Fixitnow.com Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samsung Over-the-Range Microwave Recall

2009-11-18T13:30:07Z

Shock hazard. Danger, Will Robinson!

Samsung OTR Microwave Recall

Whirlpool / Kenmore Washer Stops While Running but Re-starts When Lid is Raised and Lowered

2009-11-12T03:34:22Z

Kenmore washer stops.
Raise and lower lid: restarts.
A flakey lid switch.

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

Kenmore HE2 Front-loading Washer with an F25 Error Code

2009-11-11T12:59:01Z

This washer is actually the Whirlpool Duet Sport washer with a Kenwhore label slapped on it. The model number of the insolent washer in this case is 110.46462501.

According to the tech sheet supplied with the washer, F25 indicates a possible drive motor tachometer error. (NOTE: The tech sheet is located behind the front quarter panel– remove the three hex head screws at the very bottom to remove the panel. The tech sheets will be folded up in a little plastic pouch. If some slimeball stole yours, you can borrow mine… just be sure to return it!)

Anyway, note the emphasis on the word possible in the error code description. These error code descriptions ain’t gospel– they’re just meant to be suggested starting points in your battle. So you can’t just go ‘n replace a part “‘cuz the tech sheet sez so.” Nawsir, it just ain’t that easy.

This is one of those cases where it takes field experience and kidneys of steel of know what’s really going on here. Now, for the first time ever in on the Internet, two battle-hardened and most-wise Sublime Masters of Appliantology reveal their secret kata for defeating the vexing F25 error code in a Kenmore HE2 front-loading washer!

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

GE Hydrowave Top-Loading Washer Won’t Run

2009-11-10T17:07:19Z

Example model number for this washing machine is WPRE6100. If you’re having a no-go problem with this machine, one of the first things to check is the error code on the inverter board. The inverter is located down in the motor, remove the front panel to see it.

To remove the front panel:

1. Locate the two (hidden) spring clips between the top cover and front panel– look in that seam with a flashlight, you’ll seem ‘em. Or you can feel them with your putty knife.

2. Insert your putty knife and push forward on the clips to release ‘em.

3. The front panel will tilt out toward you and lift off the two hooks at the bottom.

There’s an LED on the board that will flash the error code. The location of the LED and its mystical flash code interpretation are shown below.

If the LED is flashing an error code, first thing to try is resetting the inverter board:

To Reset the Inverter Board: Push the timer knob in so the washer is idle. Unplug the machine for one minute. Plug back in and raise and lower the lid six times within 12 seconds.

After resetting the inverter board, put the machine in a spin cycle and see if it runs. If not, check for a green blinking light on the inverter board. It will flash failure codes according to the picture above. If no light you probably have a blown fuse built into the neutral side of the harness on the white/red wire.

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

Kitchenaid Dishwasher Goes Through the Cycles Really Fast

2009-11-10T16:48:15Z

JKJK65 wrote:

Kitchenaid undercounter dishwasher KUDM01TJWHO

When you press start the normal and wash light comes on and sounds like water starts for about 5 seconds then water heating light comes on for 2 seconds then rinse light then the dry light and then the clean light all for about 2 seconds each then the clean light goes right out instead of staying on. It basically goes through all the cycles in about 11 seconds. If I press one of the special options the light will not stay on. The motor all sounds a little like it is binding, but not sure. This all started when my son was pushing all the buttons. Not sure if it is a coincidence or he did something. Any help would be appreciated, Thanks

Sounds like your son managed to put the dishwasher in sales demo mode. There’s a keypad dance to change it’s tune.

Press the following key sequence in less than 3 seconds:

High Temp – Air Dry – Air Dry – High Temp – Air Dry – Air Dry

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

Appliance Fault Codes by Brand and Appliance

2009-11-10T07:09:08Z

Freaky appliance
flashing mysterious code.
Mystery revealed!

Repair Goodies for the Dacor ED / ID / PD / MDV / MDH24 Dishwasher

2009-11-10T05:48:29Z

Parts Breakdown Diagrams

Service Bulletin 07/16/09

Service Bulletin 07/15/09

Buy Parts for your Dacor Dishwasher

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

Important Things You Need to Know About Buying Appliance Parts Online!

