LG Front Load LE failure Reset/Repair

[lisalouise]

Help! I have a seven year old Kenmore made by LG Front load washer that threw LE code on heavy load. Have gone thru repair steps I can find on line of replacing sensor and reset power. The machine will run fun cycle with no load, but add any laundry and it goes to LE failure at two minutes. If I move the drum to another spot it will continue on. Any ideas on what component might need to be replaced next?

Here is what was done so far from leads on line: Changed position sensor. Ohm checked old unit and it is in spec. Checked wires for continuity and all check ok. Checked sensor white and gray wires for 10Vdc and they test ok indicating control board is ok. Have removed motor and tested three wires and all are at 4.1 ohms. All connectors look clean and machine looks weeks old with no corrosion on inside. Have reset power by pulling plug and push on button for 5 seconds. Also have tried spinning drum four turns each direction which has not changed anything. Just swapped out old sensor and it throws LE code with no load, so that indicates new sensor does something. Any suggestions as to next step to actually be able to run with a load? Thank you Lisa.

 

[henene4]

It appears LE indicates that the motor can't start turning due to too heavy load.

If the motor does that without load, my first guess would be the inverter. Not sure if the inverter is covered by the 10 year motor warranty.

If possible, post model and serial number.

 

[lorainfurniture]

Just replace that motor wire harness. Is the one that connects from the stator to thaw main harness. It's common for it to read in spec but once the drum starts to move it goes out. It's hard to test for. The harness is super cheap, like $15 or so.

Give the drum a turn, it should spin with little effort. You might have a piece of clothing stuck between the tubs.

I assume the unit is draining properly?

 

[lisalouise]

MODEL # 796 40272900 Kenmore (LG)
SN 006KWCF67003[this post was last edited: 9/13/2017-13:51]

 

[lisalouise]

Thank you for feedback! Drains fine, drum turns fine and can still slide in bearing. Any chance motor is "weak" or bad as sort of assume like a light bulb, on or off.

 

[yogitunes]

as this guy discovered, replaced the sensors, only to find burnt wires hidden behind the taped sections......either splice or replace.....

 

[lisalouise]

Wiring harness

I ordered a new wiring harness. It should arrive on Friday. We will give that a whirl. Thank you for the help.

 

[lorainfurniture]

Motors never go bad. Or at least I have never replaced one. If it were to burn a winding I would imagine it would not do anything. It can be tested, I don't remember the ohms but they should equal across all windings.

 

[lisalouise]

FIXED!

Eugene and Martin, you are geniuses! You saved the day. It was indeed the wiring harness. While it tested fine, it must have failed when under a load. You just saved our family $1500 as I was just about ready to throw in the towel and buy a new set. THANK YOU!

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Wiring harness"

What causes it to fail? Is it rubbing on something?

Is the wire being flexed back and forth too much? Or are the wires just cheaply made (brittle)?

 

[lorainfurniture]

During high spin the wires flex a lot, causing them to break over time. It's a tricky one to catch because it will test "good" until the drum starts bouncing a bit causing an intermittent loss of signal.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Thanks

I wonder if the wiring loom could be put into a flexible sleeve, rather than just taped at certain points?

My old Panasonic had a motor cable loom which had a fabric jacket surrounding it. I presume it was to prevent it scuffing against the floor of the cabinet shell. Even then, it was too close (I thought) to self-tapping screws of an inspection port in the floor. I hoisted it up clear, and suspended it by an extra few cable ties.

If only manufacturers would spend a few more pennies, they'd get a better name for reliability.