On 3 Feb 2007 09:30:06 -0800, wrote:

Parts wear out.


You will have a electro-mechanical timer drum to cycle through the
wash cycles. These have tabs on the drum to open and close switches.
20 years is pretty good service. It is not repairable as you
cannot buy just the tab drum portion. Remove the timer unit and
bring it to the parts supplies shop to get a replacement. My guess is
it will cost around $40. The electrical connections are grouped into
a multi-pin Molex connector. By bringing the part there you can also
match the plug as the correct replacement part.