I have a new Whirlpool-made Sears Kenmore 80 series direct drive washer
(non-Calypso) with a mechanical timer. This and older belt-drive
Whirlpools are designed to pause for several seconds just after the
wash cycle has ended and just before the rinse cycle begins and also
pause another several seconds between the end of the rinse cycle and
the start of the spin cycle.

However, with this washer if the lid is opened during either pause, the
timer will buzz and occasionally whir and make popcorn-like noises
(gears clashing)?. The noises disappear immediately when the lid is
closed and resume when it's opened again. The buzzing is not the
normal timer motor noise, which is much quieter. I'm mostly concerned
about the irregular nature of noises

A Sears technician (real technician) told me, over the phone, that
these noises are normal for this model and that they're caused by the
"AC-to-DC transducer" shutting off current to the rest of the circuit
and the power having nowhere else to go. He also said the device could
burn out if left in this condition too long.

I'm fairly sure he did not mean "transformer," although he did make a
comparison to a model train set, which would imply a transformer, but
this noise isn't like anything I've heard from any 60 Hz transformer or
coil. And why would it be an AC-to-DC device? I thought Whirlpool
washers with mechanical timers used only AC internally and never
converted anything to DC.

What are these noises, and are they really normal?

wrote:
I have a new Whirlpool-made Sears Kenmore 80 series direct drive washer
(non-Calypso) with a mechanical timer. This and older belt-drive
Whirlpools are designed to pause for several seconds just after the
wash cycle has ended and just before the rinse cycle begins and also
pause another several seconds between the end of the rinse cycle and
the start of the spin cycle.

However, with this washer if the lid is opened during either pause, the
timer will buzz and occasionally whir and make popcorn-like noises
(gears clashing)?. The noises disappear immediately when the lid is
closed and resume when it's opened again. The buzzing is not the
normal timer motor noise, which is much quieter. I'm mostly concerned
about the irregular nature of noises

A Sears technician (real technician) told me, over the phone, that
these noises are normal for this model and that they're caused by the
"AC-to-DC transducer" shutting off current to the rest of the circuit
and the power having nowhere else to go. He also said the device could
burn out if left in this condition too long.

I'm fairly sure he did not mean "transformer," although he did make a
comparison to a model train set, which would imply a transformer, but
this noise isn't like anything I've heard from any 60 Hz transformer or
coil. And why would it be an AC-to-DC device? I thought Whirlpool
washers with mechanical timers used only AC internally and never
converted anything to DC.

What are these noises, and are they really normal?

Hi,
No schematic on the washer? It'll give a clue.
Tony

you are not alone, see:
http://applianceguru.com/forum2/4765.html

buffalobill wrote:

you are not alone, see:
http://applianceguru.com/forum2/4765.html

I am alone - that thread was started by me.

wrote:

buffalobill wrote:


you are not alone, see:
http://applianceguru.com/forum2/4765.html


I am alone - that thread was started by me.


Hi...

Have no idea, just thinking out loud

Wonder if what you're hearing isn't a slightly mis-adjusted
self holding relay chattering?

Take care.

Ken

Tony Hwang wrote:

Hi,
No schematic on the washer? It'll give a clue.

Unfortunately it's inside, and the whole exterior has to be removed (it
comes off in one big piece) to reach it. I looked at the electrical
diagrams of an older Whirlpool, but it doesn't show what happens inside
the timer, only what the timer controls.

This washer replaces one installed a few weeks ago, and I have a
feeling I'll soon end up replacing it as well, not only because of its
timer but also some growling from below.

Ken Weitzel wrote:

Wonder if what you're hearing isn't a slightly mis-adjusted
self holding relay chattering?

That's a possibility, and I can't tell whether the noise is from gears
or relay contacts, but in the diagram for the old washer there don't
seem to be any self-holding relays or solonoids.

By the way, if you buy a scratch & dent appliance from Sears, most of
the scratches and dents on returned items are probably made by Sears
because they don't use any padding on their hand trucks or lift from
the rear.

mm wrote:
On 17 Jan 2006 18:48:07 -0800, wrote:

(non-Calypso) with a mechanical timer. This and older belt-drive
Whirlpools are designed to pause for several seconds just after the
wash cycle has ended and just before the rinse cycle begins and also
pause another several seconds between the end of the rinse cycle and
the start of the spin cycle.

My old one pauses too. It has something to do with permanent press I
think. Does it pause in other cycles? Just curious.

This pause is different from the cool-down pause for permanent press,
and it happens even during the regular wash cycle.

However, with this washer if the lid is opened during either pause, the
timer will buzz and occasionally whir and make popcorn-like noises
(gears clashing)?. The noises disappear immediately when the lid is

I disabled my lid switch, so it always things the lid is closed. (I
stuffed some paper towel in the hole) but I don't think anything
should make those noises when the lid is up.

closed and resume when it's opened again. The buzzing is not the
normal timer motor noise, which is much quieter. I'm mostly concerned
about the irregular nature of noises

A Sears technician (real technician) told me, over the phone, that

Do you have his assureances in writing? If not, they're almost
worthless? Do you know his name? If not they're definitely
worthless. If you do have his name, he may quit or be kidnapped at
any moment. Worthless again.

This Sears person seemed to have that rare, long-lost commodity -
actual knowledge.

But having his name only makes things someone says valuable if
you subpoena them for your small claims trial. Even then he might
not be able to show up, or he might lie, or he might not remember,
or he might have learned better since he said it, and that's why he
really can't remember.

I am shocked, simply shocked, that an employee of a corporation would
actually lie to the public.

these noises are normal for this model and that they're caused by the
"AC-to-DC transducer" shutting off current to the rest of the circuit
and the power having nowhere else to go. He also said the device could
burn out if left in this condition too long.

And he didn't actually give you good assurances. If you leave the
lid up for too long, something will burn out? That's absurd, and I
don't believe it.

I wouldn't rule it out because this machine doesn't seem to be designed
with as much thought as the 1981 Whirlpool it replaced. For one thing,
if you start the wash cycle in the middle, it will agigate even without
water in the tub (the old one would always fill, no matter where the
washer was started in the cycle). And another detail overlooked: the
lid knocks into the timer knob, which I'm sure will wear out the paint
one day.

I also don't believe that anyone who says in seriousness that "the
current has nowhere else to go" knows what he is talkilng about. How
do you know he was a real technician, and how do you know he wasn't
on drugs?

That part didn't make sense to me, and I thought he merely
oversimplified the explanation in case the customer didn't understand
electricity. He did know about some not-so-obvious mechanical details
about the suspension.

What are these noises, and are they really normal?

Probably not. I've almost never bought anything new. What does it
take to get a service man to respond to a complaint?

The problem is that, In my experience, the best technicians tend to
hardly talk.