Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog

As most people know after a quick search of the Internet, the LE error code in LG front-load washers is usually caused by a bad hall sensor, also called a rotor position sensor or RPS. The hall sensor is easy to test and replace, see this post at Fixitnow.com for detailed instructions.

Okay, let's say you replaced the hall sensor because you believed it was bad and you're still getting that ding-dang infernal LE error code. What's a brutha to do?

First off, don't go into a blind parts changing monkey panic and start replacing parts that just never fail on their own like the stator. Take a breath, unbunch them panties, and come with me now as we step through the three most likely causes for the LE error code that persists even after replacing the hall sensor.

1. Using too much or the wrong kind of detergent

Using non-HE (high efficiency) detergent in any HE washing machine (which includes ALL front loaders, regardless of brand or model) is a big Bozo No-No. You can't just use less of the non-HE stuff because washing with low water requires different detergent chemistry than washing with boocoo water.

The biggest problem with using non-HE detergent is sudsing. Excessive sudsing can cause problems in HE washers by “cushioning” — or even preventing — the tumbling action. HE detergents also hold soils and dyes in suspension in low water volumes, so they don’t re-deposit onto cleaned clothes. This means that if you’re using non-HE detergents in your front-loading washer, you’re wearing poopy germs and other ca-ca on your clothes right now and you are one of the Great Unwashed. The inside of your washer will start smelling poopy, too. See my seminal tome, 9 Ways to Beat Odor Problems in Modern High-Efficiency Front Load and Top Load Washers, for more.

But the biggest problem with sudsing as it pertains to the LE error code in LG front loaders is that the excessive suds can trick out the control board because the load doesn't "feel" right (yes, the control board senses the load and its action) and so it throws an LE error code.

Note that using too much HE detergent can cause over-sudsing, too. Detergents are one those things where more is NOT better. You want just the right amount and no more. So what is the right amount? Well, first off, disregard the idiot directions on the box. Naturally they're going to tell you to use more so you'll have to buy more sooner. And don't fill it to the MAX line in the dispenser. Start with the following amounts of HE detergent and adjust based on your water hardness; more for hard water, less for soft water (read more about water hardness and how to check yours in this post, The Hard Facts about Hard Water and Your Appliances):


- Regular HE detergent: 2 tablespoons per normal wash load

- HE 2X (double concentrated): 1 tablespoon

- HE 3X (triple concentrated): 1 teaspoon



2) Broken wire harness

If you're sure that you (or your customer, if you're a professional appliantologist) are using the correct type and amount of detergent then replace the motor wire harness at the back of the washer (the one underneath the motor). You can see it in the photo below:





Even though the wire harness may look fine, one of the wires inside may have broken over the years of use-- they's a whole lotta shakin' and gyratin' going on back there! Also, wire harnesses in dynamic environments like a front load washer can become intermittent in their conductivity. It may work in more quiescent parts of the cycle and then break continuity as the movement increases. This can break the data feedback from the hall sensor to the main control board and cause it to throw an LE error code.

A visual inspection of a wire harness doesn't give a full assessment of its integrity-- you have to measure continuity of each wire in that harness to know what's really going on.

Or just go ahead and replace the wire harness, it's inexpensive and easy to do.

3. The main control board may be bad

Emphasis on the "may" because this is actually the least likely scenario yet the first one that most techs will jump on in these situations. Lots of times, when the main control board in an LG washer goes bad, it's visible, like in this one:



It's usually the triacs, the power transistors, that get shorted out. If you see this, you better look for the problem elsewhere in the machine because something shorted and caused the triac to draw excessive current which burned it up.

But control boards absolutely do fail in non-visible ways, too. So if you're still getting the LE error code after you've replaced the hall sensor, you've ruled out detergent issues and replaced the wire harness, then the only thing you're left with is the main control board.

The "Jazz" control board is what Whirlpool (makers of Amana and Maytag appliances) calls the Adaptive Defrost Control (ADC) board used in some models of french door and bottom-mount Maytag and Amana refrigerators. You can identify the Jazz control board by the two, single-digit digital displays for the freezer and fresh food temperature adjustment that are located at the top of the fresh food compartment.

These Jazz boards fail pretty frequently. The two most common failure modes on these boards are

1) Failure to initiate defrost and

2) Failure to stop the compressor during defrost.

In both cases, the evaporator frosts up so much that air can't flow through it anymore. When I get the call, the typical complaint is that the freezer temperatures are fine but the fresh food compartment (the beer compartment) is not cold enough.

Troubleshooting these Jazz boards is pretty straightforward. Put the unit into forced defrost mode and see if the defrost heating element in the freezer heats up. You can tell this in a number of ways:

- feel the heating element (carefully!) if you can reach it
- listen for sizzling as the frost melts off the evaporator and hits the hot element
- measure current or wattage change (should increase)-- a Kill-A-Watt meter makes this quick and easy to do.

The compressor should shut off during defrost. If you still hear it running, then you don't need to do any further troubleshooting because you know the Jazz board is bad and you can go ahead and replace it.

