GE Profile WPRE6100G0WT has very slow spin speed AND broken mode shifter coil

[gatlin98]

Model Number

WPRE6100G0WT

Brand

GE

Age

More than 10 years

The problem:
My GE Profile washer ends with my clothes soaking wet. I bypassed the lid switch with a magnet and saw that the spin cycle runs but is... weird.
It starts off relatively quickly (but nowhere near the normal fast spin speed since it's only roughly 200 RPM), then after a minute or so switches to a medium speed (maybe around 100 RPM), then after another minute or so switches to a very slow speed (roughly 50 RPM) for the remainder of the Drain and Spin cycle (about 4 minutes).
This is true with or without clothes in it.

I also discovered the mode shifter coil is bad...

Troubleshooting:
I took apart the washer and inspected the all the drain lines and found no signs of a clog or anything preventing water from draining. The pump appears to work fine, I can hear it run and the water drains out of the tub. Though there was a bit of water remaining in the pump inlet when I disconnected it.
There is also nothing stuck in the basin preventing the drum from spinning. I can spin it by hand without any issues and it's smooth. The belt looks quite new (possibly replaced previously) and is tight.
There are also no clogs in the pressure switch (though this shouldn't matter since that's a binary action from my understanding).

While in field service mode, there are no error messages displayed. Putting the washer into spin mode manually results in the slowest spin speed (roughly 50 RPM) and stays there.
There are also no noises or grinding sounds of any kind while in the spin cycle so I don't think it's a mechanical issue.

While I had the washer apart, I ran it through various cycles to observe the behavior. This is when I noticed that the mode shifter is bad. The entire drum is shifting back and fourth during agitate mode.
Additionally I discovered the motor displays 4 blinks on the LED indicating a bad mode shifter coil. I unplugged and probed the mode shifter and found that it's an open circuit instead of the expected ~98 ohms.

So I know for a fact that the mode shifter needs to be replaced.

I have also tried clearing the fault codes by opening and closing the lid several times after plugging in the washer. This clears the codes. I then put it in field service mode and manually set it to spin in hopes that the codes were just preventing the full speed spin.
Unfortunately, this made no difference. The motor gave the standard 0.5 second on/off blink, but the spin speed was still slow.

Questions:
At this point I'm pretty clueless as to what's causing the slow spin speed. My only guesses are the motor or control board.

-Is there a run capacitor in the motor circuit that could be bad causing slow spin speeds? If so, where is it, and how can I test it?
-Can a bad mode shifter coil cause the slow spin speed issue?
-Is there a speed sensor somewhere on the motor that could be reporting the wrong information?
-What else can cause a slow spin speed?

I am reluctant to replace the mode shifter without knowing what's causing the spin speed issue since it would be a waste of money. I'm happy to spend upwards of $300 to fix it, but beyond that I would strongly consider just buying a new washer.

 

[Jake]

Is there a run capacitor in the motor circuit that could be bad causing slow spin speeds? If so, where is it, and how can I test it?

No, I don't see one on your model.

Can a bad mode shifter coil cause the slow spin speed issue?

Yes, for sure.

Is there a speed sensor somewhere on the motor that could be reporting the wrong information?

No, I don't see one on your model.

Shawn has a good webpage to show you how here: HydroWave GE Washer Repair Guide

4 flashes - Mode shifter circuit failed. If this error code comes up the motor will still operate but if the mode shifter circuit has failed the washer will not agitate properly. To check the mode shifter, first start the washer. Then when the washer starts agitating, look at the tub from the outside. If the whole inside tub is turning back and forth while in agitate, the mode shifter is bad. If the mode shifter is not bad then clear the code as described below and if the code reoccurs replace the motor. See the section on how to check the sifter coil below for more on this.

READ what he mentions here--->How To Check the Shifter Coil (Sometimes called mode sifter or shaft and tube)

ALSO HERE--->Note that on the early models the motor can cause the shifter coil to fail under the right conditions. The short version of this is that there is two 30-second time frames during a cycle that if you opened the lid of the washer and left it opened for more than a few minutes the shifter would fail. This is was an algorithm problem in the motor control board (located on top of the motor). This only applies to motors with the following part numbers on the motor 175d516g014, 175d516g015, 175d516g016, 175d516g026, 175d516g027, 175d516g028, 175d516g029, 175d516g030, 175d516g031.If your mode shifter has failed and your motor has one of these part numbers, you will need to replace the motor and the shifter to correct the problem.

Here's the Mode Shifter & Shaft Assembly for your model:
WH38X10017 Mode Shifter & Shaft Assembly

At this point I'm pretty clueless as to what's causing the slow spin speed. My only guesses are the motor or control board.

You can do the--->Inverter/Motor Test
Place washer in field service mode spin test (knob position 9). C4-5 to C4-3= 12 VDC. C4-5 to C4-4= 12 VDC. If the voltage is correct the main control board is OK. If the motor runs in spin test, the inverter, motor, and wiring harness are OK.

VOLTAGE MEASUREMENTS
C2-5 to C2-3= 120 VAC
C2-6 to C2-3= 120 VAC (with lid switch closed)
C7-1 to C7-2= 135 VDC For the first 15 seconds then 30 VDC. If mode shifter coil is open voltage can measure as high as 300 VDC.

Here's the motor for your model:
Drive Motor WH20X10058


Jake