I went out on an LG washer service call yesterday, model WM1814CW. Complaint: flashing the CE error code. This code is generated when the main control board detects a problem with the motor circuit.
Now, these machines are little different from yo momma’s Duet or Neptune washing machine. It’s highly computerized like most modern washers, probably even more so, but the big difference is that it doesn’t have a belt. Nor does it have an electric motor in the form that you’re probably used to seeing: a heavy piece of metal with a shaft sticking out of that rotates and turns a belt. This one uses what’s called a stator and rotor. If you remove the back panel on the washer, here’s what you’ll see:
As the name implies, the rotor rotates (cuz it’s attached to the drum) and the stator stays still. The stator is located underneath and housed within the rotor. See the next pic.
The stator creates the magnetic field that pushes on the magnets in the rotor and makes it move. Together, the stator and rotor make the motor that runs this machine.
Anyway, with a CE error code, the first place you’re gonna go to lookin’ for trouble is the motor. Now, these stator and rotor designs are pretty doggone simple and rugged, there just ain’t a whole lot that can go wrong with ’em compared to a conventional electric motor with a drive shaft.
So I started poking around and discovered that one of the water fill hoses in back had sprung a small leak and had been dribbling down into the stator/rotor assembly. Well, that’s bad news, Grasshoppah, ‘cuz when you get a CE error code, you gotta replace the stator AND the main control board.
“Why is that, oh Most Fermented One?” you ax, plaintively.
Well, it’s like this: when that stator gets wet, it creates a short circuit (or near-short circuit) that fries the triacs on the control board. In fact, if you take the board out, you’ll most likely see a burn spot, like this:
In general on LG washers, when you see a burned out control board, make sure you fix the condition that caused it before you replace it or you’ll be replacing it again… real soon!
In this particular case, with a CE error code and compromised stator, you MUST change both the stator and the main control board. If you don’t change both parts you will be sorry! Since the rotor is just basically a bowl of magnets, it’s usually unaffected in these cases unless it’s thoroughly rusted.
Okay, here are the parts you be needin’ to fix this puppy:
Main Control Board for model WM1814CW:
When you order the main control board, be sure to look it up by your particular model number as they do vary by model. If your LG washer model is different from the one I’m talking about here, you can look up the board for your model ratcheer:
The replacement boards may look a little different from the original but that’s OK– the manufacturers are always monkeying around with the parts, especially the electronics board, to incorporate changes as they get feedback from us professional appliantologists in the field. As long as you’re looking it up by model number, you’ll get the right one.