LG WM8100HVA pump issue

[panasonicvac]

Our washer just had this problem today. The pump was making a funny noise and it was not draining like it's supposed to. I thought the lint filter was clogged but it wasn't. And there's no error code popping up. I'm going to guess that it has failed and we'd need to get a replacement pump for it. We'll be having our service technician come take a look at it and see what's going on. Hopefully it's not something that's common to happen on LG front loaders cause I really like our washer. I'll keep ya'll updated.

 

[appnut]

Alex, I look forward to updates. My LG WM4200H has grown on me too. How long have you had your washer?

 

[panasonicvac]

Four and a half years.

 

[tomdawg]

LG 4370

Mine just went out couple weeks ago. Same symptoms as yours. Mine failed after 3 years.
It’s a common problem, but wast fix!

 

[panasonicvac]

UPDATE

I just had our service technician come and fix our washer this morning. Not surprisingly the pump was shot so he ended up putting a new pump in. But it's not the same pump as the other one. The older LG models used a AC pump and the newer pumps they're now using today are DC. The AC pumps are more reliable than the DC ones, plus the DC pump would've been more expensive for us because we'd also had to replace a computer board in order for the new DC pump to work. Other than that, it's working great again! Unfortunately the pumps are not uncommon to go bad but the technician said that all new machines are like that as well regardless which brand it is. And he also said that LG is still the best laundry set to get today. He'd take LG over any Speed Queen, Whirlpool, etc. The only LG appliances he doesn't really care much about are the dishwashers, Bosch is his recommendation for a dishwasher today.

 

[henene4]

DC pumps

What he said is partly true, but mostly false.

These new pumps are basically the same as inverter motors.
There is no reason they should be any less reliable - haven't heard so at least.

If such a pump does burn out it can under circumstances take out the control board.
It shouldn't though - the great thing about these systems is that the control will just sense the rotor is blocked and stop the pump.
So you certainly can't say you have to replace the control board every time a pump goes out. Technicians are known to just throw boards at issues in a better safe than sorry attitude - even though that makes even simple issues economically unavailable to repair.

The DC driven drain pumps have been in use on several makes of DWs for over a decade and a half now and are know to be pretty trouble free.

 

[DADoES]

AC vs. DC pump

 
I believe PanasonicVac is saying that the original pump in his machine is AC and the original/existing board (which is not damaged) is matched to it ... so the board would also need to be changed for a DC replacement/update pump.

 

[panasonicvac]

No the one that broke was in fact a DC pump. The replacement was AC because they're smaller than the DC pumps, he showed me the differences between the two. The LG in his home has a AC pump and he's yet to have any problems with it but has replaced more DC pumps than the AC ones. But that's just what he's experienced in our area so I can't speak on behalf of the others.

 

[henene4]

Most certainly, either the technician or you are mixing something up.

You can't swap them either way, a DC pump for an AC one, or an AC one for a DC one.

They are driven by entirely different systems on the board side.
I would be really surprised LG even offers "conversion kits" so to say.

I either am missing a possibility there - or something isn't right with what he told you.

Anyway, glad you got it fixed anyway!

 

[trappn]

still a little confused........

Was it the technician's idea to remove the front of the machine? Was it to get to the control board?

 

[combo52]

LG front load washer pump replacement

You can see why LG is such a pain in the neck to work on you have to take the whole front off to change the pump, imagine if that machine had a gas dryer stacked on top of it, and it was in a pen and in a closet he would be in for a very expensive repair

Speed Queen, front loader you remove just two screws, remove the two clamps unplug the wire two more screws you’re done in less than 10 minutes don’t have to move the machine, etc.

Speed Queen also uses a much more robust pump on their front load washers. I don’t think I’ve replaced two of them in the last 15 years.

John

 

[panasonicvac]

Not mixing something up here, I saw what he did and he most certainly looks like he knows what he's doing since he's repaired appliances for a very long time. Maybe I could convince him to join this thread so he could explain what he did with our washer and why the new pump works with the old circuit board. As of today the washer has been working fine.

