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Topics Discussed:

• Norge 20 Pound Capacity Washing Machine Dr um Not Spinning Even After Replacing Pulley and Bearing Kit
• Kenmore Side By Side Refrigerator Ice and Water Has a Bad Taste
• Maytag Washing Machine Leaking Water Out of Seam Along Top and Left Side Panels
• 2000 Maytag Washing Machine Model MAV7000AWW - How to Replace Brake Assembly With New Transmission
• 2007 Kenmore 800 Series Washing Machine Hot and Cold Water Enter the Tub Separately and Making a Loud Noise
• 2007 Kenmore 800 Series Washing Machine Problem With Warm Setting: The Hot and Cold Water Enter the Tub Separately and Make Jerking Noise
• Jenn Air Combination Range, Model SVD48600, Clock Display has Failed
• 1998 Maytag Top Mount Refrigerator with Ice Buildup in Freezer
• Kenmore Built-In Dishwasher Door Drops to Floor When Opened

 

 

Norge 20 Pound Capacity Washing Machine Drum Not Spinning Even After Replacing Pulley and Bearing Kit

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

Here's Brian, in Mount Morris Township, with a question on a washer, here on the Appliance Repair Show.

 

BRIAN

Good morning, gentlemen. I have a Norge twenty pound capacity washing machine. I actually called about six months ago. During the spin cycle the agitator wouldn't spin or the drum wouldn't spin, but the water drained out, and you told me it was the pulley and bearing kit. So I replaced it and everything worked great. Well, now I'm having the same problem, so I figured, well bad part maybe so I replaced it again and that's not the problem. I also checked the door switch with an ohmmeter (part # DM10T), and it's not a bad switch. So now I'm kind of lost.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

The motor is running for drain though, that's correct? When you go to set it up for spin, the motor is turning and pumping out the water, but it's just not engaging the mechanical portion of it for the transmission?

 

BRIAN

Right.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

And you say you put another bearing kit in there?

 

BRIAN

I did.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

And it didn't help any?

 

BRIAN

No.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Okay. Because at times putting those on...obviously you've done one, but to get it right to where it's adjusted properly, getting that pulley on is kind of hard to do. If you don't have it spaced properly you can wear out the new bearing pretty quick and cause the same condition. So make sure that it's correct. They normally, in the instructions, have a go, no-go gap or gauge on the pulley itself that, when you turn it to this point is when you should start disengaging the transmission.

 

BRIAN

Right.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

A lot of people, what happens is, they'll put it together and it's really hard to get it on if it's spaced properly, so they'll take some of the spacing washers out so it goes on, and then it doesn't work, or it works for a short period of time. So my long-winded point is, make sure it's spaced properly in the gauging and disengaging brake assembly is working. If that is correct, you either have a problem in the brake package where it's not disengaging, or the transmission itself could have failed.

 

BRIAN

Okay.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

The other thing that can cause it to not turn, when you turn the pulley each way, can you physically get down there and turn it? Will it spin, or it doesn't do anything?

 

BRIAN

Yes, it will spin. If I get down there and turn it manually, yes it will spin.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Okay. But it doesn't spin when the motor's running?

 

BRIAN

Correct.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Alright. Well, it sounds like...normally if you can manually turn it and it's not really hard and it will disengage and spin, or unleash the brake on that, then it's something that's not turning the pulley properly. Have you inspected the belts on it?

 

BRIAN

Yeah, there's a singular belt, and yes, is it possible that it's loosening when the motor is on?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

That actual unit, the motor carriage kind of acts as a clutch:  it's on a series of small springs and the motor kind of free-floats, and as it gets up to speed it puts a little bit of pressure back on the motor to engage it. Do you hear the motor turning but the belt not turning, or is the belt turning with the pulley? Because if you hear the motor turning, it might not be engaging the belt properly. It could be that the belt is either stretched out or worn. That belt is actually made to slip on start up. It acts kind of as a clutch and then as it gets up to speed, the motor itself, like I said it's mounted on a series of little plastic washers and some steel clips that act as a spring, and gradually pushes back on the motor to slowly bring it up to speed. So it's possible that the motor is turning, but either something is jammed in the motor carriage or the belt is stretched out and it's not engaging the transmission pulley.

