So, you have returned to the laundry room with a washer sitting idle and full of wet clothing. One of the most common causes of a direct drive washer that does not spin is a faulty lid switch. This is a common repair for Whirlpool, Kitchen-aid, Kenmore and Roper top-load washers. Follow these steps and your washer will be back to draining in no time.
To verify if the lid switch is broken, gently lower the lid and you should hear a click when the lid actuator contacts the lid switch. Also, a multi-meter can be used to test a lid switch but you will need to gain access to the interior of the washer.
First, unplug the washer before you begin any repair. Next, you will have to remove the console but there are several ways to do this depending on your model washer. The most common way is to remove the end caps from each side of the console. This is done by firmly pulling forward at the top of the end cap until it snaps free. You will then see one screw on each side of the console that will need to be removed. With screws removed, pull forward and flip up the whole console gently and let it rest backwards. Next, unplug the lid switch connector harness.
Now you can use your multi-meter to check the lid switch for continuity with the lid resting in the closed position. If the switch is faulty, the cabinet can be removed to gain access to it for replacement.
With the console up and using a screwdriver, the spring clips on each side of the top cabinet can be removed. Gently pop the clips out and set them aside. Next, reach in with one hand grabbing the cabinet while the other holds the lid open and pull the cabinet forward.
Lift the cabinet’s lid and you will see that the lid switch is held in place with two screws. Remove these screws with a Phillips-head screwdriver and also remove the ground screw attached to the cabinet. Push the gray tube holding the wires out of the clip that holds it and release the plug from the slot in the top of the cabinet.
Reinstall the new lid switch by securing it to the washer with the two retaining screws. Place the wire assembly back underneath the inside edge of the cabinet and insert the new switch connector into the slot in the top of the cabinet.
The cabinet can be reinstalled by guiding the front lower part of the cabinet under the washer support frame first, and then letting the cabinet set backwards. There are locking tabs on the washer’s bottom frame that the cabinet will fall into. It may take several tries to position the cabinet correctly so be patient. After the cabinet is back in position, reattach the top cabinet clips by pushing them firmly into the cabinet slots. Finally, the wiring harness for the lid switch can be reattached and the console secured with the two retaining screws.
At last, you have finished replacing the lid switch on your clothes washer. Now plug the washer back in and select a spin cycle to make sure it spins OK.
This article is written by Andrew Mandel copyright – August 2010