John, actually it took him about 10 minutes or so to take this apart and swap the pump out. It was very quick. Not to mention afterwards he had the LG in smart test mode to make sure the washer and the new pump was working properly. As he was repairing the washer, we were talking about SQ. He's repaired more Speed Queens than he has with LG and his company is an authorized SQ warranty dealer. LG is still their least repaired brand by far when it comes to laundry, that's why we bought this set in the first place. Plus the price for a new FF7 and DF7 is WAY too high up for us, there's no way I'm paying that much for a brand new set especially since they don't have the extra features our LG has like the heater or the turbo wash jets. If I would've bought a SQ FF7/DF7, I should've done it back a few years ago when their prices were lower and when they were offering a limited 10 year parts/labor warranty. So now that I'm thinking about it, I'm glad we went with the LG instead. If we had to get a new set, I'd get another LG (preferably this same set but with a gas dryer instead). If it had to be something else, the guy said that Samsungs are also good.

 

[combo52]

LG front load washer pump replacement

Hi Alex, glad this machine is worked out well for you. My point was if it was installed in the closet and stacked it would be very difficult to complete that repair. Not so bad when it’s just standing there.

I don’t for a minute believe he did that whole job in 10 minutes. What did he charge for this 10 minute repair?

John

 

[panasonicvac]

John, I didn't say the whole thing got done in 10 minutes. I said he had it apart and the pump replaced within that time frame. Nonetheless I do agree with you that if this was stacked, it definitely would've taken a while to repair. I know the set in my next house won't be stacked as a few years ago when I was living down south, my apartment had problems with the setup. And to be honest, I'm not a fan of stacked washers and dryers anyways. But overall, I thought in my opinion this was a fast service call. I don't know how much it costed as it was billed to my folks. Out of curiosity, what would you have charged if that was you repairing this at my place?

 

[combo52]

Hi Alex, our service call in labor charge to replace a water pump assembly in a speed queen front load washer would be $122.

To do what was done on your LG washer it would be about $210.

If you had the LG stacked, it would almost double that amount to have two men come in and do it, Speed Queen stack of course would be the same $122 because it’s completely accessible from the front without removing anything except access panel.

Did you ask your parents what they paid for your machines repair?

John

 

[panasonicvac]

Yes I finally got around to it, we ended up paying $339. Originally $399 but he gave us a discount as he's repaired many of our appliances over the years. While that is definitely higher, I've looked online at other quotes for comparison and it's about the average price for a pump replacement. But I'm just glad to have our washer working again.

 

[mark_wpduet]

kind of an expensive repair...but glad you got it fixed...Who knows? I remember back in 2005 thinking my Duet was a lemon... An expensive washer that had to have something replaced after 2 years...and since then... NOTHING has gone wrong..

 

[combo52]

LG front load washer pump replacement

Yay Alex glad it got repaired easily, of course this would’ve been under warranty on Speed Queen and one more repair like this and it would cost the same as a new Speed Queen front load washer.

I have no doubt that LG Samsung and a lot of others are very good performance washers, they’re just not long-term durability machines

There’s very little durability difference in the main stream brands. I would use a machine by cost and good repair services available for it, etc..

Your typical whirlpool Maytag Electrolux LG Samsung machines should be good for anywhere from 8 to 20 years with a few problems

Speed Queen front load washer should be good for 25 to 40 years with a few problems along the way , they’re all so much easier to repair if you’d like to work on things yourself.

John

 

[panasonicvac]

Eh I highly doubt it'd cost as much as buying a new FF7 according to my nearest SQ retailer. Especially the extra fees such as delivery, installation, and hauling away the LG. I think I'd rather have the pump replaced again in the LG than buying the FF7. I'm sure the FF7 is a fine machine. But if it's true that my technician has repaired more of those than LG in my area especially in the long term, then I wouldn't be interested unless if somebody gave one to us or if my new house would automatically come with one. But it sounds like decodriveboy and Frigilux from a recent thread has had multiple problems with the SQ dryers, our LG hasn't had any issues yet. Again if I had gotten a SQ front loader, I should've done it back a few years ago when their prices were lower and when they were offering a limited 10 year parts/labor warranty because that sounded like a reasonable deal. Even when they had their FR7 and stainless steel FF7 models available at that time because I think the white FF7 looks hideous in my opinion.