 

BRIAN

Okay. I will definitely check that.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

The other thing to check if all that looks good, and everything is turning, but it doesn't want to turn up to speed is something caught between the tubs, a sock or something of that nature. Or, if you look where the transmission goes up into the outer tub and you see any signs of water, then you might have a situation where the main tub bearing has failed. What happens is the tub seal leaks over a long period of time, puts a small amount of water into the bearing area, and water and mechanical parts don't work too well.

 

BRIAN

Right.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

So what happens is over a period of time it will freeze up the tub.

 

BRIAN

Okay.  Alright, thank you very much.  I'll check all of that stuff out.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

There's your weekend project and we'll talk to you in six months to see how you did!

 

Kenmore Side By Side Refrigerator Ice and Water Has a Bad Taste

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

Here with a question on a Kenmore refrigerator ice maker, Francis in Clinton Township on the Appliance Repair Show. Good morning and go ahead please, Francis.

 

FRANCIS

We moved two years ago and we just now got around to installing our ice maker, and now we have such a funky taste in the water and we drained it several times and just keep running the water through and we still can't get rid of that nasty taste.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

So you've had the refrigerator for a while but you just now hooked up the ice and water in the door? Or is this just an ice maker only?

 

FRANCIS

No, the ice and water in the door, and they both, the ice cubes and the water just taste real funky.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

And previously did you have this hooked up to water?

 

FRANCIS

Yes.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

So it sat not hooked up for quite some time?

 

FRANCIS

Right.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

And is there a water filter on this machine?

 

FRANCIS

No. Well, we've looked through the manual and we didn't see anything about a filter.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Okay. Normally it's going to be either in the refrigerator section or down in the kick plate. There's going to be a filter that's kind of a long cylinder; it's a push and turn type unit. If there is one in the machine, then I would suspect that you might want to change it. If not, then you might want to add an after-market filter on to the water supply line going to the refrigerator, which may help. But, if that doesn't help, you might end up replacing the water tank and the connecting tubing for the water. What happens is, if you let water set for two years like that in that tank, it stagnates, and it might be hard to get that out of the tank assembly. I've heard people try to flush it out with a mild bleach and water solution and flush it out real well with marginal results. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Most often, if that's the case, you end up just replacing the tank and the tubing and starting fresh again.

 

FRANCIS

Okay. I see.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

And that's something you might want to have somebody come out and do. It depends on the unit as far as what it entails to get in there and access and replace those.

 

FRANCIS

Okay. Thank you very much.

 

Maytag Washing Machine Leaking Water Out of Seam Along Top and Left Side Panels

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

With a question on a Maytag washer, here's Walter in Harper Woods, on NewsTalk 760 WJR. Good morning, Walter.

 

WALTER

Good morning! First of all, let me say that RepairClinic.com really does work, because last week I used their site to save myself about a hundred bucks by changing the belt on my dryer. So, it's a really good site. Listen, I have the matching part to that, the washing machine, and when it loads, you know we put a load of clothes in and we run it, we immediately get some water leaking out.  I pulled it out and checked where the inlet hose is attached to the washer itself. There's nothing leaking from there, but the seam that runs along the top panel and the side panel, the seam at the top there?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

On the left-hand side?

 

WALTER

Yes.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yes.

 

WALTER

That's where I'm seeing water come out.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Right. What you have in there is there's an air gap that's made to keep basically drain water in an unlikely scenario of it getting back into the drinking water or the supply water to your home. It's kind of a safety thing, and most washers have some device like that. On yours, the water when you call for a fill goes through a tube and it's got a plastic insert and the outer part of the tube is rubber and it actually expands and seals up the intake assembly, and then allows the water to come through to your washing machine. What happens is, over time that rubber can either wear out or spring a hole in it; if you have hard water you can get water deposits and the water will not rush through properly and it won't seal. 

 

WALTER

Okay. We do not have hard water, so that's not an issue.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

This is a fairly common problem over a period of time. One thing you can do with your machine is there are two screws on that front panel that you can take off.

