Kenmore 417 43142 Front Load Washer Problem and Solution

[wojnickiphd]

Thank you all for posting here is my problem and resolution in the hope that it helps someone else:

PROBLEM:
We have the 417.43142 (the infamous one) and suddenly it stopped agitating during the wash cycle and didn't do final spin either. In fact it
stoped during a final spin and sat there with wet clothes. Tripping the breaker and trying to reset machine did nothing. During the agitation phase the machine made a 'whining' noise but no movement. The final spin just pumped out the water and did nothing after that.

SOLUTION:
Technician came here to diagnose (free of charge - see below for story) - Seems no agitation and no final spin = bad motor controller board. this is identified on diagram as part 4 along with parts 71, 21 and 70 listed in parts list as 134149200 - HOWEVER my receipt lists part 26 417 134306000 1 - meaning part number may have changed (fixed the design flaw??) - 134306000

This part seems very easy to access - remove the front panel, (2 screws) and unscrew the controller and remove cables. All of about 10 minutes work, since they didn't charge me for labor I didn't do it myself - but I would recommend that this could be an easy self repair - if your symptoms match the above description.

I have the old board I kept - it doesn't smell burnt and the fuse on the board is good (checked it) but soldered in. Not sure which component failed but if someone out there wants to figure it out I'd send it to you out
of curiousity - (i simply don't have the time to check it and don't know exactly the function of the board). PM me if you think you can tell me what broke on board and if you are curious too (heck if you fix it you have a $200 part Interesting the part number has changed so perhaps they fixed the problem - fingers crossed.

RESOLUTION
Below is a list of my resolution process - unlike others the Appliance manager would not pay for part of the repair (jersey city Sears) nor offer to credit the machines in exchange for an upgrade. (I tried and though and excellent negotiator, it didn't work)

Seems from the opinions on here and epinions.com that this machine has some fatal flaws which Sears and Kenmore fail to acknowledge. The bearings tend to fail for alot of users, accelerated by the use of regular detergent.

Now I used Tide HE and only with 2 people in the house so very light use and we got only 3 years. Technician was just here and diagnosed it as a bad motor controller:

SUB CONTROLLER 26 417 134306000 1 $207.72 + tax.

Fortunately ONESOURCE - like a Sears command center - (you can only get them by calling store department and having manager connect you to them with a conference call) agreed after much arguing to send tech to diagnose free of charge. (instead of $65)

AND once he was here I called the store again got connected to One Source and got free labor since we had never had a service call ($127 for labor saved). They were nice, the alternative is the 800-473-7247 number for service will offer you $270 for the repair, diagnosis and one year warranty. So I saved $50, but don't have the 1 year warranty they offer on the other line - However I am really pissed that the service was 33% of the original value of the machine (if you had a car that was 20k would you pay 7k to fix it after 3 years!!). Frigidaire sucks, Kenmore sucks because they buy that crap and don't stand behind it and don's stand up for their customers. Sears could easily tell Frigidaire - look your contract says you will hold up the Kenmore quality name and you crapped on it with your cheap machine - take them back and replace them.

I say stay away! Sears is not watching the Quality Control of their manufacturers. 3 years on a 10-12 year washer with a $220 service bill - shame on you Sears. They've lost my business for the next 40 years and I used to buy ALL of my appliances there (yes $800 Kenmore Advantium - now screw you sears.

Hope this helps someone.

[Jake]

Those 2 part numbers you listed above are the same, they cross over to the same part, they update their part numbers after awhile.

Yes, I have changed hundreds of these motor controller boards in the last 6 years.

Thanks for sharing what you did to save money on the repair with ONESOURCE, hopefully others will have the same results.

Jake

[wojnickiphd]

I didn't ask if he had done alot of these but he instantly knew the problem and had it fixed before I could get OneSource to even authorize the discount. Really I liked this machine but it is poorly built.

As an interesting side note, the NEW Kenmore/Frigidaire model does not offer the EcoCycle (the saleman at Sears told me this was eliminated about 2 years ago). We frequently use this mode which has a high speed water draining spin mode at the end. I think this may actually be part of the problem that the machines bearings, boards and motor don't stand up well to this cycle. I suspect that maybe why it was eliminated, I can't see that being environmentally friendly would be a negative to sales, however that is all speculation just following the clues.

[Jake]

That sounds possible to me as well.

Jake