Advice requested Whirlpool Duet Sport Washing Machine "popped"

Thanks for noticing that we all work together (as Jeff Liebermann would know, we stick together in the mountains).

I called the "circuit board medics" at 800-547-2049 last week who said that an F28 on the Whirlpool duet sport washer is almost always a bad motor control board.

This was before I had taken out the MCU and found it burnt, so, they're right. In hindsight, if I had only known that, I wouldn't have removed both the CCU and the EMI filter (I broke a wire on the CCU trying to get it out, for example).

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So, to help others.

  1. If you get an F28 on the Whirlpool duet sport WFW8410SW, it's almost always the motor control board.
  2. Wiggle the blue wires on both the motor control board and the CCU, but if that doesn't solve the problem, then you have to remove the motor control board.
  3. To remove the MCU, you have to remove the 16 quarter-inch hexhead screws holding the back plate in place.
  4. It's advised to also remove the lower cross brace (two more screws).
  5. Some people remove the top of the shock absorber but I left it in place.
  6. Then you have to cut or dig out the 4 tie wraps holding the harnesses to the MCU plastic covering.
  7. Then you have to be a genius or a magician to put a screwdriver under the MCU white box and pry it up and then slide the MCU toward the front of the washer, to get it to release its grip.
  8. Then you remove all the wire connections & pull it out from the bottom of the Whirlpool duet sport washer.
  9. Once you pry open (and probably break) the crappy plastic (they really use really really really brittle plastic), you will see the scorch marks as shown below.
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At this point, you put the MMU back in its plastic case, and you remove the CCU (if desired) and you ship both of those boards to the rebuilders at "Circuit Board Medics" 800-547-2049x3) at your cost. They told me that USPS is the least responsible, so use UPS or Fedex.

Exclusive of your costs to ship to them, the charges are: A. Exchange rebuilt MCU = $175 ($160 + $15 shipping + $100 core charge) B. Rebuild your MCU = $145 ($130 + $15 return shipping)

They give you a 1-year warranty and they will test both boards for free, just in case my totally burned out MCU isn't the real problem.

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Here's a picture of my CCU, which seems to be in OK shape:

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Unless I find a better deal than ~$150, I think I'll have them rebuild my board. A brand-new washer is only four or five times that at about $600 to $800, so, it's an expensive enough repair to wonder if I should just buy a new washer instead.

Nonetheless, I don't have much money lately (being retired is costing me more than I thought, especially with two families living under the same household now, with my sister and her kids living with me), so, I will just look to see if I can find a new board for around that same price.

Otherwise, I'd suggest the rebuilders as they seem competent.

Reply to
Danny DiAmico
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Danny DiAmico posted for all of us...

DOS Dead On Scene...

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Tekkie
Reply to
Tekkie®

Just to give back to the team with a current update ........

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  1. I shipped the boards off to "Circuit Board Medics" at 800-547-2049
  2. They told me over the phone my F28 (aka F11) is almost certainly a blown MMU.
  3. They didn't know it at the time, but my MMU has multiple charcoal spots!
  4. So, they're right.
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  5. Nonetheless, I sent them *both* the MMU and the CCU.
  6. This is so that they can test them both (just in case).
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  7. Current charges are 0 + Fed Ex out + shipping & handling back.
  8. That's 0 for them to rebuild the MMU, with a 1-year warranty.
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  9. Other options were to buy a new (0 to 0) or used (0 to 0) MMU.
  10. Or a new washing machine (0 to 0).
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Reply to
Danny DiAmico

Naah. I'm not a believer in warrantees.

A lot of people buy batteries, for example, based on the warranty, which is ridiculous for something so easily characterized by its physical attributes. Same with tires which have standardized tests run on them (yes, I know the tests are flawed, but relying on the standard government tests is better than relying upon marketing warrantees).

In fact, I can't think of more than one or two instances in my entire life that I've actually made good on a parts warranty anyway.

So, I'm not really worried about the warranty. I'm more worried that I just paid almost $200 to repair something that is only worth about

3 to 4 times that, which is an almost unacceptable level of repair.

In fact, parting out washing machines must be a lucrative business because the darn thing only has about a dozen major parts, so, if each major part is $200, then I should *buy* new washing machines and part them out as a business to supplement my retirement.