 

WALTER

Yeah, I located those.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

And then there are two three-eighths bolts that hold on the main top, and that's right on the corner where the front panel meets the side panels.

 

WALTER

That's similar to the way I disassembled the dryer?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

The front panel, yes. The top, no.

 

WALTER

Okay.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Basically if you get the front off you'll notice that there are two bolts that go up into the top panel, and once you take those off you can fold the top back like a car hood. You'll see back in the left hand corner the air mixer, or injector assembly, for the water. You'll probably see signs of a leak, and I think it comes as a kit, where you can get the injector tube and the insert and some new clamps for around five or ten bucks or something.

 

WALTER

All right. So that is a replaceable part then?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Absolutely.

 

WALTER

Great. Well I saved myself some more money! Thank you for your help.

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

It's always nice to hear from people who have actually taken advantage of RepairClinic.com, had it work for them. Those stories go on all over the country.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

We hope so! We certainly work hard to help people repair their own appliances.

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

Busy all the time!

 

JOHN SOWDEN

We are busy all the time.

 

2000 Maytag Washing Machine Model MAV7000AWW - How to Replace Brake Assembly With New Transmission

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

Let's talk with Louis, in Brooklyn, about a Maytag washer transmission (part #35-6615) here on the Appliance Repair Show. Hi Louis, go ahead.

 

LOUIS

Hello! I can hardly hear you. Can you hear me?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

We can hear you just fine, Louis. What's your question this morning?

 

LOUIS

Okay. I went through RepairClinic.com, and they really gave me a lot of help. I listen to you guys all the time and learn a lot because I do a lot of little repairs.  Anyway, I got a Maytag washer, a MAV7000AWW and its eight years old. I called Maytag a week ago and they sent me a new transmission (part #35-6615) because the transmission went bad. So I've been changing the transmission, but the only thing that I didn't get from them is, I got it all done except for the brake assembly (part # 35-6714) down below. I got it out, but it says it has a two hundred pound spring load and to see instructions for disassembly. Well, I have a breakdown of it and everything, but I don't know if the spring is loaded, is it going to blow up on me, or what? I was just wondering if anybody could give me information.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

You're going to change the brake assembly (part # 35-6714)?

 

LOUIS

Well, I've got to take it off and put it on the new transmission (part #35-6615).

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yeah, basically the brake assembly (part # 35-6714), there's a brake tool (part # 12002012) that helps you compress and take off the brake. Normally disassembling the brake is what they don't want you to do. There's a clam shell and springs internally.

 

LOUIS

I got the breakdown. I got each part and I got that from RepairClinic.com. They were real good to send me that. I got that from the computer.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Good. The brake assembly (part # 35-6714) itself, they have a brake tool (part # 12002012) that is used on some of those units that's made to help compress and take that off, and you may need to rent one of those. A lot of local places will have tools that you can rent or you can purchase it, but I think the brake tool is like fifty or seventy bucks. It's something that most technicians would carry on their truck in order to do this.  You might be able to rent one if you have a local repair shop. 

 

LOUIS

We have a couple in Jackson.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yeah. Call and see if they'll rent one out.

 

LOUIS

I do need a tool to take that apart then?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

That's the safest and best, and probably also the fastest way to do it.

 

LOUIS

Yeah, I don't want any trouble. Okay. Thanks a million too.  I really like your show!

 

1994 Westinghouse Washing Machine Not Getting Any Hot or Warm Water

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

Let's go for another washer. It's washer day today! No refrigerators and no dryers.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

I don't think anyone's got his or her air conditioner running yet, at least not in the great state of Michigan.

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

No, I'm not even worried about mine!  Here's Ralph in Detroit. Good morning, Ralph.

 

RALPH

Hey guys. I have a Westinghouse washer. It's about fourteen years old. It's in good shape and runs well, but when we put the warm water in the tub, it comes out cold all the time and I just wondered what I could do for that.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

When you select the hot water setting, do you get hot water?

