Today washer stopped on start of spin cycle with strong electrical smell. This is a standard non-electronic machine, about one year old.

Acted totally dead, except for very faint buzz from timer motor. Could not get any functions to work in any control positions. No valves, no motor, nothing.

Traced hot all the way thru timer switch, but only getting (odd) like 6 volts ac power at the timer.

Did continuity/resistance check on neutral back thru thermal protector on motor (OK). On this model the thermal protector on the motor will open up the neutral power connection completely, killing power to the whole machine.

Ate dinner, then came back and tested for line voltage between motor thermal limiter and hot and (eureka) I get line current. (!) and I hear the timer motor start working normally.

I then plug the machine back in and it works perfectly (don't you hate when repairs go like that???)

So here's the question: Should I replace the little solid state thermal limiter, start saving for a new motor??

I would assume that the solid state motor protector is a one-shot deal (i.e. thermal fuse), or is it supposed to reset once it cools??

Thanks for any and all advice.

Hi,

Thermal switch on the motor will reset once the motor cools down.

"Normally" speaking on most washers...a motor that has over heated and shut off should not effect the fills from working.

I found some diagrams that shows that ( your model# is incomplete ) but then we shouldn't have had any noises from the timer motor!?

jeff.

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>>Thermal switch on the motor will reset once the motor cools down.

Yes, after doing some research, it's an emerson motor, and the 'PX' refers to a self-resetting protection device.

>>"Normally" speaking on most washers...a motor that has over heated and shut off should not effect the fills from working.

>>I found some diagrams that shows that ( your model# is incomplete ) but then we shouldn't have had any noises >>from the timer motor!?

It's a PAV3300AWW. Weird design, no? Cut the neutral completly if motor goes thermal?

As far as noises from the timer motor....that was the weird part...it was feeding only about 5 or 6 volts ac to timer motor...which was only enough to make it hum a tiny bit. With a full 120V it makes some real sounds. I plugged/unplugged every connection in the machine and inspected all connections for faulty crimps or pushed in contacts and so forth.

After doing some more digging, here are some more random thoughts this is what I think is happening. On this model the motor has to reverse when it goes from agitate to spin. This is a split-phase motor with a rather cheap looking mechanism to engage the starter windings. I think one of three things are happening:

1) Timer switch is marginal, and sometimes gets a contact hung up when it goes to reverse the motor. If the starting windings don't get kicked in with full current, motor is trying to start without the help of starting windings, goes hot and kicks off thermal protection.

2) Mechanism on motor which engages starting windings (little white lever) gets stuck sometimes when motor goes to reverse. Again, motor goes thermal without starting windings, shuts down from being too hot.

3) Motor has starting winding insulation that is failing at high temperatures, so motor goes thermal when trying to reverse/start and go to spin after being fairly warm from agitate.

I guess I'm just gonna keep running it and be prepared with VOM and/or fire extinguisher when it fails next. Now I figured out how to take it apart in about 5 minutes versus 45. (stupid stuff like how the main control know comes off by pulling on the plastic pin on the rear of the timer!!!).

Thanks again for the help. Sorry if I'm doing more talking than listening. I fix electronics as a hobby, so I'll do my best to lend a hand to some other posters.




jeff.[/quote]

Thankx for the update!

jeff.

__________________
http://www.applianceaid.com/
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.jrappliance.ca
JRAppliance