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

By the way, since I wonder what you guys think of the three shipping services, as I ran into the following "issue" trying to ship a 2 pound box from California to South Carolina.

  1. USPS
  2. UPS
  3. Fedex

USPS Since I needed to trust that the parts got there and that they weren't lost, and since I didn't pay for insurance (I never do), I didn't use the USPS because, in my experience, USPS may be inexpensive, but they're quite unreliable (highly unreliable in fact).

UPS Normally, I have no problem with UPS being the cheapest shipper and the second most reliable shipper. But in this case, UPS was $18 so I walked out the door and headed over to FedEx to check their prices.

FedEx Normally I find FedEx the most reliable but often the most expensive, but in this case, they were 3 dollars cheaper (on a $15 price, which is a whopping 20%) so, I went with FedEx five day.

Do you normally find FedEx to be cheaper than UPS? I thought it was normally the other way around?

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

Fedex, always cheaper.

Have you not heard of Ebay?

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If the link is not working its Ebay item 141974974420

There's probably other listings

Reply to
JC

Where I am in OK., Fed Ex is extremely unreliable. They deliver to the wrong address, claim they have come to your house when they have not and have claimed they can't find a normal street address. USPS and UPS are both very reliable.

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Reply to
Chuck

I'm actually surprised that FedEx is "always cheaper" than UPS. If that's true, I wonder why?

Of course, it could be simply a business decision, or, maybe they have inherent efficiencies over UPS?

Why would Fedex be "always cheaper" than UPS (for typical packages)?

Of course. When I googled for the part, I saw $25 boards on Ebay. While I love a good price as much as anyone does, the range for the boards was from $25 to $250 aftermarket, and $300 OEM from Whirlpool.

The problem with that is I don't have the EXPERIENCE to know which Ebay supplier is reliably providing a good board or not.

While I'm all for taking risks, you usually have to offset a risk with some knowledge. For example, I don't buy tire warrantees because I can fix my own flats, so, I ameliorate the risk.

I didn't have the knowledge to buy a $25 board on Ebay and get away with it on the first shot by getting a good part.

I saw that EXACT board when I first googled, as I remember the writing on the metal heat sink. The problem is that I don't have enough information to TRUST that $60 price. Yeah, I see the 98% feedback but I don't know how much I can trust that.

Like anyone, I'd rather pay $60 + $15 +$15 = $90 over $145 + $15 = $160 but I feel I can trust the circuit board medics, while I'm not sure what to trust in that board.

So, I *would* have gone for the $25 board if I had more information, but I didn't have enough to trust Ebay.

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

UPS is union labor, Fedex are not, which is why they are sometimes really crap at deliveries using contracted white van guys. I've had plenty of problems with fedex but they usually sort it in my favor. Not knocking UPS, they are good but also have a few bad guys. For a washing machine board I'd use USPS priority. (Use the free boxes). Never lost one package in 16 years.

You seem to be overworking the washing machine thing, for $60 I'd go for the "tested working" board, if it don't work or blows up when installed you get your money back through Ebay (no contest there) and you probably know there is something else wrong that's blowing up the board. Same thing will happen with your $200 rebuild. Scary stuff.

Reply to
JC

This may very well be the case. It's too late now, but, you must agree that I did *ask* first!

Your suggestion didn't come up until *after* I made the decision. However, its' still a good one, as maybe I erred on the wrong side.

I won't know if it works if I made the right decision. But if it doesn't work - that's where we'll see if it matters.

I do *understand* your point that I wasted my money out of sheer fear. But, to my credit, I *did* ask first.

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

Danny DiAmico posted for all of us...

Everybody has their comfort level. It's the crap shoot of life.

Isn't it time to collect money off your sister? Is she the one that broke it? Map the laundromats?

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Tekkie
Reply to
Tekkie®

I think the multiple power surges during the recent rain is what fried the MMU board.

I haven't heard anything from the rebuilders yet, but I'll let you know what happens when I know.

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

Danny DiAmico posted for all of us...

You don't have to tell her that. She creates a power surge every time she uses it. It was fine to she touched it...

That reminds me of something. Actually two...

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Tekkie
Reply to
Tekkie®

Bad news.

The Circuit Board Medics said the motor control board (PN 8540540, also PN W10163007) for the Whirlpool Duet Sport WFW8410SW washing machine was not repairable.