 

RALPH

No. When we put the setting to hot water it always comes out cold.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

So when you use just hot water? Not warm water, just hot water; does it come out hot into the machine?

 

RALPH

No.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Okay. Well it could be a symptom where ... most of the hoses going to your machine, a lot of times when they install them they'll put a screen washer in at the faucet and that could be restricted or plugged. Or, the water inlet valve, that's the little plastic part that the water hose is attached to on the back of your washing machine, which could be restricted as well. If there's no water restriction and you don't see a lot of sediment in there, then you could have a problem where the water inlet valve has failed.  There's two solenoid coils on each valve and on some of them there are up to four or five now, depending on what model it is. But it could be that just the hot portion of the valve has failed, or on occasion you'll find that the switch that you select for hot, warm and cold has failed as well. But most of the time, the problem lies in the water inlet valve.

 

RALPH

Okay. So I'll have to take out that back cover to get to it?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yes. The first thing to do is turn off the water to the machine and unhook the hoses going to the washing machine, and then put them in a bucket or laundry tub, and turn on the hoses and see if you have hot and cold water in good force coming to the washer itself. So you've ruled out the plumbing in your home as being a problem. Then from there, start working into the machine; most often it's where the point of contact is where the hoses meet the machine. The water inlet valve is where the problem is.

 

RALPH

Okay. I appreciate it. Thank you.

 

2007 Kenmore 800 Series Washing Machine Hot and Cold Water Enter the Tub Separately and Making a Loud Noise

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

Here is another washer question from Linda, in Farmington Hills, on the Appliance Repair Show.

 

LINDA

I'm glad I was listening to the radio while I was driving because I really need your help! We bought a washer; it's a Sears Kenmore 800 Series and when you put it on any cycle but cold, like when you have it on warm, the hot water blasts out and then it makes a jerky sound, and then the cold water blasts out to make the temperature warm. It's not blended and I called Sears four times and I got two different answers on this. One said "Oh yeah, that's normal." and the other one said "Oh, I just bought a Maytag that does the same thing." Have you ever heard this?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

It depends on what machine you specifically have. A lot of times what happens is, especially on the newer machines, they have a thermistor or a temperature sensing device in the water inlet valve, and it will pulse the water into the machine to get the desired temperature. Most often it will still mix the water. It will give you, it will leave the cold water coming in and then pulse the hot water on. The hammering you hear as far as the turning on and off is probably normal operation, according to and obviously depending on your household plumbing and things like that, which could be an issue.  As far as you say when you set it to hot, do you get hot water? Do you get cold water when you set it to those individual settings?

 

LINDA

Yeah, but then for instance on warm, it starts out with cold and then it jerks and then it puts in just hot, and then it jerks and it puts in cold again.  It just seems kind of abnormal!

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Well, again it depends on the particular unit. A lot of them today do have a sensor and a small circuit board that monitors that. It could be just by ration putting in the amount of water coming in but the more common, less fancy style have a mixing valve is what they call it, or a water inlet valve, and when you select warm it just actuates the hot and cold solenoids on the valve and allows the water to come in.  Internal in the valve itself it will mix the warm water setting.  Warm water setting, ten or fifteen years ago, was about a fifty-fifty mix of hot and cold water. Then in the last several years, with all the energy saving requirements, they went to a sixty-forty mix, where it was sixty percent cold water. Some of the units today now actually have a seventy-thirty valve, where you're going to get much more cold water. So my opinion, the temperature at what they consider to be warm water is coming down as time goes on.

 

LINDA

Right, right. I understand that, but it's strange. I guess I'm going to have to get a service call.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Is this a new machine?

 

LINDA

It's a year old.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Okay. Is it over or under?

 

LINDA

It's two weeks over, so I'm out of warranty.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Well, it depends, because a lot of manufacturers now have just a ninety day warranty when you purchase a new machine.

 

LINDA

Oh, really? 

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Now is this something that just started happening? Or you just started noticing?

