From the monthly archives:

October 2009

Repair Goodies for the Dacor ECS / ECD Wall Oven

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 31, 2009

in Oven Repair

Circuit Path Drawings
Field Service Bulletins
Kit Instructions
Failure Codes
Diagnostic Manual
Parts Breakdown Diagrams
Buy Parts for your Dacor Wall Oven
To learn more about your range/stove/oven, or to order parts, clickhere.

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Schematic and Wiring Diagram for the GE JKP36G004BG Double Wall Oven

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 30, 2009

in Oven Repair

A common problem you run into when working on older appliances is that the schematic and wiring diagram are missing– usually because the slimeball who worked on it before you stole it. This happened recently to a tech in the Samurai Appliance Repair Forum where Sublime Master of Appliantology Pegi was able to locate [...]

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Troubleshooting Drive Motor Problems in a Frigidaire Front Loading Washer

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 29, 2009

in Washer Repair

(Also applies to Kenmore washers with a model number prefix of 417.)
Note: Begin troubleshooting a no-spin condition by checking the door latch switch. If it checks good, then proceed with this flowchart. See the tech sheet with your washer for the door latch switch test procedure. The procedures described below assume that the [...]

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Front Loading Washer Corrosion Contagion: A Menagerie of Metallic Misery

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 28, 2009

in Washer Repair

Been seeing a rash of galvanic corrosion-induced failures of the drum support spiders in various brands of front loading washers. Affected brands include GE, Whirlpool, and Frigidaire. Since Sears Kenmore brand outsources everything with a Kenmore label, all Kenmore washers are manufactured by one of the three aforementioned companies and will also manifest [...]

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Help for Determining the Age of Common Appliance Brands

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 27, 2009

in General Appliance Wisdom

First thang you’ll need to do is get the serial number off the model number tag. Armed with this key information, proceed to the appropriate section below:
For Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Roper, Estate, Maytag, and Magic Chef appliances, use the Appliance Age Finder to find out how old it is.
For GE appliances, use the table below:
(click [...]

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Troubleshooting Flowchart for the Whirlpool-built Modular Icemaker

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 24, 2009

in Ice Maker Repair

Here it is, the flowchart you’ve been painfully waiting for while laying awake at night knotted up with anxiety: the Internet’s first systematic troubleshooting flowchart for the Whirlpool-built modular (that means “in your freezer”) icemaker. Go ahead, steal this pdf and share with all your friends… and your enemies, too!
Troubleshooting the [...]

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The Whirlpool-built modular icemaker is used in just about all refrigerators made today, regardless of brand. One notorious exception is the crappy IM6 icemakers used in GE-built refrigerators. Why they didn’t just go with the field-tested Whirlpool-built units is a seedy story of corporate sleaze and extortion now playing in a theater near [...]

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How to Destroy the Pump in a Whirlpool Duet Sport Washer

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 22, 2009

in Washer Repair

Looking for an easy way to destroy the pump in your Whirlpool Duet Sport washing machine? Piece of pie, tovarish! Just don’t empty your pockets before you put your pants in the laundry hamper.

You’ll soon overload the pump’s gookus catcher and some of it is bound to get through and destroy [...]

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GE Top-Loading Washer Clicks and Chugs for a While Before Spinning

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 19, 2009

in Washer Repair

Behold:

I’ve even seen this problem accompanied by dramatic, poltergeist-looking light dimming. Very cool!
The problem is the motor. In fact, this clicking and chugging problem was so common on this washer (example model number WBSE3120B) that GE put out a repair kit for it. The kit includes the motor and clutch (pre-assembled), wiring [...]

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Repair Helps for the Dacor CPS Wall Oven

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 19, 2009

in Oven Repair

Failure Codes
Diagnostic Manual
Wiring Diagrams
Field Service Bulletins
Repair Kit Instructions
Parts Breakdown Diagrams
Buy Dacor Parts
To learn more about your range/stove/oven, or to order parts, click here.

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John wrote:

I need to buy all new kitchen and laundry appliances. Which brand would you stick with (Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, Maytag). I am looking for a frenchdoor and all appliances should match…Stainless too.
Thanks,
John

Let us open our Appliantology hymnals to the Second Law of the Prophecy wherein it is written, “All appliances break.” With this [...]

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Two-Year Old GE Microwave: Melting Door and Burning Plastic Smell

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 13, 2009

in Microwave Ovens

… and to make your joy complete, GE has discontinued this two-year old model! Can you say, “Uhh, guys, we better stop production on this pig-dog before we get our bee-hinds sued into oblivion.” Uh-huh, that’s what I thought you said. Anyway, this topic in the Samurai Appliance Repair Forums ’splains what [...]

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Memory Lane: Older Whirlpool Stack Laundry Unit with Belt Drive Washer

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 3, 2009

in Washer Repair

Had the opportunity to work on an antique the other day: a 30+ year old Whirlpool stack laundry unit with a belt drive washer. This old work horse was still chugging along, just needed a new lid switch. In terms of durability and reliability, you’ll not find anything even close to this machine [...]

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Is That Gas Shutoff Valve On or Off?

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 2, 2009

in General Appliance Wisdom

All gas appliances have (or are supposed to have) a manual shutoff valve in the gas supply line near the appliance so the gas can be shut off to just that appliance without having to shutoff the gas to entire house. But how do you know whether the valve is on or off? [...]

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Older Whirlpool or Kitchenaid Dishwasher Won’t Wash

by Samurai Appliance Repair Man on October 2, 2009

in Dishwasher Repair

Awwite, now listen up: this post applies to the older style Whirlpool / Kitchenaid dishwashers (yes, Kitchenaid is a Whirlpool brand– it’s supposedly Whirlpool’s higher end line) with the motor-pump assembly that looks like this. An example model number is kuds25shwh1. If the motor-pump assembly in your Whirlpool or Kitchenaid dishwasher looks [...]

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