Frigidaire Laundry Center won't Agitate.

[TechnicianBrian]

Model #FEX831FS0, this laundry center (washer on bottom, dryer on top) was not washing clothes properly. When a cycle was started, the tub would fill with water, but when the motor engaged, the agitator would not operate. A difficult task to see considering the motor stops when the lid is opened, but the customer was certain there was no agitation. Once the timer reached the rinse and spin portion of the cycle, the water drained and the tub would spin just like it should. The laundry was piling up so I needed to get the right washer parts to get this washer needed to get up and running quickly.



Many top load washers, like the one in this post, use a transmission of some sort to create the agitation movement when driven by the wash motor. This back and forth motion is created when the motor rotates in one direction, while the drive for the spin portion of the cycle comes when the motor reverses direction. Each washer manufacturer uses their own process, be it direct drive or belt drive, but the results are usually the same. Washing machine parts are rarely interchangeable so the same symptom on two different brands of washers may not always be repaired the same way. The good news with this unit, is mechanically speaking, it's easy to diagnose.

The Frigidaire top load washers use a belt driven transmission for the agitation and spin movement and because they don't use a clutch or brake assembly, there isn't much more to look at. The washer motor in this post was indeed running while in the agitation portion of the cycle, and the belt was turning the drive pulley. If the motor and belt are turning, but the agitator isn't moving, the transmission has failed. Not the easiest fix considering the entire tub assembly needs to be removed to complete the repair, but once out of the cabinet, it's just a handful of screws before the new transmission can be installed. Which is exactly what I did, along with a new tub seal. Once I had everything back together, remembering the clear pressure hose on the left, I started a quick wash cycle and the agitator begin to operate. Now the customer has a working washer to start getting caught up on all the laundry.