Maytag Washing Machine Woes:

Just wondering if anybody has ever dealt with this before? We have a Maytag washer 16 year-old - nothing digital - all controlled by a timer/controller with a harness that plugs into it. There are 24 pins/wires that comprise this harness. This is the brains of the machine. The machine would fill with water like normal, but then would not progress through the cycles like it normally would. Rather than buy a new washer, I decided to order in one of these controllers through a reputable local parts house. Part came in today, I installed it (VERY easy straightforward job), & this did not solve the problem. Working the same as with the old controller. Any ideas? Here's what the part looks like:

The FIRST step in any appliance repair is to go on YouTube and do a search on your model and problem. I take a crack at repairing virtually anything that breaks that would have a significant replacement cost. Done many repairs to washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers, etc and YouTube has never let me down - particularly on North American-made products. If you were working on an LG or Samsung I'd say throw in the towel !!!

And I would have suspected the problem to be a water level sensor instead of that do-dad. Always replace the cheap parts first if you're not sure of the problem.

This place has saved me plenty of cash and headaches. https://www.appliancepartspros.com

Oh yeah - did the YouTube thing & watched one repair on a machine just like ours - exactly what I did & the part I replaced. Looking at the machine, it looks like there isn't ANYTHING else it could be! This unit controls everything - it is the brains of the machine - it walks it through the spin, the rinse, the re-fill, the spin again, etc. It's the heart. I'm wondering if the dam controller I just installed is BAD??? Anyway, I'm at a dead end until someone that really KNOWS this stuff can give me another idea. If not, then it's off to ABC Warehouse to look at new Speed Queens.

Check out the place I suggested. They give a number of things to look into to solve problems by machine model numbers not just generic along with schematics and parts breakdowns. They get very specific.

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Also try repairclinic.com - I use this place as often as I use appliancepartspros.com. Both sites are excellent.

Looks like the step timer. I would agree that the most probable culprit is the level switch. When the level switch is satisfied, typically it'll shut the water off and release the timer which starts the wash cycle. Just for giggles, if you manually advance the timer to the first rinse step, will it fill and continue with the rinse step or does it fill and stop? If you post your washer model number I'll be willing to look at the schematic. Maybe there is a simple way to narrow the possibilities.

Right from start, it fills with water to the specified load size, then with the lid closed, once fill level is achieved, it will begin the wash cycle - then just keeps on churning away. From there on, to advance to the next cycle (which would be draining & spinning), you have to manually advance it to the next cycle. The other thing I noticed, is while it is spinning, there is fresh water dumping in the top trying to fill the basin while spinning. Anyway, model # is MAV3905AWW.

I have not shopped for a new washer since this one - holy crap - sticker shock. Probably $1,000 for one comparable to this one. Speed Queens start at $900.00. HELP!

Have you checked the pump to see if it's clogged? We had a pillow explode in the washer and the fuzzy insides clogged the pump and wouldn't drain. That sent a signal to the controls to shut it down. Washer almost got scrapped. Took the panel off, found the pump, and pulled out lots of material. Then had to run it 2 or 3 times empty to flush the rest out. That meant clearing the pump a couple times more.

Pump seems to be working just fine - when it kicks to drain mode, the water rifles out super strong. I'm going to call the parts house I got the part from & let them know what's going on & see if they have any ideas.

Found the wiring schematic. It looks like once the level switch is satisfied it energizes the timer which is supposed to start the drive motor through the speed switch. Since the fill sequence completes and the washer motor starts, I'll retract my thought that it is the level switch. I see you have three wash selections, Regular, Delicates, and Wrinkle Control. Does it do the same thing in all three selections? If you start the selection at the Normal timer setting rather than Heavy does it still malfunction?

I have the schematic as a *.docx document but I don't know how to post it.

6Pak - I'll try that in another mode besides Normal & let you know. Thanks for your efforts so far............

UPDATE - just doing a load on a setting I never typically use - the Delicate setting - made no difference. It will not automatically progress through the different phases. (BTW - this machine has 4 settings: "Regular" with Normal Wash / Fast spin, then "Wrinkle Control" with Normal/Slow spin, then "Delicate" with Gentle wash & slow spin, then "Handwash" with extra gentle wash & slow spin.

did you dig out the tech manual from inside the machine? Usually taped to the inside front. Did you run the self diagnostic on the machine?

Yep, it's there but I do not think there is a diagnostic procedure. I'll double check.

There may or may not be diagnostics but I'd wager the sequence for the timer contacts is there. Usually it's a chart, graph, or table of what each contact's status is as a cycle progresses. If it is there and you can scan it or take a photo of it and post it, that would be helpful.

The next thing assuming the parts house says it is new, would be to check power to the timer circuit.
perhaps you have a break or bad breaker in line with that power source.

For what it is worth, my advice is don't spend $1000 if you buy a new unit. All those fancy washers are crap. Go out and by the basic unit with an aggitator. Less stuff to break and it actually washes your clothes. 2 washers ago we bought what I thought was a nice unit. That thing took 4 hours to do a load constantly trying to balance itself and once done, all the clothes smelled like a wet dog. After 2 years it did the same as yours. Filled and wouldn't advance. We had it empty itself and the next day bought the old style one and couldn't be happier.

Here's the wiring schematic. On the opposite side there was a pretty generic troubleshooting guide, but nothing that addresses the machine not going through the cycles.

Did you get this figured out? I just saw this and it is just what the Dr. ordered. If you are still fighting this, give me some time to go through the timer chart and the schematic. If you have beaten this, congratulations! Please let me know, I live for this stuff!!

It's over baby! I went out & bought a new one. Yep - I spent $186.00 on the new part, installed it, & same problem. I'm no appliance repair guy, but I've fixed a few over the years. So we got it out to the curb & I watched the guys load it into the back of a regular waste hauler - they both stood there in awe as the hydraulic jaw munched the machine like it was nothing. Anyway, if you want to still try to diagnose this with the attached diagram, feel free. Just don't try to make me feel too bad when you tell me a $10.00 part in addition to the new timer would've fixed it!