 

LINDA

No. It was like that and then a friend of mine said that this wasn't normal.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Well, if it's been working fine, you've got decent wash ability with it and everything else is working alright, then it could be just normal operation for the machine but it really just depends on your particular washer, and what components and electronics it has on it to perform a certain task so it could be normal operation. One of the things as a service person that I used to hear all the time is, well my old one didn't do this, and my old one didn't do that, but as things evolve they change the way they do things; similar to cars.

 

LINDA

Right. That's what I thought too but it does seem a little dramatic because if you have clothes in the washer that are supposed to be washed in warm and all of a sudden this hot water is blasting on them, which just doesn't seem right!

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Well, if you already have cold water in there, I don't think it would be detrimental.  If you don't want to call somebody to look at this specific problem, what I would recommend is the next time something else conks out-and I'm not suggesting that it does-but if it should, then you could simply tell them, hey I have a washer I want to look at too. Most often service companies will diagnose a second appliance for a reduced price, and then at least you're not paying for two service calls. 

 

LINDA

Oh, that's a good idea!

 

JOHN SOWDEN

You can get your questions answered at a reduced cost by, unfortunately, having something else conk out.

 

LINDA

Okay, you said the magic word, "reduced cost". Thank you very much.

 

Jenn Air Combination Range, Model SVD48600, Clock Display has Failed

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

Ron in Grand Blanc, you're next here on the Appliance Repair Show. Go ahead please, Ron.

 

RON

Good morning. Yes, my daughter has a Jenn Air gas/electric grill/range with a convection oven and the LED readout for the range temperature and so on went out. The oven still works, but you can't read...

 

JOHN SOWDEN

You just don't know how well it's working.

 

RON

Right and the clock continued to work for a while, but it also went out and I'm wondering if that's something that can be replaced.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yes, you can put a new clock control into that unit.  It's about a hundred and fifty bucks for the electronic oven control assembly and normally it's a matter of just removing the faceplate; there's a series of screws around it. That is, of course, after you've turned off the power to the unit. And there are several wires and a few ribbon connectors that connect to the clock assembly. 

 

RON

The clock control?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yeah, it's an all-one-piece circuit board.  The LED display, once it starts to fail or dims, there's nothing you can do but replace the clock as a one-piece assembly.

 

RON

This one just quit.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yeah. Well, originally you said that you couldn't tell what was going on.

 

RON

Yeah.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

So it was limping for a while and now it's conked out.  So yeah, you can certainly replace it and being a Jenn-Air, that's certainly not an entry-level appliance. So I'm sure that money spent on that would certainly be well worth it to get it back in working order.

 

RON

Especially if it's such an easy, quote "easy" repair.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Well, yeah! Basically it depends on the installation. At times they stuff those into a counter situation where you can't get at all the screws and you have to slide it out a little bit. But most often it's just in that control panel face and there are some screws on the perimeter that you can take off.

 

RON

And where can I get the new one?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Go to www.RepairClinic.com and put the model number into the search box, as it reads off the appliance itself, not off the brochure. Then you'll see a picture of all the common parts and there are several versions of yours, basically with the difference being color. Your model is an SVD48600 but there's also a suffix letter after that, either A, B or C, and that corresponds to a black or chrome or white. Normally on the control circuit it doesn't make a difference, but there are different production runs and things like that. So it's always good, when you're looking for replacement parts for not only appliances but anything, (you still need your VIN number for your car at times) and that's to get all the information so that you're sure to get the right part.  There's nothing worse than having something torn apart and then find out that you don't have what you need.

 

RON

Right. I thank you very much.

 

1998 Maytag Top Mount Refrigerator with Ice Buildup in Freezer

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

Here with a question on a refrigerator ice buildup, our first refrigerator question today, Margie, in Dearborn Heights, on the Appliance Repair Show. Go ahead please, Margie.

 

MARGIE

Hi. I'm calling regarding our Maytag. We have a refrigerator that warms up and then it will cool down, causing an ice buildup in the freezer.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Is this a side by side or a freezer on top?

 

MARGIE

It's a freezer on top.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Okay and so, what happens is you get an ice buildup on the back wall, or on the floor?

 

MARGIE

Yes.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

And then you turn it off and defrost it, and it works fine for several days and then it continues to conk out?

