Frigidaire Washer Won't Spin

[TechnicianBrian]

Model #ATF6700FS1, this front load washer would wash properly, but the clothes seemed to be very wet at the end of the cycle. The customer tried different things thinking the problem had to do with the size or type of load, but nothing seemed to work. Then the customer happened to catch the washer at the end of a wash cycle and noticed it never really came up and spun the clothes like it normally would. The high RPM spin of the front load washer is one of those nice benefits of owning one, so the customer thought it was time to get it fixed.

Because of the high spin speeds of front load washers, the doors are equipped with a latch and lock mechanism to prevent the door from being opened during the washers operation. These locks will often be actuated by a solenoid or wax motor to ensure they remain latched during the wash cycle. This model uses a two stage lock that latches the door when the load starts, and then when it is time to spin, the second lock engages to ensure the door is properly secured prior to beginning the spin. When this second lock engages, it also closes a set of switch contacts (the auxiliary door switch) telling the control board the door is closed and locked. If for some reason this switch is not closed, the washer will tumble during what would normally be the spin cycle until the entire cycle is complete.




On the entire Frigidaire ATFxxxxxxx line of front load washers, if the secondary door lock fails, the unit will not spin. If you suspect this is the reason your washer is not spinning, do a check of the error log (consult the tech sheet for how to access) and you will find an E47 error has been logged. This error indicates the control board thinks the wax motor has failed because the auxiliary switch never closed. The customer will not see this error in the display, but it will be stored in memory. A quick resistance check of the wax motor will tell you if it has failed. Expect 1K to 1.5K of resistance from most of the wax motor heaters.

After finding the E47 error stored in memory, I went after the switch by removing the outer door seal spring so I could pull the switch out the front. A quick resistance check showed the wax motor was open electrically so it was no longer working. Installed a new switch assemblyicon, reattached all the wires along with the door seal. And now the washer will wash and spin.

Frigidaire Front Load Washer Door Lock Assembly Part # 131763202

[Lotwc1960]

Brian, can I temporally bypass the switch? .. I have 2005 Beaumark 403611 washer (Canadian) and I think that those were made by Frigidaire....can not find any labels with model number but the door switch looks like on your picture and it has 3 plugs with 2 wires each - see my picture. How can I make sure that the switch is defective...I don't want to buy the switch and find out that the control board defective. 
Thanks in advance
Peter

[TechnicianBrian]

Hi Peter, you would be better off checking the switch contacts for continuity rather than bypassing them and starting a cycle.  The latch assembly has two switches, a solenoid and wax motor and each can be checked using a multimeter on the resistance scale, but you would need to remove the latch cover (like the one on my post) to actuate the auxiliary switch for testing.  What is your washer doing or not doing? 

[Lotwc1960]

Hi, the washer won't do the final high speed spin.
I removed the switch and check for continuity ( latch was removed and inserted into switch) See attached picture -door switch 3 .I also found 1360 ohms beetwen upper terminal in The middle plug (#2) and lower terminal of upper plug(#1)

I also hooked up the switch and checked the readings when the machine was operating. I was unable to remove the latch from switch when the machine was operating. The reading are on picture -door switch 2.
Thanks 

[Lotwc1960]

Brian , the model number is BTF 1040ASO

[TechnicianBrian]

Hi Peter,

Based on the information you have provided, it looks like the auxiliary switch is not used on that model which is the what triggers the failure as I described in my post.  The resistance measured between the White & Blue/White wires is the lock solenoid and look correct.  With the door catch inserted in the latch, you should read continuity or very low resistance between the Black & Black/Red wires because that is the door lock switch.  The wax motor on the White & Pink wires measures correctly and should have 120vac going to it when the machine enters the spin cycle or whenever the drain pump is on.  If the machine starts to wash, my guess is all the latch components are functioning properly.  And if you don't find standing water in the basket, the drain is most likely working fine.  Time for some motor controller troubleshooting.  The image is from the Frigidaire service manual which I am guessing is close to your model.  Take the measurements described and see what you get.  The motor controller is a bit difficult to get to and take readings, but it is the best way to be accurate with a diagnosis.