2009-11-06T15:28:38Z

Fixitnow.com offers a complete line of appliance parts for all brands and models through our parts partner, RepairClinic. We could have partnered with any number of other appliance parts retailers on the web, but we chose RepairClinic. You won’t find a more complete selection of appliance parts, better customer service, or a more lenient return policy anywhere else. And all at great prices! By clicking through to RepairClinic using the links below or anywhere else at Fixitnow.com or ApplianceGuru.com, a small percentage of your purchase goes to supporting this website without costing you one penny more for the parts you order. So, if you’re going to order appliance parts anyway, how ’bout using the links on this website to ensure that the Samurai will be here the next time you need appliance repair help? Rock on!

Like to shop locally? Hey, you can’t get anymore local than right here on your compooter screen!

And does your "local" parts house give you a 30-day no-hassle return policy? Even on electronic control boards that you already installed? No? So… why do you buy there?

I‘ve got some convenient parts search tools right on this page, too. You can either use the yellow parts search box at the top of the page or browse by brand below:

Browse by Brand

Admiral	Airtemp	Amana
Aprilaire	Asko	Auto-Flo
Bemis	Bosch	Broan
Caloric	Climatrol	Crosley
Dacor	DCS	Duracraft
Edison	Estate	Fedders
FiveStar	Frigidaire	Garland
GE	Gibson	Goldstar
Hamilton	Hampton Bay	Hardwick
Hitachi	Holmes	Hotpoint
Humid-Aire	Insinkerator	JC Penney
Jenn Air	Kelvinator	Kenmore
Kitchen Aid	Klein	Litton
Lobb	Magic Chef	Marta
Marvel	Maytag	Modern Maid
Montgomery Wards	Norge	Panasonic
Quasar	RCA	Roper
Samsung	Sanyo	Scotsman
Sears	Sharp	Signature
Sinkmaster	Skuttle	Speed Queen
Sub-Zero	Sunray	Tappan
Thermadore	Toshiba	U-Line
Viking	Wards	Waste King
West Bend	Westinghouse	Whirlaway
Whirlpool	White-Westinghouse	Wolf

Kenmore Washer 110.23812100 Not Spinning Out Every Time

2009-11-06T14:32:11Z

Intermittent spin.
Replaced clutch; same-o, same-o.
Burn spot in timer.

Kenmore Washer 110.23812100 Not Spinning Out Every Time

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

Maytag Ice2O French Door Refrigerator/Freezer Model MFI2568AEW HV Control Board Repair Instruction Guide

2009-11-05T19:19:21Z

Maytag french door fridge
lights blink, ice door flaps, no water:
Grok Steve’s awesome guide.

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

Common Gas and Electric Dryer Problems and Solutions

2009-11-03T22:30:27Z

Problem: Dryer warm but clothes take too long to dry.

Solution: Dryer is dirty with lint inside, vent is excessively long, or filled with lint. FIRE HAZARD!

Dryer disassembly help.

The house dryer vent line is notorious for being neglected and most people don’t even think about cleaning it out periodically. You’ll wanna clean that sucker out about every two to three years. There are services that specialize in dryer vent cleaning. Or come git you a vent cleaning brush on a 12 foot wire wound coil, and you can get ‘er done yourself.

Other things besides poor venting that can cause this problem: Intermittent burner coils, faulty thermostats, reduced airflow through machine (poor vent). If dryer is electric, make sure you’re getting 240vac at the wall outlet. Check both rails of the 240 VAC supply… may be getting only 120 VAC. I’m just sayin’.

Problem: Drum turns but no heat at all.

Solution:

Gas dryers– Maybe a burner component failed. Check coils, flame switch, igniter, motor centrifugal switch, thermal fuse, thermostat, hi-limit thermostat, belt switch.

Electric dryers– Centrifugal switch (built into the motor), heating element, thermal fuse, thermostat, hi-limit thermostat, broken belt switch. I have a special page just for you on things that can cause an electric dryer to not heat.

Problem: Drum wont turn.

