Frigidaire front load washer FWT449GFS1 – problems with high speed spin after cleaning the pump

[Friend of Pyewacket]

My washer wouldn’t drain or spin after I washed several rugs.

The rug's cotton fringe shed a bunch of stuff - most of it is stringy and 1-2 inches, not like the mm length stuff that sheds from new towels. So, the trap and the pump plugged up. I fished wadded up cotton masses out of the pump impeller, the hose line connecting the tub to the pump and the tub itself after reading Samurai's advice at http://applianceguru.com/forum2/2937.html

I ran the washer on the Regular cycle. 1st run was perfect. On subsequent runs, the pump is working BUT, you knew there was a but, the high-speed spin is acting up. It turns on, only for a few seconds (3-12), not it's full duration. Clothes are heavy with water.

Any suggestions about the next step? Am I in the DIY arena or is it time to call the professionals? [Note: The dryer is stacked on top of the washer, so my ability to access front panel electronics is limited.]

Related topic: Frigidaire calls the hose connecting the tub to the pump a "trap." Would readers know if there are stackable, front-load washers that have an easily accessible coin/lint ball trap? Sprawling on the floor with wrenches, mops and Pyewacket the cat, to clear the trap isn't quite what I had in mind!

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=7707]Friend of Pyewacket[/user] wrote:

My washer wouldn’t drain or spin after I washed several rugs.

Never a good idea, as you've discovered the hard way. That's what laundermat machines are for!

I ran the washer on the Regular cycle. 1st run was perfect. On subsequent runs, the pump is working BUT, you knew there was a but, the high-speed spin is acting up. It turns on, only for a few seconds (3-12), not it's full duration. Clothes are heavy with water.

The critical question here: is the drum pumping out completely? Water left in drum will trip the imbalance circuit. Also, run the washer empty and see if if reaches normal spin speed that way.

Related topic: Frigidaire calls the hose connecting the tub to the pump a "trap." Would readers know if there are stackable, front-load washers that have an easily accessible coin/lint ball trap? Sprawling on the floor with wrenches, mops and Pyewacket the cat, to clear the trap isn't quite what I had in mind!

All the pumps are at floor level, it's just the way they're made; something to do with gravity, I dunno. FWIW, this is one of the easiest FL washers to work on... for most repairs.

If you have any questions, call me at 603-526-7129.

[Friend of Pyewacket]

[user=1]Samurai Appliance Repair Man[/user] wrote:

The critical question here: is the drum pumping out completely? Water left in drum will trip the imbalance circuit. Also, run the washer empty and see if if reaches normal spin speed that way.

No, there's water in the drum. And when I try the cycle with an empty drum, there's water and no spin cycle.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Ok, after doing the tests we talked about on the phone, you may determine that you need to replace the pump. Here's the part link for that:

http://www.repairclinic.com/referral.asp?R=154&N=916709

[Friend of Pyewacket]

This is a two-part reply

1. The pump in my washer is rated at 88 W. The power rating of the one at the parts link is a lot less, 50 W. Read on and please tell me if it matters.

2. As we discussed, I removed the pump and pulled more lint clods from the trap and impeller vanes. The washer seems to work OK now, but...

On the drain side, the test results were not clear-cut. Water gushed from the drain line when I disconnected it from the pump. I put a bellows (latex glove) on the pump end and tried blowing. I could, with effort, force air though. I also probed the line with a flexible, barbed plastic Zip-It tool*. I was not able to get the Zip-It to go further than ~ 8 inches into the drain line or past the point where the hose wall goes from smooth to accordion flex.

a. So am I describing a partially obstructed drain line - like plaque in a coronary artery?

b. If the clog becomes an issue, what's the likely failure mode? Will the tub just "not drain" again?

c. And my mighty little pump: does the "extra" ~40% peak power help with a partially occluded drain line?

*Zip-It is a barbed 2 mm x 7 mm x 24 in plastic strip designed for pulling hair out of sink and tub drains.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=7707]Friend of Pyewacket[/user] wrote:

1. The pump in my washer is rated at 88 W. The power rating of the one at the parts link is a lot less, 50 W. Read on and please tell me if it matters.

I'm not sure you even need the pump because...

2. As we discussed, I removed the pump and pulled more lint clods from the trap and impeller vanes. The washer seems to work OK now, but...

So, depending on what "OK" means (sorta like depending on what the meaning of "is" is ), you may be outta the woods on this one. At this pernt, I'd run the washer a few more times. If it continues to run normally, spinning at normal speed, etc., then it's time to declare victory.

I put a bellows (latex glove) on the pump end and tried blowing. I could, with effort, force air though.

This is a good indication that the drain hose is, in fact, clear. I would not expect that you'd get very far with the Zip-It tool because of the curves and corrugations on the hose.

Let it ride a few more loads and let's see how it goes.