In order to maintain good hygiene we should keep our clothes clean everyday, however in our busy daily lives it has become a troublesome chore to hand-wash clothes.
Washing machines such as Whirlpool washers alleviates that problem by washing our clothes automatically and easily. But if they stop working correctly, it would pose a major inconvenience – therefore, this article details how to troubleshoot your whirlpool washer.
Whirlpool washer lid lock flashing
Your whirlpool washer lid lock may be flashing due to a number of reasons and defects in several components. Few of the reasons could be a faulty lid switch and striker, broken door latch, faulty actuator motor and sensor, clogged drain pump, drain hose, faulty control board and many more.
Bear with us and find out the reasons and their solutions in detail –
Cooling delay:
After your whirlpool washer has finished, the washer lid may not allow you to immediately open to allow the motor to reach to zero revolutions per minute and the motor has cooled down.
Fast revolution speed of the washer motor causes it to reach high temperatures hot enough to cause burns and therefore, it needs to cool down to a safe temperature for human interaction.
Solution:
Since this is a safety feature and not a problem in the washer’s hardware, there is no concrete way to avoid this delay but to wait.
The delay of the washer to unlock the lid lock takes about 3 to 4 minutes – therefore if you wait for a bit, the lid lock will allow you to open the lid.
Malfunction in the washer:
It is common for washers to have unknown errors and problems that are caused but nothing specific and doing nothing to other components of the washer can help you fix it.
Solution:
In case you are suspecting that your washer has malfunctioned, there is one way to reset the washer’s embedded chip in order to clear out the malfunction. Unplug all sources of power from your washer and let it sit for 45 to 60 minutes.
Once all the power has flushed out of the system, reconnect power and the washer will have a fresh start.
Defective lid switch:
If the lid switch has gotten loose and fallen out of place, then it may pose a problem when trying to open the washer since it has moved away from its original location and cannot operate as intended.
It is suggested that you check the lid switch with a multimeter before proceeding to repair in order to make sure that the lid switch is defective and the lid lock is not flashing due to some other problem.
Solution:
You can fix the knocked off lid switch by pushing it in place by using your fingers – push the lid switch by applying force on the location with your fingers to lodge it back to its original location.
Unaligned door latch:
The door latch aligns the door properly with the washer which is indicated by the ticking sound. However, if the door latch is not aligned, it will cause the hinges to get tight and not allow you to open or close the door properly.
It may also cause the washer door to be unstable and shift out of place.
Solution:
Unplug the power and remove the front panel of the washer and use a multimeter to check for electricity in the power assembly in the control of the door latch. If there is an electrical short circuit, replace the door latch assembly with a new one.
Faulty actuator sensor:
Actuator sensors in the washer are used to detect the washer’s cycles and regulate the motor speed as well as set the wash time. In case of a faulty actuator sensor, you need to run a diagnostic test to recognize whether the actuator sensor is faulty.
Solution:
Run a diagnostic test and refer to the manual to determine whether the washer’s actuator sensor is faulty. Another sign is that the washer will be stuck in the rinse cycle and the motor speeds will be unstable and the washer will not stop.
It is suggested that you contact the manufacturer to repair the sensor.
Clogged drain pump:
Clogged drain pumps would fail to clean the debris inside the washer and thus the water cannot leave out of the washer. This will cause the washer to prevent the lid from opening since the water has not been drained yet.
Solution:
The drain pump can be cleaned manually to remove the water and debris stuck in the washer. Removing the drain pump at the bottom of the machine and draining the water manually may cause the lid lock to unlock.
Where is the lid switch on my Whirlpool washer?
The location of the lid switch of your washer depends on the manufacturer and brand – in case of whirlpool washers, the lid switch can be found at the edge of the lid.
You can check whether the lid switch is defective by shutting the lid with enough force – often the lid switch may activate.
In case you want to replace it yourself, you need to remove the lid by the use of screws to dislodge the hooks on both sides to expose the lid switch underneath. The lid switch may be present on either side of the washer so make sure to check both sides.
How do I know if my Whirlpool lid switch is bad?
The washer only allows the lid to be opened if the washer can complete its cycle and is ready to release the load. However, often the lid will not open and that could be due to a bad lid switch – the reasons below describe if your lid switch is bad:
Wrong reading in the control panel:
A bad lid switch can interfere with the readings in the control panel, this is explicitly visible if you look over the control panel on the washer as it would read that the lid is open even if you close the lid – indicating a broken lid switch.
Washer won’t spin even if the lid is closed:
A broken lid switch would fail to detect whether the lid is open or closed, and thus it will assume the lid is open. Washers do not allow the drum to spin and operate if the lid is open to prevent injury – which means the washer will not spin even if you close the lid.
Washer doesn’t fill with water:
Similar to the spin of the washer, many washers do not allow the water to fill if the lid switch is broken since the washer will detect that the washer’s lid has not been closed. In case the washer does not fill itself with water – there is a high chance that the lid switch is broken.
However, in many washer models – the washers allow water to fill in despite the lid being open, so keep that in mind.
How do you reset the lid lock on a Whirlpool washer?
Follow the steps below to reset and open the lid lock on your washer:
Let the motor completely stop:
Wait for a few minutes to let the wash cycle to end and the motor to completely stop. Next try opening the lid, if it does not open – proceed to the next step.
Hold the control lock to check:
You should press and hold the control lock button on the dashboard of the washer to unlock the lid. Press down the button for 3 seconds until you hear a ticking noise – otherwise, proceed to the next step.
Try manually resetting the washer:
The end of cycle button is present in several washers, if yours have it – that button can be used to manually reset the washer. Press and hold the button for 5 seconds to reset and open the washer lid.
Unplug the washer for an hour:
You can force a reset to your washer if the manual reset didn’t work, you can achieve this by unplugging all power sources from the washer and leave it be for an hour or so. This would give enough time for the embedded chip to reset and boot up freshly when plugged back in.
Manually open the washer lid:
You can remove the panel off the washer to unlock the lid – this process should be done if none of the previous steps worked. Once removed, find the door latch and pull it until you hear a tick which indicates the lid opening.
Final Thoughts
There could be many causes for the flashing lid lock on your Whirlpool washer, including component failures. A damaged lid switch and striker, a broken door latch, a defective actuator motor and sensor, a clogged drain pump and hose, a bad control board, among others could be a few of the causes.