Popping the Hood Originally uploaded by Zenzoidman.
To raise the top panel on this dishwasher, you have to first remove the door and then the front panel to expose the top panel latch bolts, located on each side, just below the top panel. With the top panel […]

Somedays, after running service calls and dealing with one or two USDA Grade A pricks, I conjure up images of my day where all I do is go to unoccupied homes, fix the appliance, take the check left for me on the counter and then head off to the next job. Even though most […]

Susan wrote:

Thank you, Samurai, for your table of the half-life of appliances. The Maytag gas dryer in my rental unit wouldn’t heat. The pilot light wouldn’t stay lit and following the instructions on the access door for lighting the pilot didn’t help. The dryer was not new when I bought the property 17 years ago. […]

Filomena wrote:

I have a Whirlpool gas dryer model # LGC8858EQ2 that isn’t working. It runs, but isn’t heating. I have replaced the gas valve, the thermostat, and the ignitor and still nothing. I can use some advice. I have two kids and one is a toddler with a disability and […]

Did you know this website, Fixitnow.com Samurai Appliance Repair Man, has over 2,000 pages of free, easy-to-understand appliance repair help for the do-it-yourselfer? Oui, oui, I shi’ite you not. While I do have a site map that I keep updated, it’s just not an efficient way to find what you need if you’re […]

And now, a special treat for you Bosch dishwasher owners out there…

SHI/U 43 MODELS
To start test program, press and hold both POWER SCRUB PLUS and REGULAR WASH program buttons, then turn unit on by pressing ON/OFF button. When program buttons are released, lights above them will flash. To end test program, press ON/OFF button.

To check […]

Yes, Grasshopper, now you, too, can receive the Samurai’s secret pearls of appliance repair wisdom delivered to your email in a discreet brown wrapper. Taunt your friends and delight your enemies with your amazing new knowledge! Just enter your email address below. And, no, the Samurai would never stoop to selling or sharing […]

This post in the repair forum illustrates a clever use for a digital camcorder in helping to diagnose the problem with this washer. Turns out the washer wouldn’t spin because the coupler was stripped out. For someone who has no idea about how these machines work to try to describe the sound […]

Removing a washer timer knob can be tricky and you could cause more damage if you’re not careful. For the Whirlpool, Kenmore, or Kitchenaid top loading washer, there’s a good explanation of how to remove the timer knob in the repair forum. You can read it here.

Mouse Chew Originally uploaded by Zenzoidman.
Went on a service call on a Maytag Washer today. Complaint was that the washer was dead. When I got there, I started by verifying the customer’s complaint. Turns out that the washer would, in fact, spin but […]

Magical Kenmore Model Number Decoder Originally uploaded by Zenzoidman.
Awwite now, Bubba, one thang you gotsta under-freakin’-stand is that Kenmore ain’t no manufacturer of appliances. Nawsir, “Kenmore” represents nothin’ more than a bunch of bureaucrats at Sears who sit around and write specifications of and haggle over […]

Working Fall Originally uploaded by Zenzoidman.
Driving to an appliance service call, I had to pull over for some, eh hem, essential kidney maintenance. It’s tough trying to repair an oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, or whatever, while your teeth are chattering from excessive abdominal pressure. In […]

Went on a service call the other day on a Thermador electric wall oven; complaint - no bake. Now, wall ovens can be tricky to troubleshoot and repair so I came ready for the worst-case scenario which would require me to remove the wall oven. I packed my All Dolly wall oven cart […]

If you have a GE refrigerator that has a good n’ cold freezer but the beer compartment can’t get your beer tooth-crackin’ cold anymore, it’s probably something simple that you can fix yourself, right here, right now.

My Three Nads: Samenilla, Stephenitza, and Bubba on Ragged Mountain’s Eastern Summit (click to enlarge)
Autumn Takes Root at Ragged Mountain in Danbury, NH (click to enlarge)
Brown, Smudgy Smog Layer Settles in Over the White Mountains (click to enlarge)

Report from the Trail, Part 1

Report from the Trail, Part 2
(Part 3 was deleted due to poor cellular […]