If the defrost heater does not get hot in forced defrost mode, then you need to disassemble the freezer and check continuity of the defrost limiter and defrost heater. But, I gotta tell ya, in these units I replace far more Jazz boards than I do defrost limiters. And I don't think I've ever had to replace a defrost heater in one of these models.

So, how do you put the Jazz control board into forced defrost mode? I thought you'd never ask! The tech sheet behind the toe grill has instructions like this:





But lots of people have trouble following the instructions on the tech sheet so it may help if you watch me do it:



As far as replacing the Jazz board, there are a couple techniques out there. First thing is to remove the light cover (the clear plastic part over the lights behind the control panel). It just slides back and off. That's the easy part.

One way to get at the Jazz board is to remove the entire control housing, like ahso:



The other method, and my preferred method, is to just unclip the Jazz board housing, letting it swing down, but leaving the rest of the control housing intact, like ahso:







The replacement Jazz board comes with an instruction sheet. Read this carefully because you have to program the Jazz board according to the program code on the model number sticker inside the beer compartment.

You can buy the replacement Jazz board here with a one-year, no-hassle return policy: http://www.repaircli...2784415/1541423



Acknowledgments:

Special thanks to Brother Strathy for the beautious and informative diagram markups.

If you're dealing with a Whirlpool Duet Sport front load washer (also sold under the Maytag and Kenmore brands) that just beeps when you press the start button but doesn't lock the door or run, it can be tricky to figure what the problem is. The prime suspects are: CCU (central control unit), MCU (motor control unit), and the door latch assembly. Academy Fellow Trying to help offers this tip for checking the MCU to determine whether it's the cause of the problem or not. If it checks good, you have two other suspects to test but at least you've eliminated one of them! OTOH, if the MCU tests bad, you can buy the replacement MCU here with a one year, no-hassle return policy, look up your exact board by the model number of your washer.

Yes, there is a 3 wire blue harness that runs from the CCU (Central Control Unit) to the MCU (Motor Control Unit) I believe it is the M3 connector. Unplug that connector at either end and let it hang. Now hit start, if the unit locks the door and acts like it is going to take off on it's little merry way, you have a bad motor control board. Chances are with this disconected after a minute or so a code will pop, but you will already have your answer. At the moment of start the CCU looks for two signals, door lock and motor control. If it does not see what it likes it tripple beeps. Removing the harness eliminates the bad signal. It will lock the door now and sit there looking for the MCU signal. No signal is better than a bad signal! Make sure you ohm your motor to verify it is not shorted and the source of the blown board though!

Here's the MCU test technique illustrated:




and Brother PDuff shares this old tech tip for checking the CCU:

Old tech trick for checking CCU's was to unplug unit and plug back in.  If you hear a click from the CCU then the CCU was usually ok.  But I think these new CCU's are onto that trick.  Still researching that switch at access panel.  I don't know if it would cause a problem but it has attracted my attention.  Will advise.

Source: maytag front load washer (whirlpool) doesnt start just beeps

This Public Service Announcement is brought to today by Brother fixyourboard of Fixyourboard.com fame, providing fast, expert rebuild and repair of NLA circuit boards:

After replacing evaporator fan and having the main board rebuilt ... the new fan wouldn't run. Well it turns out that the new fan comes with a new wire harness BUT it only applies to certain models. It swaps some wires around and if you install it on the wrong model the evaporator fan doesn't get power!!! It looks just like the orignal (unless you look closely at the pinout). It seems the fan doesn't ship with the WP instruction sheet. Fan p/n 8201589, board p/n 2252159 and brothers, jumper harness p/n 2221077.

This has got to have caused a lot of head bangin' ! ??

Here's the instruction sheet. Sorry it's a png. Site didn't let me attach the pdf.

[attachment=7201:8201590.png]

Here's the link to the PDF of the evaporator fan motor installation instructions:  http://appliantology...n-instructions/



Source: KSSS42FK KA Built In Evap Fan not running after board/fan replacement

This Public Service Announcement is brought to you by Brother PDuff:

I'm reminded of one time, a fellow tech and myself were at the shop.  He was working on a large countertop microwave and I was down the hall in the front office.  We could see each other and were carrying on a conversation, I forget about what.  I'm absolutely positive he had a few fillings in his mouth because as he was looking and talking to me his hand must have touched the high voltage diode or capacitor, discharging it.  I kid you not sparks flew out of his open mouth!  Being the trained and responsible guy I am I immediately fell to the floor, laughing my ass off.  I eventually recovered and asked him if was ok and he said yes, just scared the hell out of him.  I said, "Man, did you see sparks fly out of your mouth?"  He said no, he must have missed that.  Needless to say we both found new respect for microwaves and the awesome, dangerous, and sometimes hilarious power of the high voltage capacitor.

To learn more about your microwave oven or to buy parts, click here.


Source: Im DUMB and need help on Kitchenaid Microwave khms2040wss-0