Easy DIY washer repairs

Load after load, a washing machine fills, agitates, drains and spins its way through our dirty laundry. A direct-drive, top-load washer can handle the wear and strain of constant movement, but even the hardiest of machines can break from normal wear. Fortunately, many of the parts that fail on a washer are easily replaceable, and we have the DIY repair guides and videos to get your washer working again in no time.

The repairs listed below require just a few tools and less than 30 minutes of your time. For all of our washer repair guides, troubleshooting tips, error code charts and how-to articles, check out our DIY washer repair section.

Washer won't spin

The lid switch detects the position of the lid, and prevents the washer from spinning if the lid is open. If the lid switch fails, it keeps the washer from spinning even if the lid is closed.

Our DIY repair guide How to replace the lid switch in a direct-drive top-load washer gives step-by-step repair instructions and includes a video that shows how easy the repair is.

Cycles don't advance

The timer determines when the washer should fill, agitate, drain and spin; and controls how long the wash cycle will last. When the timer fails, it no longer advances through the stages of the wash cycle.

Replacing a bad timer is simple and our DIY repair guide and video How to replace the timer in a direct-drive top-load washer shows you how to do it.

The water temperature is wrong

The water temperature switch lets you choose the correct water temperature for your specific needs. If the switch stops working, the water could be too hot or too cold.

This repair is straightforward when you follow the steps in our DIY repair guide and video How to replace the water temperature switch on a direct-drive top-load washer.

The washer always fills or never fills

The water inlet valve controls the hot and cold-water flow from your home's water supply to the washer. If the water inlet valve goes bad, it can cause the washer to fill even if the washer isn't on, or there could be no water flow at all. Our DIY repair guide How to replace the water inlet valve on a direct-drive top-load washer includes a detailed video on how to do this repair yourself.

The water level is wrong

The water level pressure switch detects and controls the water level in the washer and prevents the washer from over-filling. If the washer overfills or the water level is worng, use the step-by-step instructions in our DIY repair guide and video How to replace the water level pressure switch in a direct-drive top-load washer to easily replace this part.