Kenmore elite washer won't spin or agitate

delmarjeff · #1 Oct 4, 2006, 09:28 PM

I have a 5 year olf Kenmore elite washer that does not spin/agitate or pump water. Took the shell off, pump off, motor off. I left the motor connected to the wiring, tried to spin/agitate, but get no motion on motor, just a buzzing noise. Seems like the motor is bad? Is there any way to test this, or maybe there is something else I should test. Seems like tranny turns ok, pump turns ok. Thanks!

esquire1 · Oct 7, 2006, 06:04 AM

If you get abuzzing noise it could be the capicator.

delmarjeff · Oct 7, 2006, 06:41 AM

excellent timing! Yes I ohmmed out the motor it seems fine, matches the repair manual. I will test the capacitor next, although I have a digital multimeter, and it's not clear to me I can test a capacitor with that? I'm guessing the capacitor is cheap anyway, I may just replace it - Is there a better (easier) way to test a capacitor?

esquire1 · Oct 7, 2006, 06:45 AM

Yes the cap is cheap. You can visually check by, is the top blown out or distorted? Do you see oil leaking from it?

esquire1 · Oct 8, 2006, 05:17 AM

How did you make out with your repair? Are you up and running now?

delmarjeff · Oct 8, 2006, 07:06 AM

Sadly, changing out the cap did not change anything. Motor just buzzes when it should be spinning or agitating or pumping. If a rotate the motor by hand while it's buzzing, it will take off and rotate like crazy. So it seems like something to do with the start windings? Maybe the second (new) motor I tried was bad also. I'm thinking about trying a third (used) motor, otherwise maybe it's the switch? I'm about to give up on this repair. Any thoughts on testing parts out would be great!

esquire1 · Oct 8, 2006, 07:15 AM

You can wire the motor temporarily direct to 120V and check that way. More times than not if you can start motor the way you say it is the cap. Was the cap the same size mfd? Was it new or used? It would not be the switch. Has to be motor or cap. Good luck and let me know, so others reading this site can benefit as well

esquire1 · Oct 8, 2006, 07:46 AM

With the motor out and applying direct power to it, if it starts ok then your trans. or pump is locked. I may be wrong but I didn't think kenmore used a starting switch. They are cheap as well. If they do use one you might check that as well.

delmarjeff · Oct 9, 2006, 05:45 AM

hmm... well the motor still just buzzes when it gets power. While it's buzzing, if I spin the rotor (the motor is sitting loose from the pump and trans.) it will spin fine, which says something is wrong with the starting of the motor? I've tried a second new motor with the same results. The trans. and the pump spin fine by themselves. I'm not sure what to do next, maybe a third motor?

delmarjeff · Oct 15, 2006, 04:40 PM

So I figured out how to wire the motor correctly and now it spins fine whe I run it on power from the wall. So it seems the problem is in the timer, from what I can tell, none of the switches turn on the Start Windings like they should. So I'm trying a new timer to see if that will fix it.



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