Trying to wash your clothes but your washing machine will not agitate or wash? If your washing machine fills with water but then stops, here is the best tip to fix it fast. If you have a top loading washer, the MOST likely part to have failed is the LID SWITCH. Before anything make sure that you have the lid shut. The machine will not run if the lid is open. This is a safety feature so the machine will not agitate with the lid in the open position. Many times we can get into a rush and forget to shut the lid. If you have the lid shut and the machine has only filled with water and stopped, read on below. (If your washer is NOT SPINNING DRAINING, click here.)
Your top load washing machine has a safety feature built in that will not let it agitate or wash if the lid is open. If the lid switch in your washing machine goes bad, the washer will think the lid is in the open position. This will cause the machine to not do anything after it fills with water. If the lid switch is bad, having the lid either open or closed will make no difference. If the washing machine has power, has filled with water, then stops, makes no noise, then the lid switch is most likely the part that needs replaced.
The best thing to do at this point is to get the make and model number of your washing machine and type it into Google. Write the words “lid switch” after it and find the exact part for your machine online. Order it next day air and install it with the instructions included. If this did not fix your washer, there is another part that has failed. See below.
VIDEO: Troubleshooting why your washing machine is not agitating
The lid switch is the most likely part to fail in this circumstance. However, this is only the most likely and there may be another part at fault. Here is a short list of ALL the parts in your top load washer that may have failed (and caused your particular problem) in alphabetical order…
- Cycle Selector Switch – The cycle selector switch controls the speed of the motor and if it goes bad it can stop the motor from operating.
- Drive Belt – If the belt falls off or becomes worn the transmission will not turn and the machine will not agitate. The machine will make a humming noise as the motor will be running.
- Drive Motor – This motor turns the agitator and drum to wash your clothing. If it goes bad the machine will not agitate.
- Lid Switch – The lid switch makes it so if the lid is opened, the machine will not run. A bad lid switch will make it so power cannot get to the drive motor.
- Timer – The timer supplies power to turn the motor. If the timer is defective, the motor will not turn therefore no washer agitation.
- Water Level Switch – The water level switch (aka Pressure Switch) controls the water level. If defective the motor may not receive power.
These are the most likely parts that may have failed due to the issue we have explained above. Use safety precautions when doing any type of maintenance checks on your washer.
Not all top loading washing machines work in the same way. Some have different parts and operating functions. This guide shows the most basic and general method of fixing most top load washers.
Written by Keith Schneerer
Certified Appliance Tech · Founder, RemoveAndReplace.com
Keith has spent 30+ years repairing machines, starting as a military mechanic and later maintaining food processing equipment before moving into appliance repair. He founded RemoveAndReplace.com to share field-tested repair advice.
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I have a Whirlpool LSR4100HQ0. The washer will fill with water and then does nothing. If i turn the dial it does nothing. When I removed some of the water and THEN manually turned the dial the washer started agitating and doing its thing and completed the cycle. But if restart all over it won’t work again. Not sure if its the timer switch or water level switch or both?
Thanks for the advice on the KAWE760wal3 Kitchen Aid washer. Took a leap of faith and ordered and installed a new timer switch and the same problem persists, namely – all the fill and rinse spin cycles work fine, but machine goes quiet (with the timer motor running) after a fill and does not agitate (even with the lid switch shorted although this model lets you add clothes during agitate). Stopped the machine when it was in a spin cycle and did an ohmmeter continuity test of the new timer switch. Discovered that the blue wire (connector pin P21) was connected to the red (P17) and to (P20) (which is also connected to water level switch [which tests good] and ultimately to the black through the grey wire (P4)) and the yellow (P14) to the white/black (P13) (which apparently goes to the white side through the motor thermal switch). Then also stopped the machine after a fill was completed while waiting for the agitate that never happens and ran a continuity test on the new switch. Discovered that the blue wire (P21) was now connected to the yellow wire (P14) but to nothing returning it to the black or gray side and now the red (P17) was connected to the white/black (P13). Noticed that the violet wire (P6) (from the fill switch was now connected to the black wire (P1)) and was connected to P23), but which was not closed by the timer switch to (P22) so no connection to the blue wire was made. Then I “back-of-the-mating-connector” jumped P23 to the blue (P21) and reconnected the timer switch to see if the machine would agitate and it did so very vigorously. This jumper does not let the machine fill with water before starting to agitate, but instead fills concurrently and is not desirable. I cannot understand why it appears that the switch does not supply power during agitate to the blue wire by closing the first switch or other possibly 2nd to (P20) to blue (P21).
I need to have the new timer provide power to the motor during agitate without having to provide any external jumpers. When I ohmed the motor it appeared to check good. Sorry this was so long winded, but I do not have a schematic of the washer.
I hear it is very good to try to keep these “old” machines running, because the new machines with all their electronics are much less reliable.
Jon,
If you are jumping wires or hot wiring the electrical wiring in your KitchenAid washing machine, we really cannot assist as we do not know exactly what you have wired to what. We understand this is sometimes needed when troubleshooting but it can be unsafe. If you wire everything back to normal, what is the issue with the washer? We can assist from there.
-RR
Have a KAWE760wal3 Kitchenaid 3-speed washer (made exactly like a Whirlpool of same vintage). Washer fills and spins out fine, but does not agitate. I hot wired the red to the w-bk wires together at the unplugged timer mating connector and the blue and yellow wires together with the bk wire (for power return) and the motor agitates vigorously. Replaced the timer switch, but washer still does not agitate after a water fill. Shorted out the water level switch but this didn’t help. Of course, shorted out the lid switch and this doesn’t help either. Could there be some other problem I am overlooking like some burned out part of the motor or its mating connector or something else?
Kelly,
Any green wire is usually a GROUND wire. If you have 2 and one is grounded by being connected to a bolt, the other green wire may have fallen off. Reconnect the green wire to ground it. This may or not be the solution to fix your washer… If your washing machine will fill with water, drain, but not wash or agitate, you may have a control board issue, wiring issue or other… Let us know what you find. If you give us the model number we can assist further.
-RR
What are the 2 skinny green wires in the back of the washer suppose to hooked to? One is hooked up to a bolt one is not. It will fill up and drain but will not wash, it was washing the other day.
Ken Brasfield,
Give us the model number of your Whirlpool Duet washer and in the meantime check our page here on Washing machine is making a buzzing sound.
-RR