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They said it's not even useful for the $100 core charge for the $165 so the price, they say, is $230 for a rebuilt board.

Sigh.

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

Oren posted for all of us...

I think the daughter should go too because she broke it and the $$$$

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Tekkie
Reply to
Tekkie®

Mpfffff.... Whirlpool is BOL stuff, the machine is 8 years old and even tho ugh it got light use, for such a thing to fail suggests that it was minimal ly designed in the first place. Replacing the board will cost more than the machine is worth, and go a substantial way towards a new machine.

If there is a Sears Scratch-Dent outlet nearby, go there. Our 8 year old LG front-loader came from that source, cost was new-with-full-warranty just o ver $400 from the Delaware outlet (no sales tax), and does a minimum of 6 l oads per week. Of course the rather large dent and a few smaller dings it h as have NOTHING whatsoever to do with function and it lives in the basement anyway.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

Reply to
pfjw

The latest update is that the Circuit Board Medics tried to screw me (IMHO) so I told them to send me back everything.

Two days later they call me up (to their credit, they called both days but I didn't bother to pick up the phone), and changed their tune.

9 So, at the moment, they're gonna send me back my original CCU and a rebuilt MCU for $165 (plus my original $$20 or so to ship it to them).

In the end, it was a waste of time and money to go to the Circuit Board Medics because for $191 + about 10% tax I could have gotten a brand new MCU board locally in 1 day.

Lesson learned.

But anyway, I'll let you know what happens when the board arrives and I put it in the washing machine. (The women folk are on my case.)

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

Sister.

Anyway, after telling the Circuit Board Medics to just send me everything back, they decided to change their pricing back to what they had originally told me.

They tried to talk me into a 40 dollar shipping but I refused, since I was not happy with them changing their prices on me.

To be fair, they think they didn't change their price. I did.

They originally told me that it's OK if the board is burnt, as long as it didn't have 'water damage'. I offered to send them a picture beforehand, but they said they didn't need that.

Then, when they got the board, they tried to tell me they couldn't use the core board, and at that point, they wanted to charge me an additional hundred dollars. That would have made the rebuilt replacement MORE expensive than a new board (which is $191 at the local appliance shop).

I told them to send me everything back, and then they called me up and changed their story back to what it originally was.

We'll see how this turns out, but, I can't really recommend them at this point. In hindsight, the right answer would have been to just pick up a NEW board for about $200 locally instead of their rebuild for $165 + $20 shipping.

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

Danny DiAmico posted for all of us...

I would not wash the new board. Place it where the old board was. I would collect $5 for every complaint. If they don't like that then tell them to go to the stream with their rocks.

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Tekkie
Reply to
Tekkie®

Hi Oren,

The good news is that the rebuilt Whirlpool motor control board from circuit board medics worked fine.

So all that matters now is the lesson learned for others.

Total cost was $165 + about $20 (I forget exactly how much shipping was) and the turnaround time was atrocious but that's partly my fault since I was unsure of how to proceed. Normal turnaround time should be four to five days to get there, a day or two to test & rebuild, and then four or five days to get back (it was from California to North Carolina and I didn't pay the $40 for two-day shipping by Fedex).

A brand new board at a local appliance store would be $191 + about 10% tax with a turnaround time of 1 day (let's double that, to two days or three days to be safe).

Seems like a no brainer, in hindsight. The one thing is that the circuit board medics did test the computer control board in addition to the motor control board, so, in essence, we have to factor in that costs somewhere.

The DIAGNOSTIC lesson learned is pretty simple, but it's only something that is learned from experience (which the circuit board medics did have).

If a Whirlpool duet Sport has an F28 (or F11 on Kenmore models), then almost certainly it's the Motor Control Board, so, the FIRST THING you should do for diagnostics is simply remove the back washer plate, remove the lower brace, and remove the motor control board.

You *will* break every one of the four of five cheap plastic tie-wrap butterfly anchors. I simply duct taped the new wires back in place but a more elegant solution would have been to purchase a few of those anchor clips.

Once you remove the motor control board, you will see black spots, which is your confirmation of failure.

In the end, that is the simplest advice for an F28 (or F11) communications error. The advice only works because the circuit board medics said an F28 communications error is 99% of the time the motor control board (or the blue wires going to it fell off).

Reply to
Danny DiAmico

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