westcoaster

If you want a job done right you have to do it yourself.

Right, I KNOW that already.... But sometimes life gets in the way and one needs a little hand. either because one really doesn't WANT to tackle a job (ok, I confess I really didn't want to tackle this one) or because there isn't the time to get it done.

The washing machine packed it in the other day. It would fill and empty but wouldn't tumble or spin (front load washing machine). I called sears to come out and take a look at it.
I arrived home just as he is packing up to leave. Top is off the washer, his multimeter is out as well as a couple of his books.

He then proceeds to tell me it could be the timer, or the speed switch, or the motor, or the speed controller and for good measure maybe the rear bearing. but more than likely the motor or speed controller.
The washer probably wasn't worth fixing (10 years old) and Sears had a sale on this week, that will be $80 please....

Sale price on the same washer at a different appliance store $719.00
Sale price on a similar slightly larger capacity $789

Let me sleep on this for a day or so....

I get home, pull the washer out and discover the "repair tech" hadn't been in the back of the washer at all to look at the speed controller or the motor.

After several hours of following the troubleshooting guide that was placed in the washer at the factory I'm stumped.... Everything checks out good. Motor good, speed controller good, timer good.... (this is why I called the "pro's" in the first place)

By chance I twist the dial and the motor starts spinning. Yay? Nope.... Stops spinning after that load was done. but I do know I am dealing with an intermittent problem. That eliminated any electronics right there....

I start tapping the timer, wiggling wires then I moved down to the motor. Tapped the motor and it started running again. But the one brush was arcing quite bad.

Pulled the motor brush off (yes, the brushes are extremely easy to get at) and found it was worn out completely.

Called up the appliance place to get a new set of motor brushes. No, that is not a separately orderable part. You have to buy a new motor for $297.

I trundle on down to a motor rewind shop I have done work for in the past and showed them my brushes. They brought me into the back and fixed me up with a couple similar brushes (slightly smaller) I would have to adapt to fit in the washing machine motor.

After a half hour of cutting and soldering, the new brushes are in the washer and things are running just fine again.

Total cost of repairs $21 (plus the $80 for the useless repair man....)

So, next time I'll know better than to call sears to come out and repair an appliance unless I KNOW what's wrong in the first place....

DmaxEter

There is no greater feeling of satisfaction than troubleshooting and repairing something yourself! I am a heavy truck mechanic but after 6 years of being a home owner of a home with cheap builder grade appliances I have learned anyone with the ability to turn a screwdriver can fix an appliance! They are so simple to troubleshoot and repair!

Alwaysworking

if at all possable i would dispute the bill for the "re-pair man" since he did not even look at what he said he did

CamperAndy

Just to call him out is normally a minimum charge. Not going to have much luck on getting the $80 back.

1-2-3

My MIL called Sears out for an estimate to fix her dishwasher once. Like everyone else, she said let me thing about it and paid the $80, which would apply to the repair cost if she did it. About a week later, she called and told them to proceed. But they had "lost" her estimate so they would need to come out for another $80 to re-estimate the job. For some reason her duplicate copy wouldn't be good enough. I fixed it for $0. Had a small crack on a board and one of the traces was broke. I just dropped a bit of solder on it and it was still working for the next guy that bought their place.

My sister used to be a manager at Sears. I went there to get a camcorder on sale and they guy said he needed to get one out of the back. I followed him as far as I thought I could to the back, but he stopped at a phone and called his buddy. Told him there was only one camera left and some idiot was there that wanted it and asked him if he wanted it and would just tell me they were out.

I called my sister over and asked him to repeat what he just said on the phone to his buddy. He turned red and surprisingly did. She fired him on the spot. Oddly, for awhile she was the manager of the service department. She had no business doing that job. So I'm not surprised of the service they did. While she was there, someone sued them and won. The guy picked up his lawnmower by the edges of the deck to cut his shrubs and got some fingers cut off. He won cause there was no warning stickers on the mower telling folks not to do that.

klx650a2

I "broke" the ratchet mechanism on my craftsman 3/8 ratchet, (last 3/8's I had too) and went to sears to get me a replacement. The "person" behind the counter looked at me scornfully, walked to the back and came back with a small plastic bag and said "here you go". I asked him "what was that?", "its the gear mechanism for your ratchet" he said. So I took it home, took out the old, replaced it with the new one, but the new one seems SO CHEAP compared to the old tools you used to get there. I've learned that you need to buy quality tools, too bad sears quality seems to be suffering for the sake of higher profits. I guess I'll gave to go with westward or something like that. I used to really like sears...