william pearson jr wrote:

Have a kenmore front load washer that will not start only fill with water model # 41741042000 can you help me

The first thing I’ll help you with is punctuation. Start with this handy, concise punctuation guide; go ahead a bookmark it now. In particular, focus your bloodshot squinties on the first step in the guide:

The question mark ( ? ), used at the end of a sentence, suggests an interrogatory remark or inquiry.

This is especially important when you’re writing to someone at their website and requesting their expert advice. Contrary to the opinion of the Great Unwashed Illiterati (GUI), the Internet is still largely a written medium despite the proliferation of Youtube and porn sites.

And commas are nice, too.

As for your washer, the problem could be one of several things. But rather than write a bunch of techno-twaddle that no one bothers to read, I’m going to tell you how to start troubleshooting this yourself and how you can get more help if you need it.

If you’ll remove the bottom quarter panel from the front of the washer (two 1/4″ hex screws at the very bottom) and then peer intently into the dark compartment using appropriate artificial illumination, you’ll find a large envelope pasted to the inside of one of the side walls. Therein ye shall find detailed tech sheets, complete with troubleshooting guide and wiring schematics. Extract from envelope using your preferred hand and grok said material intently whist consuming your flavorite fermented grain beverage.

If, after consuming sufficient quantities of aforementioned beverage, you find yourself no closer to a solution, come ye hither and pour out your love-libation to the Samurai Appliance Repair Forum, start a new topic in the Laundry Appliance Repair Forum and we shall gladly assist you. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

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

paul cowan wrote:

I have a Sears 417.42142100 front loading washer. I have the tech sheet and I have followed it. I am pretty sure that I have a problem with the door switch.
How do i replace it? Getting the back off and performing electrical checks is easy, How do I get the front off to get at the door switch?

Ahh, Grasshoppah, this is one of those repairs where less is more. If you were to actually remove the front panel, you would find yourself wallowing in the Pit of Perpetual Despair (POPD) and lamenting the resulting mess that you had created.

Come with me now on a Journey of Grand Illumination (JOGI) and observe the Technique of the Master (TOTM)…

You mentioned that you have already procured the Door Switch Assembly (DSA) for your model. For others reading this post, you should use your model number and look up the door switch assembly for your specific model since there are a couple different versions out based on model number.

Wisdom! Let us attend! Here, now, I present the TOTM that you’ve all been longing and panting for. Wallah! Uhhh… you know you can click the little pic to enlarge it and read the illuminating commentary, don’t you? Oy! Anyway, once you remove the Top Panel (TP) and peel back the Door Boot (DB), it’s all plug n’ chug. Reattach the DB to the front panel with a couple strategically-placed dabs of rubber cement.


Now, if Allah has not grinned down upon you and it turns out you have the older style DSA for this machine, well, let’s just say that there ain’t no virgins waiting for yo azz in Paradise, if’n you get m’drift, Slick. Nawsir, you’re in for a bit of Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth (WAGOT). You’ll have a bunch of wire chasing to do and chances are you’ll screw it up the first five tries. The DSA kit comes with instructions but, of course, they suck. The anatomy layout picture shown here will hepya but, dayyam, I’m glad I ain’t you. Been there, done that.

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

cl jansen wrote:

I have an almost 6 yearold kenmore frontload model 907C4106200 that has just in the last month started leaving grease or somthing on my clothes and gets very loud in the spin cycle. I was told that is was the rear bearing? cost 800.00 to fix. this was diagnosed over the phone. What do you think?

I think it’s time to stop relying on phone or Internet diagnoses and do your own!

Remove the back panel. If you see a scat-job looking mess back there, like shown in the thumbnail (click to enlarge), then you have the infamous failed drum bearing. This is one whopper of a job, even for seasoned techs. Now may be a good time to go shopping. But, if you’re looking to indulge your inner masochist, this topic in the repair forum will get you started with the repair.

As a faithful reader of these hallowed pages, you know that the door switch assembly and the machine control board has been the Achilles Heel on this otherwise superbly mediocre washing machine. In most of these failures, the root culprit have been the wax motor in the door switch assembly. The wax motor had a nasty habit of shorting out, which fried resistor R11 on the machine control board. The required repair was to replace both the wax motor and the machine control board for a total slam of about $250 in parts alone! Can you see now why Maytag had to sell out to Whirlpool? And the games continue…

The old wax motors had a brown plunger. If yours has this, then you should upgrade to the new wax motor which has a black plunger, shown below:

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

So, you got bitten by the DIY bug and decided to replace the transmission in your Whirlpool direct drive washing machine (may have a Kenmore label on it, but same-o same-o, GI). It came out easily enough but now the blasted thing won’t set back in the machine correctly. What’s a grasshopper to do? Come, read these pearls of wisdom from Sublime Masters appl.tech.29501 and AccApp and they’ll help you get it in gear. And heed these tips from Academy Fellow Willie:

Pounding and banging or using the screws to pull transmission into place IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT!!!!!!!!

If the transmission won’t slide up nice and smooth, right into place then you either have the brake release cam right on top of the clutch spring, or the most likely problem is that you let the basket drive/brake assembly drop down after removing the transmission.

Anytime you remove the transmission you must make sure the brakes are seated all the way up into the brake drum. You just need to turn the brake release cam and at the same time push the basket drive up as far as it will go then let the brake release cam go. The basket and basket drive/brake assembly will stay up in place if you don’t mess with the brake release cam while the transmission is out.

Sublime Master Reg ‘splains it ratcheer.

This is caused by the control board putting out the incorrect voltage to the timer. You’ll need to replace the control board. Be careful about the wiring– if you mis-wire the new board, you’ll blow it again. At $200 a pop, adult language will be forthcoming in liberal quantities. See this topic for more details.

This is probably a bad drum “spider.”

For details on how to confirm, including a helpful excerpt from the service manual, see this topic in the repair forum.