Solution: Is the motor turning? “But, Samurai, I am but a Grasshoppah, how am I supposed to know these things?” Use your earballs, Slick; do you hear the freakin’ thing running? Could be a broken belt, seized belt idler wheel, foreign crapicus jammed in drum.

Problem: Dryer makes a scraping sound.

Solution: Worn rollers; worn drum glides or drum bearing (especially common on Frigidaire dryers); crapicus jammed in the drum; cheesey idler pulley.

Problem: Dryer getting too hot.

Solution: Stuck thermostat, airflow backing up from restricted vent. WARNING WILL ROBINSON: FIRE HAZARD! DANGER! DANGER!

Problem: Rumbling sound (particularly noticeable when the dryer starts).

Solution: Worn out blower wheel– especially common on Maytag models, also some Frigidaire. I’ve yet to see this problem on a Whirlpool model, though I suspect the models with the lint filter in front are susceptible to this.

Problem: Dryer runs normally then shuts down for about 10-15 minutes then starts back up again by itself.

Solution: Drum motor over-current or thermal relay is tripping. May be due to hot air being blown against the motor or just a motor that’s old and drawing too much current. Check vent connections, clean out dryer / house vent.

And many, many more more dryer problems and solutions await you in the Online Dryer Diagnostic Guide and the Complete Compendium of Dryer FAQs.

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

Visualize Your Appliance Repair Experience

2009-11-10T07:08:24Z

Appliance Breakdown Diagrams

Grok on these mind-expanding, interactive breakdown diagrams of various appliances so you can see how they’re put together. An indispensible troubleshooting and repair aid!

Dryers

Freezers

Ice Makers

Microwave Ovens

Ovens, Ranges, and Stoves

Refrigerators

Trash Compactors

Washing Machines

How to Remove the Knobs and Front Panel from a Viking Dishwasher

2009-11-02T22:47:15Z

How to Remove the Knobs and Front Panel from a Viking Dishwasher

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

Repair Goodies for the Dacor ECS / ECD Wall Oven

2009-10-31T14:08:43Z

Circuit Path Drawings

Field Service Bulletins

Kit Instructions

Failure Codes

Diagnostic Manual

Parts Breakdown Diagrams

Buy Parts for your Dacor Wall Oven

To learn more about your range/stove/oven, or to order parts, clickhere.

Schematic and Wiring Diagram for the GE JKP36G004BG Double Wall Oven

2009-11-07T17:54:11Z

A common problem you run into when working on older appliances is that the schematic and wiring diagram are missing– usually because the slimeball who worked on it before you stole it. This happened recently to a tech in the Samurai Appliance Repair Forum where Sublime Master of Appliantology Pegi was able to locate it for him. Such is the power of the forum! In his case, he needed diagrams for a GE JKP36G004BG double wall oven. They’re posted below; if you need it, go ahead and download it.

Schematic and Wiring Diagram for the GE JKP36G004BG Oven

To learn more about your range/stove/oven, or to order parts, click here

Troubleshooting Drive Motor Problems in a Frigidaire Front Loading Washer

2009-10-29T13:47:57Z

(Also applies to Kenmore washers with a model number prefix of 417.)

Note: Begin troubleshooting a no-spin condition by checking the door latch switch. If it checks good, then proceed with this flowchart. See the tech sheet with your washer for the door latch switch test procedure. The procedures described below assume that the door latch switch tests good.

The most common motor problem with this washer is no-spin; the drum may tumble, but it either never goes into spin at all or or just never ramps up to high speed spin. The tech sheet supplied with the washer (inside the cabinet, in a big envelope pasted to an inside wall– remove bottom front quarter panel to get to it) gives troubleshooting instructions but they are poorly written and difficult to follow, even for sage and battle-hardened appliantologists. The troubleshooting flowchart below from the service manual is mo’ bettah:

(click for larger image)

As noted in the flowchart, it’s pretty rare for the motor to fail in this washer, although I have seen it. The motor winding continuity checks are done through the motor wire harness at the speed control board (for convenience). If you get an open reading there, don’t take it as gospel that the motor is bad– repeat the test at the motor itself so that you’re not reading through the motor wire harness. The wire harness itself, specifically the molex connector, is a more common troublemaker than the motor.

