LaundryCommon
Washing machine
Also called clothes washer, front loader.
A pump, valves, a motor, and a pressure switch. Older belt-drive machines have a motor you can reuse. Direct-drive machines have a BLDC married to an inverter; keep them as a pair or not at all.
A donor is the dead machine. The parts below are what is still worth removing from it. “Leave it” is a part that is physically in there and should stay in there: too dangerous, too worn, or only useful as part of a repair you are not doing.
A scrapped machine is a box of parts that failed at different times. The reason it was thrown out is often one bad piece. The motor, the cord, the supply, and the screws are frequently still good. This index says which is which.
Why it is in the trash while the parts are not
Bearings, a control board, or a door lock. The pump and valves are often fine. A seized tub bearing is irrelevant to the electronics.
Before you open it
Do this while it is still unplugged, cool, and not leaking. Unplug. Turn off the water. A direct-drive inverter board is mains.
Where the dead machine usually is
- Laundry and utility closet — In the house
- Bulk trash day — Curb
- Remodel and construction dumpster — Curb
Heavy. Bring help. Drain it before you move it; they hold a surprising amount of water.
How it comes apart
Rear panel for the motor and valves on many top-loaders. Front-loaders hide the pump behind a lower kick panel.
Tools: Nut driver, Phillips, Hose clamp pliers, Meter.
Words on this page
- mains
- Ordinary household wall power. It can kill. Unplug before you open anything that used it, and do not experiment on live wiring.
- BLDC
- Short for brushless DC motor. See brushless. The 'DC' does not mean you can hook it to a battery with two wires.
What to take
The table is the short version. The notes under it describe that part inside this machine, not only the general description.
| Part | Call | How many | How often | Where to look |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small pump | Prize | 1–2 | always | Bottom, drain pump. |
| Solenoid water valve | Prize | 1 | usually | Where the hoses enter. |
| Single-phase induction motor | Worth pulling | 1 | sometimes | Belt-drive machines. |
| Brushless DC motor | Worth pulling | 1 | sometimes | Direct drive, behind the tub. |
| BLDC controller | Worth pulling | 1 | sometimes | On the motor or in the base. |
| Pressure switch | Worth pulling | 1 | usually | On a small hose from the tub. |
| NTC thermistor | Bonus | 1 | usually | On the tub or the heater pocket. |
| Safety interlock | Worth pulling | 1 | usually | Door lock. |
| Timing belt | Bonus | 1 | sometimes | Belt-drive only. |
| Spring | Bonus | 2–4 | always | Suspension. |
| Power relay / contactor | Bonus | several | usually | Control board. |
Prize
Mains motor, small head. Some have a separate recirculation pump.
Bottom, drain pump.
Have a pan. The volute will spill.
Impellers crack; check them.
Dual solenoid, mains coil or sometimes 12 VDC. The body is marked.
Where the hoses enter.
Shut the house water off first.
Screens clog. Coils usually survive.
Worth pulling
Mains induction or a universal, with a belt.
Belt-drive machines.
Read the plate. This is not the direct-drive motor.
Good if it spins by hand.
A large outer-rotor motor. The inverter is part of it.
Direct drive, behind the tub.
Take the harness and the board or leave both.
Good, and not a two-wire motor.
Mains inverter matched to that stator.
On the motor or in the base.
Keep the pair.
Model-specific.
Air switch, one or more levels.
On a small hose from the tub.
Do not lose the hose barb.
Diaphragms get brittle.
Mains, often with a solenoid latch.
Door lock.
Map the wires.
The lock is a common failure; test it.
Bonus
A probe. Calibrate it; do not assume 10 k.
On the tub or the heater pocket.
Unplug.
Good.
A V or poly-V belt.
Belt-drive only.
Stretched belts slip.
Often glazed.
Heavy. Useful, and they will leave a bruise.
Suspension.
Control the rebound.
Good.
Motor and heater relays.
Control board.
Read the contact rating.
Pitted contacts are a maybe.