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Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog

A blog by Samurai Appliance Repair Man in General

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Pearls of appliance repair wisdom from the Appliantology Forums

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Tech Talk

What's the best way to test the defrost circuit in this refrigerator?

Hint: Please don't bore us with any amateur hour "ohm out" answers.  Extra credit: What is the function of the brown wire at pin 5 of the ADC controller?  Double extra-special credit: Enroll at Master Samurai Tech and a get free premium tech membership here at Appliantology.   First person to post the correct BEST answer, I'll hoist a mug of my flavorite brew in your honor. AND if you get the Extra Credit question, too, you'll get an electronic plate of my special cardboard c
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

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Tech Talk

How does this old skool dishwasher drain the water?

Y'all grab a cold one and gather 'round-- crusty ol' Samurai's gonna tell you a story. This here's a story about one o' them old skool dishwashers like yo momma had when you were still but a glimmer in yo pappy's eye. These old skool dishwashers didn't have a separate, dinky little drain pump motor like today's gelded dishwashers. Nawsir, these old skool dishwashers had just one big honkin' motor that did double duty washing (more like sandblasting) the dishes and draining the basin. They d
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

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Tech Talk

Watch this dryer motor centrifugal switch in action

The lowly and dirty centrifugal switch mounted on the motor gets little love and attention. Always taken for granted and ignored and never respected.  But without the centrifugal switch, to take the start winding out of the circuit once the rotor gets spinning from a dead stop, the motor will draw high amps and kick out on internal thermal overload protection.  Well, boys and girls, in this exciting episode of Appliantology TV, we're going to see the mighty centrifugal switch in action
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

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Non-PCM Repair on a Jazz Board Refrigerator

This is a newish Maytag jazz board refrigerator presenting with a warm FF and cold FZ. This was not your typical defrost failure. The failure here was the evaporator fan was not running. I troubleshot the problem without disassembling the freezer-- did it all from the jazz board.  Even though this is a modern, computer-controlled refrigerator, what you're about to see are actually old skool troubleshooting techniques that have been largely lost in the appliance repair trade today: r

Programming Instructions for the HV Control Board used in some Whirlpool-built Bottom Mount Refrigerators

Some models of Whirlpool-built bottom mount refrigerators use a high-voltage control board that, at some point, you may need to replace. These boards are used in certain models of Whirlpool, Maytag, and Kenmore-branded bottom mount refrigerators. Here's what the HV board looks like: Part number: AP4568436 When you replace this HV control board, you will need to program it to work in your particular model. If you don't program the new HV board, you'll get the error code PEO 000 in the dis

Ultimate Appliance Gift Ideas

<p>The Samurai has scoured both the Innernet AND the Outernet rounding up those perfect Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and Festivus gift ideas for that special Fixer Dude or Dudette in your life.  <strong>Click the photos</strong> for more info or to purchase.</p> <p> </p> <p>Stay warm AND safe with this Pocket Air Check combustible gas leak detector. Works with Natural and LP gas.</p> <p><a href="http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Ga
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

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[video] Troubleshooting a no convection bake problem on a GE Advantium Speedcooker

We troubleshot a GE Advantium Speedcooker from the control board for a no convection bake problem and determined that either the convective heating element or the TCO had failed open. Testing each component individually required uninstalling the oven with special equipment. So on our second visit, we returned with both parts-- the convection heating element and the TCO. The specific failure turned out to be the non-resettable TCO that had failed open.  Watch how I used the schematic to sele

Whirlpool Duet washer F1E1 error

If you're getting the f1e1 error code even after replacing the CCU, it means the CCU is (still) bad. Professor of Appliantology john63 gives us the poop on this one: Buy the replacement CCU with a 365-day return policy here ==> http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Control-Board/W10309219/1876151?RCAID=24038 Source: Whirlpool duet washer mod# wfw9250ww01

Jumper Wires Used, and NOT used, in Appliance Repair

A common and powerful electrical troubleshooting technique is to by-pass suspected bad components. This is done using what's called a jumper wire that is placed across the contacts of the component, typically a switch of some type. You can buy a bag of jumper wires at Radio Shack or just make your own. With this in mind, I present you this illustrative and thought-provoking photo. Can you answer the question it asks? Give up? Okay, here's the answer: Related: The Fine Art of Wire Termina

Double-extra Special Secret Tip for Troubleshooting a GE Refrigerator that's DOA

If you're working on a GE refrigerator that's dead in the water and you've checked for a good 120vac power supply right up to the J11 connector on the muthaboard, then try this troubleshooting tip from Brother BryanS: The muthaboard diagram below shows the location of the J2 connector of which Brother BryanS speaks: You can see a bigger version of the muthaboard diagram here. If it the refrigerator starts running with the J2 connector unplugged, you should replace BOTH the affected fan motor

