Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - GE washer problems

I have a GE washer that is about 12 years old. The problem is that when it is started, it keeps stopping and can only be restarted by pushing in and pulling back out the knob. This has to be repeated about 10 times for each load. I have replaced the timer twice and after about a month the same problem occurs. Am I just getting bad timers or is there another possible problem?

I've never came across your problem before. It's as if by pulling out on the knob you are jarring some bad electrical connection to once again making good contact.

Do you have a machine where the lid has to be down for it to even agitate? If so, you might have lid switch problem.

Timer? This many times? That be a weird one. AlTHOUGHHHHH - how much do you use the machine? That definitely would weigh into the mix.

The machine is only used about 1-2 times a week. Every time it stops the lid is down and we don't open it before we push-pull the knob.

Multiple bad timers producing the same symptoms are unlikely. I would suspect something else is the problem. I have not heard of this before either. This is going to be a tough one to figure out. If you catch it immediately when it stops, does it restart immediately when the timer is cycled off and back on (push, pull)?

My wife is very punctual when it stops and it does restart immediately when cycled off and on.

Ms,

Then that being the case, experiment and raise and lower the lid and see if it fills the machine and will start to agitate. And if not, try monkeying with the lid for a while, up and down, and then maybe hit the machine to see if that jars something that might be loose.

I can't remember if you say the water fills everytime or not. Sort of important to know if it gets that far in the cycle. IF - it does that every time, then I'd guess poor connection at lid switch (maybe, depending on your machine type), or motor connection or at some connection for one of the controls behind the control panel. Possibly a common denominator to all 3 timers going out is you have a bad connector you keep reusing to your timer.

I ran into this problem once with another brand washer. Took me awhile to find the problem but I finally took off the plug-on wiring harness from drive motor & found a bad terminal. Cleaned it up with some sandpaper & problem solved. Dave

When she starts the washer it does fill and start the cycle. It just stops 8-10 times during the wash and the cycle switch was to be push-pulled each time. We never have to lift the lid. It stays down until we are done. That is why I suspected the timer in the first place. after replacing it twice, I don't believe that is the problem. Is it time to bite the bullet & get a new one?

It almost DOES sound like the timer, especially since this same symptom was cured by you replacing them. May have a common engineering flaw in these.

At the same time it is frustrating to THINK you are right on a diagnosis and NOT be, exspecially if part costs a lot. Since you can get it to start each time, if this were ME, what I woud do, because I am stubborn and hate to be wrong, is to first test all the outgoing wires from the timer to see which no longer have 120 coming out of them (when the machine stops). And then conduct same test when the machine runs again, to see which wire now DOES have current coming out of it, to confirm if it is the timer or not. Or if you have saya motor overheating and going out on thermal overlaod or something like Dave said.

What be odd though about a thermal overload theory would be why it simply would not just start right back up after it cooled down, in this older machine. If it was a newer machine with control board (like computer), I'd say in that case by one pulling out on timer dial, that you have to do that to reset it. But with your older machine, you'd think it just start back up on it's own accord.

It's also possible that you have SOME type of motor or connection problem, that by you pulling out on the dial to restart it, you are sending a surge through the connection that somehow is enough to get it to go again.

But check out that timer like I said.

I ran into this problem once with another brand washer. Took me awhile to find the problem but I finally took off the plug-on wiring harness from drive motor & found a bad terminal. Cleaned it up with some sandpaper & problem solved. Dave

I was thinking the same thing. Motor switch or centrifigul (spelling) switch malfunctioning.

On another note, see if wife can catch it stopping and see if it slows down before it stops or just suddenly stops. Maybe the brake is sticking and making it shut off or reset. May have to have someone check that. I'm thinking a sticking brake or something binding it in someway might ruin timers by burning the contacts.

When this 1st occured, I replaced the timer. After a month the problem started again and another new timer was put in. Now approx a month later the same thing happened. I replaced new timer #2 with the 1st new timer and the problem again disappeared. My plan now is if the problem reoccurs in a month to replace the 1st new timer with new timer #2. This just seems very strange.

Sounds like a bad connection somewhere. need to check all connections, timer wires, motor wires, maybe the lid switch, water level control switch, etc for tight fits. Sometimes a wire can break within the insulated cover and cause intermitten problems also. If you can run the washer and shake these wires a little to see if it acts up. If so, it may have either a bad connector onthe wire or broken wire. A small hole or loose fit (either end) in the tube going to water level switch or a hole in the diaphram of the switch itself will cause problems too.

I have a GE washer about as old as yours. Right now I'm looking through the GE washer problems posts and everyone is having a related problem. The spin stops or the washer runs fine then after a couple of mins slow. The clothes are all wet.

Well my washer stopped in the spin and I smelled a burning smell. Disconnected the plug it was hot from pulling alot of current. I then plugged it back in and tried to spin the tub by hand in the spin cycle. It was trying to spin but just having a hard time.

I Pulled the front off the washer with a small flat tip screw driver. Very easy. Just look for a little piece of metal hanging down, a latch, and jam your screw driver in. This is at the top of the front of the washer. Not where the switches are. Once you get both latches you can pull the front of the washer off.

Now I'm looking at the tub and motor. This washer is very easy to pull apart. The motor and transmission aren't attached to each other except by a belt.
Well I turned it on again and the belt wouldn't turn but damn was it smelling hot. NOw this wasn't an electrical hot. Trust me I have 16 years in electronics working stereos to high power aircraft Radar. I can tell you the type of component that burnt up by the smell. I was also a desiel Mechanic in the USMC. This smell was like a brake/hot metal. But it could be the motor. So, I touched the Motor with the back of my wet finger and it was cool. A bad burning electrical motor can build up massive amounts of heat instantly and can burn your flesh right off without a 3rd degree burnt. Instant white dead skin so be very very careful.

Alright but the smell was right here. I noticed there was a large housing on the pully. It was very hot and the belt looked fine. Well I disconnected the power cord and then disconnected the connector to the motor. I pulled the motor out and removed the pully. There was a brake system inside the pully. This was obviously put there to protect the transmission, belt, or something. You maybe loosing switches because too much current is flowing through them to get the motor running. So what do you do?

Take the front off and see whats going on. Running it like this wont cause any problems. See what else is causing you to damage switches. In the end you may need to have the brakes replaced in the moter or the whole motor maybe over heated now. In the end whatever the problem. You might still need another switch. When high current is involved it tends to take out several items in the same line. We like to call it the snow ball effect or avalanche. You replace one thing and it keeps going bad because it maybe the weakest link, but now its degraded and you need to change several things in the line at the same time or you just keep chasing your tail.

The housing on the motor is the clutch housing on older machines. Sounds like the pads are stuck.