 

MARGIE

Yes.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Okay. That's most often caused by a defrost system failure. There's normally three components in the defrost system. There's the defrost timer or circuit board, which triggers the defrost cycle. Then there's a heater that's mounted in the cooling coils, which is behind the panel that's frosting up. And there's also a small defrost terminator or thermostat that keeps the heater from heating up your freezer section during defrost if you don't need the time to defrost it. What happens is, normally the unit will go into defrost for a pre-determined period of time, twenty-five to thirty minutes and if you don't have a lot of door openings and things and you don't have a lot of frost in there, you won't use the complete twenty-five minutes and the little thermostat in there will turn off the heater from raising the freezer temperature. Any one of those components failing can cause the defrost system to conk out and over a period of time you'll get this ice and frost buildup, and it slowly reduces airflow throughout the cabinet and causes it to shut down. 

 

MARGIE

I see.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

You can check the individual components with a meter (part #DM10T) to see if they have failed.

 

MARGIE

Just a multi-meter (part #DM10T)? A regular multi-meter?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

That is correct. You can check the element and see if it has continuity. You have to kind of catch the defrost terminator when it's frozen because it actually closes at fifteen to forty degrees, depending on what you have in there.

 

MARGIE

Right. We've set it at what is recommended on the inside of the fridge.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Right and another thing to do is if you remove that and you find that the coil is iced and frosted over and you're not sure which one is the culprit, you can just replace the whole defrost system.  Just replace all the components-kind of take the carpet bomb attack.

 

MARGIE

So it's not the compressor itself?

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Most likely it's not, unless the frost pattern is something that is only on half the coil, which would indicate a low charge or an inefficient compressor. But if you're getting a complete frost pattern and over time it's conking out, then I would say it's probably a problem with the defrost system.

 

MARGIE

Yeah because if we unplug it and then plug it back in later it works fine for about maybe three weeks, and then it starts to build again.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

The other things you want to inspect are the door seals and things that allow hot moist air into the cabinet, which can cause excessive frost buildup as well.

 

MARGIE

Okay. Yeah, because it's only about ten years old.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yeah, and it's certainly worth repairing it. Again, if you don't want to tear it all apart and see exactly what it is, you can just replace the whole defrost system normally for around a hundred dollars in parts.

 

MARGIE

You've made my day!

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Just take the model number as it reads off of the appliance and go to RepairClinic.com, and put the model number in our search box and it will show you a picture of all the common parts and you can take it from there.  You're probably looking at a bad heater or a defrost timer or an adaptive defrost control, which is a circuit board.

 

MARGIE

Okay. Well thank you so much!

 

Kenmore Built-In Dishwasher Door Drops to Floor When Opened

 

JOHN MCCULLOCH

And we'll go now to Bob, in Redford, who's got a question on a dishwasher here on the Appliance Repair Show.

 

BOB

Yes, I've got a Kenmore dishwasher; it's a built-in dishwasher. The door suddenly falls down when I open it up. It just drops!

 

JOHN SOWDEN

It just drops to the floor?

 

BOB

It just drops right down and it's a really heavy door!

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Do you have a wood panel on it or something like that?

 

BOB

No, it's just a plain glass or some kind of door.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Okay and you say it doesn't latch properly?

 

BOB

It works fine and it latches but when we open it up, if you don't hang on to that door it will drop right down to the horizontal position.

 

JOHN SOWDEN

Yeah, that's something that you want to address before it ruins the hinges. Most often the problem is caused by the door spring. There are normally two of them, one on each side of the door, and they may have broken.  Even sometimes if one has broken, the other spring is not enough to keep the door from doing that. So I would replace them as a pair. Some models now have a cable assembly that also interacts with the spring, and it's possible that has failed as well.  You're going to have to remove the lower kick panel on that and get in at the underside of the machine and have a look and see what style you have. Or, you can get the model number off the unit and go to RepairClinic.com and put that into our website, and then you have an idea of what the door springs and/or door cable assembly is supposed to look like before you get started. And seeing what it's supposed to look like new versus what it looks like when it's broken can sometimes help to diagnose the problem.