Diagnosing Catastrophic Front Load Washer Drum Bearing and Inner Basket Failures

Front Load Washers Rule! First, lemme start off by saying I love front load washers. I think they offer the best clothes washing technology out there combining low water use with a gentle tumble wash that's easy on the fabrics, making your clothes last longer, and does a very thorough job of cleaning the clothes compared to the high efficiency (HE) top load washers. We're a family of five with dogs and cats. We've used a front load washer for over 16 years at our house and, aside from routine r

How to tell whether the touchpanel or control board is bad in a Whirlpool dishwasher

Many times when troubleshooting a Whirlpool-built dishwasher (also sold under the Kenmore and Kitchenaid brands), you'll have a problem that looks like it could be either a bad touchpanel or the control board, but you can't really be sure. Examples include: - Normal light keeps blinking but the dishwasher won't run - none of the lights on the panel work and the dishwasher won't run Could take on lots of other variations but the thing they'll all have in common is that dishwasher won't run. The c

A Powerful and Portable Information Tool for Professional Appliantologists

If you've been doing appliance repair as a Professional Appliantologist for any length of time, you've probably struggled through something similar to all these situations: - You're trying to fix an Electrolux range but you can't even figure out how to take it apart so you can troubleshoot. - You need to put a Whirlpool Duet washer into diagnostic mode but the sleaze bag who worked on it last stole the tech sheet. - You're working on a temperature control problem in a GE refrigerator and need to

Icemaker Wiring Info for Frigidaire Whirlpool and LG Refrigerators

Sometimes, you want to use an ice maker made from one manufacturer in a refrigerator made by a different manufacturer. The trick is knowing how to map out the wire harness so you can splice the wires into the harness in the right order and not pop the breaker or blow out the ice maker. Brother Reginald has prepared this nice table that lists wire cross reference info for Whirlpool, Frigidaire, and LG ice makers. Wire away! Source: How do I splice ice maker wires?
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

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Some Pearls of Wisdom on the Maytag MAH2400AWW washer and on the Maytag Brand in General

Our Brother in The Craft, nickfixit, who has logged hundreds of thousands of hours in hand-to-appliance combat in his distinguished career as a Professional Appliantologist, offers his unique and practical perspective on the Maytag MAH2400AWW washer on the once-venerable Maytag brand in general. Ignore his wisdom at your own peril: To learn more about your washing machine or to order parts, click here. Source: A Mini Rant

Kenmore: Just another brand or yet another scam?

Sears is a popular place to buy appliances because they are located all over the country, they frequently have special offers, and they are an old, familiar name. When you stroll through the rows of shiny machines in a Sears store you see all the major brands, including lots of Kenmores. Does buying this "Sears brand" have any downside for the consumer? Ya sure, ya betcha! Although there are still a few folks who haven't gotten the memo yet, most people understand that there ain’t no Kenmore fac
Tech Talk

Have you declared your independence from tech myths & tech lines?

"Happy Independence Day" from Team Samurai!    This Independence Day we invite you to declare your independence from the tyranny that enslaves so many techs.  What is this tyranny? Well, it comes in many forms, including: Believing tech myths about circuits and technology, often without even realizing it. Not being able to read a schematic, and so relying on others to give you troubleshooting advice. Listening to parts-changing monkeys (PCMs) give bad t
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

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Tech Talk

“What about hands-on training?”

We get asked this frequently by people who are new to the trade and considering enrolling in the online appliance repair training at the Master Samurai Tech Academy. It makes some sense, as the appliance repair trade involves physical work, and any good repair tech will need to be adept at disassembly, performing electrical measurements, and replacing the parts. But here’s the reality: training is a “brains-on” activity, which then is followed by hands-on practice. You can get thi
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

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Samurai's 12 Laws of Appliance Repair

Samurai's Ichiban Law of Appliance Repair: Never replace a part unless you have proof that the part is bad. This distinguishes the Samurai School of Appliantology from the Monkey Boy School of Appliance Repair. When I replace an appliance part, it's because I have proven that the part is bad. This proof could be something subtle, like an electrical measurement, or something simple, like laying eyeballs on a burned wire connection. It could be direct, meaning the part is getting proper input but

How to fix a Samsung dual-evaporator refrigerator where the beer compartment keeps icing up

This fix is for the Samsung-built refrigerators (includes some GE's) with two evaporator coils: one in the freezer compartment and a second one in the beer compartment (most refrigerators just have a single evaporator coil in the freezer compartment). The problem here is that ice would be left in the condensate drain pan after defrost (see below) which would build up to a solid chunk of ice. Here's a clever, low-cost solution: Source: defrost failure samsung model RS2555SL
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