A more common failure item causing a no-spin condition in this washer is the speed control board.

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

Front Loading Washer Corrosion Contagion: A Menagerie of Metallic Misery

2009-10-29T13:47:12Z

Been seeing a rash of galvanic corrosion-induced failures of the drum support spiders in various brands of front loading washers. Affected brands include GE, Whirlpool, and Frigidaire. Since Sears Kenmore brand outsources everything with a Kenmore label, all Kenmore washers are manufactured by one of the three aforementioned companies and will also manifest this same problem (see this topic for more info on who makes Kenmore appliances).

Kicking off the Washer Corrosion Hall of Shame is this bit of metallic misery from a Frikkidaire washer:

The drum support spider in this Frigidaire washer had corroded so much that the hub and drive shaft actually broke off. Note the pitting in the metal. You can see in the closeup that the metal seems to turn into powder. That’s the galvanic corrosion that I be tawkin’ aboot, you dig? It weakened the spider structural strength so much that it failed during use. Ah, Grasshoppah, can you stand with me, our mouths agape at the raw power of chemistry?

Next up is this drum from a GE washer:

Not to be outdone by their competitors, here’s an advanced case of galvanic corrosion in a Whirlpool Duet washer (also sold as the Kenmore HE2/3t):

(click images for larger view)

Whence cometh this galvanic corrosion? Most likely because of dissimilar metals between the spider assembly and the drum setting up a galvanic cell inside the washer. The drum is stainless steel and the spider is aluminum. In the wet environment, the aluminum acts as a sacrificial anode, like the zinc rod in a water heater. Some combinations of detergents, fabric softeners, and water quality conditions may create electrochemical conditions which exacerbate this problem. Can you say, “Design flaw?”

I think the engineers at one of these companies figgered out a way to save a buck two-eighty by using an aluminum drum support spider and the engineers at the other companies just brainlessly copied it without applying gray matter. My Momma always telled me that stupid is as stupid does. I rectum now I see what she be sayin’.

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

Help for Determining the Age of Common Appliance Brands

2009-10-27T13:36:33Z

First thang you’ll need to do is get the serial number off the model number tag. Armed with this key information, proceed to the appropriate section below:

For Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Roper, Estate, Maytag, and Magic Chef appliances, use the Appliance Age Finder to find out how old it is.

For GE appliances, use the table below:

(click for larger image)

For Frigidaire appliances, use this table:

(click for larger image)

Troubleshooting Flowchart for the Whirlpool-built Modular Icemaker

2009-10-24T17:51:50Z

Here it is, the flowchart you’ve been painfully waiting for while laying awake at night knotted up with anxiety: the Internet’s first systematic troubleshooting flowchart for the Whirlpool-built modular (that means “in your freezer”) icemaker. Go ahead, steal this pdf and share with all your friends… and your enemies, too!

Troubleshooting the Whirlpool Modular Icemaker

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

Manually Starting the Harvest Cycle in the Whirlpool-Built Modular Icemaker

2009-10-25T22:51:21Z

The Whirlpool-built modular icemaker is used in just about all refrigerators made today, regardless of brand. One notorious exception is the crappy IM6 icemakers used in GE-built refrigerators. Why they didn’t just go with the field-tested Whirlpool-built units is a seedy story of corporate sleaze and extortion now playing in a theater near you!

Any-freakin-way, one of the basic diagnostic things you’ll do on these Whirlpool-built modular icemakers is to manually start the harvest cycle. This is useful for finding out reasons why the icemaker isn’t working. For example, it may not start the harvest cycle at all: bad control module. Or you may find that water never comes in: could be a frozen fill tube, bad water inlet valve, bad water supply.

“O mighty Samurai,” you ax, with stars in your eyes, “how does a neophyte on the path of higher Appliantological wisdom accomplish this miracle of initiating the harvest cycle of which thou speakest?”

An astute question, my fine, young apprentice, and elegantly phrased. Behold the revelation of the mystery:

(click for larger view)

To initiate the harvest cycle: use an insulated length of wire with about a half inch stripped off each end. Insert each end of the wire into the test points marked T and H, as shown above.

Ahh, Grasshoppah, can you snatch this pebble from my hand?

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