Monthly Archives: August 2010

Appliance Repair Tweets for Today, 2010-08-26

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How to Test the High Voltage Rectifier in a Microwave Oven

The HV rectifier (a nearly-scatological name for a diode) is one of the most common things to fail in a microwave oven. Fortunately, they’re pretty inexpensive and easy to install. The trick is in testing it so’s you can tell whether it’s good or not. Most multimeters just don’t pump out enough mojo to be able to break down the diode junction so you can’t test the rectumflyer, er, I mean rectifier directly with your meter. But this spiffy little rig will let you test it with just about any meter.

Testing the HV Diode in a Microwave Oven

To learn more about your microwave oven, or to order parts, click here.

GE Hydro Wave Washer Spins But Won’t Agitate and LED on Inverter Board Blinks Four Times

Skeeter wrote:

Got a GE washer Model #WHDSR316G2WW, the motor circuit board light blinks four times. I reset the board by lifting lid six times. I put it in spin and it spins fine then, when I put it into wash, it tries to agitate but what actually happens is the tub moves back and forth in stead of agitator. And the four blinks come back on the LED on the motor inverter board. If I repeat procedure, it will spin them it won’t agitate and the four blinks comes back. Does this mean a bad shaft and tube assembly? Thanks in advance for any advice

Yep, four flashes on the motor inverter board is a bad mode shifter, as explained in this post:

http://fixitnow.com/wp/2009/11/10/ge-hydrowave-top-loading-washer-wont-run/

There is a plug with only two wires coming from the center of the drive tube/mode shifter assembly. Remove that plug from the motor inverter board and check for continuity, you will most likely find it open.

You’re gonna need to install a new shaft and mode shifter assembly kit, which includes a new tub seal. See this page for complete, illustrated destructions:

http://fixitnow.com/wp/2010/08/24/how-to-replace-the-shaft-and-mode-shifter-assembly-in-a-ge-hydro-wave-top-loading-washer/.

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

How to Replace the Shaft and Mode Shifter Assembly in a GE Hydro Wave Top Loading Washer

“Hydro Wave™” is a marketing name that GE uses to refer to its line of washing machines that use an inverter motor (a motor that requires a special circuit board to operate). Example model number series are WHDSR316, WPRE6100, WPRE8100, and WLSR3000.

Get the shaft and mode shifter assembly:

Shaft and Mode Shifter Assembly on a GE Hydro Wave Washer
(click it to git it)

then use these instructions to take apart the washer and install the shaft and mode shifter assembly:

GE Hydro Wave Washer: Replacing the Shaft and Mode Shifter Assembly

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

GE Triton XL Dishwasher Trips Circuit Breaker

The Triton XL GSD6000, PDW7000, EDW4000 series of dishwashers contain a Dr. Who device called a transient absorber, or transorb. Its job is to absorb electrical transients created when the water valve is turned on and off.

dishwasher kickplate removal - click to enlargeTo get to the transorb, you’ll need to remove the dishwasher kickplate. The transorb is located about an inch and half from the red water valve harness connector. It’s covered in black heat shrink tubing with a yellow wire on one end and a white wire with a red stripe on the other. See photo below:

GE Triton XL Dishwasher Transorb Location

The transorb is wired in the harness between the line (yellow wire) and neutral (white-red wire) sides of the water valve circuit. When these suckers fail, they usually fail by shorting out, making a short circuit betwixt line and neutral. This would cause the circuit breaker to trip when the dishwasher control engages the water valve.

GE put out a new transorb kit to replace the old one. The new kit contains a transorb with two attached butt connectors and complete instamallation destructions.

Transorb kit *Shorted Transorb will likely damage the main electronic control board.

To install the new transorb, cut the defective part out of the harness and splice in the new one according to the installation instructions. This way, you don’t have to replace the entire harness. Oh, thank you, GE!

When replacing a transorb, you should also replace the electronic control. A shorted transorb may damage the water valve circuit in the electronic control and you’re likely to have intermittent and highly annoying water fill problems. If you’re a professional appliantologist, that means call-backs. And everyone hates a call-back!

GE Triton dishwasher control module assembly

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