Our washer trouble began at the end of April. It stopped mid-cycle and did not fully drain. I figured the drain line was clogged, so I manually drained what was in the drum and started peeking under the unit to see how to access the pump.
Nick questioned my logic and said that the display panel showed a "tE error". We then looked to the manual and learned that a tE error occurs when the thermistor is faulty. So, I ordered a thermistor and waited several days. It's a very simple part and all you have to do to replace it is remove the back panel and take out one screw and unplug the existing part. After swiftly making the swap I plugged in the machine and turned it on. I ran a short cycle to test and after a few minutes the machine stopped and gave the tE code. Oh no! So, I drained it AGAIN. The manual explained that if it's not the thermistor then it's probably the main control board. So, I went to the Sears Parts website and ordered a control board and waited a week.
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| Thermistor |
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| Main Control Board |
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The control board was a more involved fix only because there are several things to unplug and plug, but it's right at the back of the machine and easy to access. Once done, I held my breath and ran another test cycle. Again, the dreaded tE error came up. NOOOO! I was completely dejected. I decided to give up and call a real repair man. I found one who had good reviews that reported how he simply explained to people what part they needed to buy and how to fix the machine. What a great guy! When I called him, I explained what steps I had already taken and he abruptly said, "You've worked on the machine already? I won't touch it." Wait. What? I hung up and messaged Nick. "YOU call the repair man. I don't want to deal with these guys." I very much believe that he was short with me because I'm female.
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| Exterior panels removed. |
Nick set an appointment with a repair man who came out and declared that he does three or four of these fixes a week and that it's always the thermistor (note: his estimate for this 20 minute fix was $390). He confirmed that the original control board was fine and that our replacement thermistor was likely bad. He otherwise could not figure out what was wrong with the machine and didn't charge us for his time. I returned the control board and ordered yet another thermistor, which did NOT fix the problem. I found just one hint on a message board. A man going through the same issues - replacing parts multiple times. He finally decided to order a new wiring harness and redo all the wiring in the machine, which solved the problem. *sigh* That sounds hard. But, if fixing a simple thermistor is almost $400, I could spend a lot of time buying and returning parts and schlepping laundry to the coin-op laundromat before I've spent $400 or more. So, I bought the $60 wiring harness and followed along with a YouTube video on how to disassemble the machine. I had done it all before except for removing the front panel, which must be done in a certain order.
I started at one end of the harness and numbered both the plug and connection on the machine so that I wouldn't forget or get confused. I then threaded the harness through the machine and each time I unplugged the old, I plugged in the new. It was sometimes difficult to reach certain areas, but it actually wasn't technically challenging. I stopped mid-project for dinner and then set back in to finish my work at 9:30pm. It took me an hour and a half to get everything plugged in and the panels replaced. At 11:00pm, I went to bed, leaving testing for the morning. I just needed one night of hope.
First thing in the morning, I ran a short test cycle and it worked! Too afraid to declare success, I put a load of laundry in and continued to keep a close eye on the machine. No errors. It really worked! A great, heavy weight has lifted and I have reclaimed my house from the terrible dirty laundry monster.
