Issue with washing machine

[gregintenn]

GE provides a warranty for one year. It's been just over that. The home warranty company will send someone out to fix it, but I was hoping to find a solution before going to the laundromat.

I bought a washing machine from DT McCalls once. I guess it had a year warranty. It also crapped out at about a year and 3-4 days. I think the tub in it broke. It wasn't much when it worked. I replaced it with one from another appliance dealer locally, and it's worked great for several years now.

[TripleDigitRide]

After researching and fooling with this all day, I am fairly certain the motor needs to be replaced. 

The motor is supposed to have a flashing light on the circuit board. If there is not light flashing, and the machine doesn't have a fuse (mine doesn't), the motor needs to be replaced. 

End of story!

[No_0ne]

I couldn't tell from your previous posts, but if you are trying to get the washer to run the cycles without any water in the tub, be aware that many washers have a water level switch as well which will not allow the cycle to continue without water being at a certain level in the tub.  The load noise and vibration is probably due to an imbalance, which can be caused by several things.

[TripleDigitRide]

I filled the tub each time I tried to run a cycle. The issue wasn't an imbalance. The machine wasn't turning when the issue occurred.

[Luke E.]

After researching and fooling with this all day, I am fairly certain the motor needs to be replaced. 

The motor is supposed to have a flashing light on the circuit board. If there is not light flashing, and the machine doesn't have a fuse (mine doesn't), the motor needs to be replaced. 

End of story!

 

 Well it sounds like you will definitely come out on top by using whomever the home warranty folks send your way.

[NoBanStan]

Somehow I expected "Issue with washing machine" to be a post about how you were into with the wife  :ugh:

[peejman]

I would get it out of the house ASAP. I had a water leak. Just got the check from the insurance company, it cost over 16k to fix my floors, treat for mold, lay new hardwood, and vacuum my duct work.

I'm putting water detection devices every where I have water in this house.

 

 

If I ever build a house, it'll have a berm with an alarm and an over-flow outlet connected to the drain line under every water containing appliance.  Given the expense to fix damage caused by water leaks, I've never understood why houses don't have floor drains under the fridge and in the laundry room at a minimum.  I'd put one in each bathroom too. 

[TMF]

Ugh. This is why I have no desire to buy a new one. Mine is 15 years old and I have done minor repairs. Wife wants a new fancy one but I hear nothing but complaints from owners of new "efficient" machines. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chucktshoes]

[quote name="TMF" post="1161841" timestamp="1403548251"]Ugh. This is why I have no desire to buy a new one. Mine is 15 years old and I have done minor repairs. Wife wants a new fancy one but I hear nothing but complaints from owners of new "efficient" machines.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote] Electro-mechanical all the way. I really want to know who thought it was a good idea to take a machine that uses gallons and gallons of water and sometimes heats it making for a humid, condensation rich environment then fills it full of moisture sensitive circuit boards. Really, who does that? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[tnguy]

I think ours has been going for 13 years now. Of course, it's like the proverbial "my father's axe" but it still runs solid. Finally had to give up on the dishwasher last year as parts were breaking as I was putting it back together. The new one isn't a patch on the old one which is annoying as we spent a little more money for what we thought would be better.

[TripleDigitRide]

The repair guy said the motor is fried.

[VERO1]

On the up side, broken washers make great long range rifle targets.

[bersaguy]

I was going to mention that the loud noise you heard was probably a bearing in the electric motor was locking up and making a  loud squealing knocking sound. That will also cause the belt to have a smell as motor puller was causing belt to drag over pulleys..... :up: :up:

[bersaguy]

The repair guy said the motor is fried.

Probably a product of China if it is only a year old and already gone bad.................jmho

[Trekbike]

TDR, By chance was the loud noise something like this?  Be sure to watch at least until the drum goes across the yard.  

 

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq6T5BojXc8[/media]

[TripleDigitRide]

TDR, By chance was the loud noise something like this?  Be sure to watch at least until the drum goes across the yard.  

 

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq6T5BojXc8[/media]

:rock:  :rofl:  :rock:  :rofl: 

Whirpool obviously used a better motor than GE.

[hipower]

AWESOME!!!

[Mike.357]

so do they replace the motor on it?

[TripleDigitRide]

so do they replace the motor on it?

Yes, they are replacing the motor.

[TripleDigitRide]

This keeps getting better.

 

The repair guy comes out on Monday and determines the issue is in fact the motor. He said he's going to order the part and get it replaced ASAP. I had already called Marcone's, and they said this motor could be picked up the day after placing the order. I figured the repair guy would have done the same thing. Not! It seems he was ordering the part through the warranty company in order to take advantage of their buying power. It will be next Wednesday, nearly two weeks after this fiasco began, before he can replace the motor. Not acceptable.

 

I've made several calls to the warranty company, and I've received nothing but conflicting stories. They are claiming the repair guy isn't/hasn't ordered any parts through them. During my last conversation with the warranty company, after telling them I could replace the motor myself, they informed me of a "buyout" option. They will send me the money, and I can fix it myself. I'm waiting for them to get back to me with the buyout amount.

Just to be certain I can do this job myself, I decided to take another look at the motor. This was the first time I've been in the laundry room since before the repair guy looked at it. The first thing I noticed was a black/gray film on the lid of the washer. I then removed the front panel, only to see everything covered in what I first though was splatter from some sort of black grease. it didn't take long to realize it was actually soot. 

Back up to Tuesday morning; the day after the repair guy was here. In passing, while I was in the middle of an important phone call, my daughter informed me she heard a loud noise during the night. No other information or explanation. Some neighbors had been setting off fireworks, so my preoccupied mind attributed the loud noise to that. 

Fast forward to the point where I noticed the soot......The asshat left the washing machine plugged in, even after I made several mentions of a possible electrical noise and odor. So, the loud noise my daughter mentioned was likely the very same loud noise we heard when the machine went nuts in the first place. This time, we weren't there to shut it off, so it either caught fire, or something got hot enough to create ample heat to burn something to the point where everything in the laundry room was covered in soot.

Doing what I should have done when she first mentioned it, I asked my daughter to further explain this loud noise she heard two nights before. That's when she mentioned an odor. Much like a teenager, she left out this bit of important information during the first conversation.

After three calls this morning to the warranty company, I'm waiting to hear back from them.  :waiting: 
 

Edited June 26, 2014 by TripleDigitRide

[peejman]

Holy crap!

 

I think I'd wheel that thing out and park it in the driveway. 

[MacGyver]

Wow.  Your warranty company could've bought you a whole new house.

[TripleDigitRide]

Yeah, it's extremely frustrating. I'm on hold with GE's customer relations department. I'm wondering why there isn't a safeguard in place to prevent the machine from getting that hot, simply by being plugged in. The control button was in the "off" position, so who knows.

[tnguy]

Yeah, it's extremely frustrating. I'm on hold with GE's customer relations department. I'm wondering why there isn't a safeguard in place to prevent the machine from getting that hot, simply by being plugged in. The control button was in the "off" position, so who knows.

 

When you have electrical problems, you have electrical problems. There's only so much you can do in terms of safety features and interlocks.

[TripleDigitRide]

[quote name="tnguy" post="1162871" timestamp="1403812471"]When you have electrical problems, you have electrical problems. There's only so much you can do in terms of safety features and interlocks.[/quote] Based on the information found on GE 's website, some models have a fuse. Mine is not equipped with a fuse. Not sure if that would have prevented this, though. Based on a quick Google search, at least two other GE washers have recalls due to issues with catching fire. Who knows the circumstances behind those fires.