These codes in your (made-by-Samsung) Maytag washer might pop up during the rinse/spin cycle with the motor sounding like it wants to spin but it ain’t. In fact, the E3 error code means that the Machine Control wants to make the motor spin but won’t do it because it’s getting a weird reading from the tachometer. This could be because there’s a piece of clothing stuck between the basket and outer drum– open the door and spin the basket by hand to make sure it moves freely. If it doesn’t then there’s either a jammed piece of clothing or, worst case, a burnt out drum bearing– and we’ll deal with these problems at the Samurai School of Appliantology.
If the drum spins by hand, the problem may just be bad wire connection. Turns out the motor harness connector has been a bit of a troublemaker in some vintages of these machines at the washing machine farm in Korea.
Unplug the motor harness connector and pull on each wire. If a wire connector comes loose from the plug, use a small straight slot screw driver and bend the locking tab on the terminal up a tad to help it make a tighter connection.
Also, get some serious eyeball action on the terminals on the motor side of the connector. If you see any bent terminals, use a pair of needle nose pliers to straighten ’em out. Recheck the harness side of the terminal block for bent terminals, too. Bent terminals can indicate a problem with the locking tab inside the plug.
Okay, if the drum movement and motor connections check out, then the only thing that could be causing the problem is that the Hall Sensor connector is not in there goodntight or the Hall Sensor itself is FUBAR (that’s a technical term for, well, let’s just say it means you need to get a new one). The job of the Hall Sensor is to sense the motor’s RPM. It’s a little printed circuit board (PCB) located on the back of the motor in the locations shown below.
Undo the wire harness connector to the Hall Sensor and eyeball it carefully for gookus, rust, moisture… anything that isn’t supposed to be there. Should be a good, clean, tight connection. It it looks good, then the problem boils down to one thang: the Hall Sensor itself.
Now, here’s the kick in the pants: the Hall Sensor is not a separate part; it is an integral part of the motor. Which means if the Hall Sensor is FUBAR, you gotta buy a whole new motor. Oh, don’t worry– ol’ Samurai done sent out a hit team to hunt down the squirrelly engineer who designed it that way. Looks like they got him, too, Hoss. Yeee HAWW!
Anyhoo, here are the part links to the motor and Hall Sensor kits by model:
MAH6700 and MAH8700 models (they use the same motor)
To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.
