if
you are not trained properly.
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Take a good look at the burner and make sure it is not burned through anywhere,
especially near the glow bar. Make sure you have a sufficient gas supply.
This is
especially important if you are using LP gas. Actual testing is done with a
device called a
manometer. If you are unsure of yourself at any time, call a qualified
professional.
REMEMBER TO REMOVE ALL SOURCES OF POWER BEFORE WORKING ON THE APPLIANCE.
THIS INCLUDES GAS
AND ELECTRICITY.
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I would expect either a bad igniter (glow bar) or a bad safety valve. Yes, the
glow
bar can be bad and still glow. It must pull a predetermined amount of
current in order for
the safety valve to open. On a tag on the safety valve there should be an
AMP or AMPERAGE
or CURRENT rating, usually something like 3.2 amps. This is the amount of
amperage that
the glow bar must pull in order to be good. You will need a clamp-on amp
meter to test the
amperage draw of the glow bar. Clamp the meter around either of the 2 lead
wires at the
back of the glow bar and turn on the thermostat. Observe the amp draw. If
it is within 2
percent of the listed rating on the safety valve, the glow bar is good and
you should
replace the safety valve. If the amp rating is not within 2 percent of the
listed rating,
replace the glow bar.
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My GAS STOVE oven will not light. The oven pilot light is lit.
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I'll be glad to give you some pointers, but I always recommend that consumers
hire a
trained tech to repair their gas appliances. Gas appliances can be
dangerous to work on if
you are not trained properly.
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Since your oven pilot light will light, your problem will be either the oven
thermostat,
the oven safety valve or the positioning of the sensor in the pilot flame.
Get down and
look at the pilot light while you have someone turn on the oven thermostat.
If the
thermostat is working properly, you will see the flame on the pilot light
get a little bit
bigger when the thermostat is turned on. If it does get bigger, then the
thermostat is
working fine. Check sensor positioning and if that is ok then replace the
oven safety
valve. If the flame does not get bigger on the pilot light when the oven
thermostat is
turned on, cleane the pilot orifice if needed. If that does not solve it
then replace the
oven control.
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My DRYER just quit. Fuses and breaker are good, but the motor's not running.
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Many modern dryers have a belt break switch. If the belt breaks, the switch
opens and
presto! no go!
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You may have a motor that is overheating and shuts down when it gets hot. Clean
the
motor thoroughly with a brush or vacuum cleaner. If this problem persists a
new motor is
required.
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You may have a thermal cut-off that has opened. This part is usually located on
the
heater element case. Checking this part with a meter, you should get
continuity. As the
name says, this is a THERMAL cut-off, meaning it cuts off if the
temperature of the
element gets too high. While this part CAN open for no apparent reason, it
is very rare.
The usual causes for this part going out are:
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Improper air flow, usually caused by the vent hose behind the dryer being
kinked or the
vent system otherwise restricted,
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The cycling and hi-limit thermostats have both gone bad, causing the dryer to
over
heat.
When you purchase the thermal cut-off, it sometimes comes with a hi-limit
thermostat
(depending on the brand), but the cycling thermostat must always be purchased
separately.
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The DEFROST on my refrigerator malfunctions.
- Unplug the refrigerator.
- With the freezer frozen down, (it must have been running at least a couple of
hours
to give the contacts in the defrost thermostat a chance to get cold and
close) remove the
evaporator cover (the cover in the freezer that covers the cooling coil)
- Plug the refrigerator in.
- Locate the defrost timer and, with a screw driver, turn the timer to the defrost
mode. ( There is a slot on the timer that the screwdriver will fit in. Turn
it clockwise.
The refrigerator will stop running when it goes into the defrost mode.)
- Unplug the fridge, observing if there are any sparks at the socket. You may
have to do
this a couple of times. If there are sparks that means that the heater is
working.
(Alternately you can remove the cover over the evaporator and observe if
the heater gets
hot.) No sparks or no heat means that you likely have a defective heater or
termination
thermostat. They can be checked with an ohm meter. Both the heater and the
termination
thermostat must have continuity. The termination thermostat can be replaced
or if the
heater is required both should be replaced.
In all of this there is a small possibility that the timer is also defective.
This is a long shot and is not usually the problem if the heater does not come
on when the unit is turned onto defrost.
If all else fails a professional may be required.
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