Your Name: David

Type of Appliance: Washer

Brand: Fridaire

Model Number: ftfb4000gs0

Your Precious Words:
The motor will not do the final (fast) spin to get the majority of the water out. Although it does work in the agitation mode. I believe the error code is 43 ( control board)?

Error code 43 and no final spin both point to one and only one possibility: bad door lock assembly. Slam dunk. Buy it here with a one year return policy.

So David writes back:

Samurai,

Thanks for the quick reply

This may be a dumb question but how does the switch know what the motor speed is?

This reveals an complete misunderstanding of how these machines work and, I might add, a mistrust of my diagnosis. I’ve only seen this exact problem several hundred times and I keep three of these door lock assemblies on my service vehicle because I’m replacing them so often for this exact problem.

Nevertheless, because the Samurai is long-suffering and of great gootness, he shall reveal unto thee how it is that the door latch assembly is the root cause of this problem.

The door lock assembly is just a dumb switch– it has no idea about anything in the world except whether it’s open or closed. The control board, OTOH, is a smart sumbeech and is constantly going around the machine checking the motors and switches to see if things are where they’re supposed to be. One of the things it checks is the spin enable switch in the door latch assembly. If that switch is open, the control board will not allow the drum to go into spin mode. Without getting into a bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo, here’s a short cut method to check it:

But note as a point of comparison and contrast the situation where the drum NEVER moves– water comes in and pumps out but no tumble, no spin, no nuttin’. This is altogether a different problem from what we’ve discussed thus far– where the motor tumbles but won’t go into high speed spin.

In the case where the drum doesn’t move at all, ever, you need to break out your meter and the tech sheet from inside the washer and sing along with the Samurai in this video.

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

In this thrilling excursion into Appliantological Excellence™, Samurai Appliance Repair Man takes you deep inside the belly of the beast to discover why the main motor on a Frigidaire front-load washer would not run in tumble or spin. The Samurai was running a service call as The Appliance Guru, his real-life appliance repair service bidness.

Here’s the motor control board I used to fix the problem: http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Motor-Control-Board/134149220/1206430

Comes with a one-year return policy, even after it’s been installed!

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

Your Name: Joe

Type of Appliance: Washer

Brand: Whirlpool

Model Number: WTW6800WW1

Your Precious Words:
We have a loud roaring noise as the washer goes through the spin cycle.

Well, Joe, I gotta tell ya, pilgrim: you gots what we professional appliantologists call “bad drum bearings.” The roaring noise in spin is a definite clue. Here’s how to confirm:

Generally not worth repairing unless a) it’s under warranty or b) you’re gonna do all the work yourself (and maybe get the $500 part from Whirlpool for free– no guarantees on that!).

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.