Brian

[Lotwc1960]

Brian,
I am a little bit  confused now ....according to the chart I shoul replace both ....the timer and the control board .
Voltage check beetween pin 5 at six pin plug and pins at ten pin plug:
- 5-1=120 volts , the manual says should be 0  volts
- 5-2= 28.5 volts
- 5-6 = 120 volts
- 5-9 =120 volts
-5-10= 30 volts
Resistance check on speed control board:
1-2 = over 2 mega ohms and bleeds down to .320 mega ohms over 5-10 minutes ( all checks do that)
2-3 = .342 mega ohms
3-1 = .327 mega ohms
The manual says that if you have voltage on pin 5-1 you should check 3C and 3B for open contacts......I looked at the timer and I don't know how to check the contacts ....should I check for open cirquit beetwen wire  pink/blk and yell/blk???   or this is a defective timer
In addition, the manual says that if meeter reads other than 3 megs the speed control board needs to be changed
Please advise ....thanks Peter

[TechnicianBrian]

Peter,

From the measurements you have taken, it is looking more like a timer problem. The flow chart doesn't do a good job of explaining itself, but basically the motor controller is just looking for either L1 source voltage on inputs connector 10 pins 1,2,6, & 10, or a floating condition which the board interperts as off.  Connector 10 pin 9 is the L1 input to the board and connector 6 pin 5 is the neutral return so all measurements should be taken in reference to that pin.  Because all your voltages check out with the exception of pin 6-5 to pin 10-1, you need to verify that timer contact.  If you look at the wiring diagram, all the voltage inputs for those pins comes from the pressure switch, so if you check the output from the #3 terminal of the pressure switch to the 10-1 pin, you will be reading through the timer contacts.  If you read continuity or a very low resistance with the timer set for spin, then the contacts are stuck closed.  Turn the timer to another setting to see if the resistance changes to verify if the contacts reopen or not.  There shouldn't be voltage on that pin per the flowchart so by finding out why it is there and what is allowing it will lead to the failed component.

Brian

[DMW]

I've just repaired a Frigidaire GLTF2940ES3 and had read your post as a guide.  The door latch passed the resistance testing (both the wax motor and the solenoid) so I replaced the main control board per the troubleshooting guide.  That didn't solve the problem so I replaced the motor control board and still no luck.  I finally replaced the door latch and this fixed it.  I disassembled the old door latch so I could watch the wax motor/PTC.  I hooked it up to 110v and it did not work. Bottom line is the problem can still be the door latch even if it passes the resistance testing.  I have replaced the old main and motor control boards and will now see what I can get for the "new but used" boards that I needlessly bought. duh.

Don

Frigidaire Front Load Washer Door Lock Assembly Part # 131763202

[RegUS_PatOff]

.. I disassembled the old door latch so I could watch the wax motor/PTC.  I hooked it up to 110v and it did not work. Bottom line is the problem can still be the door latch even if it passes the resistance testing...

... then the Door Lock Light wouldn't come on and mayhave shown an Error Code or wouldn't pass the Diagnostics Tests for the Door Lock PTC

[DMW]

It did have an error code for PTC and the diagnostic that I found was to measure the resistance of the PTC.  It passed this test.  The diagnostic then pointed to the control board.  Was there any other diagnostics for the PTC other than the resistance measurement?
Thank you.
Don

[chris c.]

Hey guys.  I just read all your conversations.  First, just want to say thinks for the details.  It was very helpful.
I checked my wax motor (PTC) and it was at 1100ohms.  I assume that is good?  So, in the next day or so I'll do some diagnostics on the motherboard and timer.  If I need one of those parts you have, Don, I will let you know so you can get recapture some of your costs.
Chris

[chef_m]

Thanks so much for all the write-ups; they were most helpful and led me (luckily) to the right parts decision. 

I had this exact issue as described above.  I tested the wax motor resistance as several others did above and received a 1300 ohms reading --  right on spec.  But about 6 mos ago, this same issue had occurred and I found a slightly loose connection at the speed control board -- the first thing I checked.  That got it working with no parts replacements.  So naturally, I was thinking, "OK.  The connection has become loose again."  No luck.

So I was faced with a "which part is failing" question and after receiving the 1300 reading, I was seriously thinking about the control board.  But thanks to Don's postings, I decided to replace the part that has had the most complaints (plus it was cheaper) -- the latch assembly.  It worked the first time.

Thanks again!


Frigidaire Front Load Washer Door Lock Assembly Part # 131763202