The Washer from Hell....

So I officially have the washer from hell.

Want to know why?

I want to share with you how I make my washer work.

About a month ago my washer went kaput.  And quite literally.  We have a Maytag Neptune.  We bought it used about a year and a half ago after my washer of 5 years went kaput.  To keep with a theme we bought a used set.

Unfortunately we didn't do a whole lot of research on what exactly goes kaput on them.  What goes kaput, is the electrical door lock mechanism.

So my husband got this genius idea, he'll take the door lock mechanism off and if the wires were broken he would just solder them back together.  It turns out that was the problem, so he took it up to his brother's house and attempted to solder them back together.

It didn't take.  So then he went up to Radio Shack got some wire nuts to tie them back together.  Then he got the idea to re route the wires to make the computer THINK the door would be locked.

This worked.

For 2 washes.

Turns out the computer is pretty smart.  It will only wash clothes for 2-3 rounds(if we're lucky 3) then it needs to be reset.

Here's how it works

First off, the od light will start to flash and beep at you.  Signalling to you that the door is open.

Then you have to grab the "washer machine opener tool" which is a putty tool.  We keep it ON the washer so it doesn't get lost.

Then you have to jimmy open the washer, which thankfully the top is hinged, so you just press the release buttons under the top of the washer and it will lift open.

Like this.

There's one on each side so you have to get them both.

They look like this once you get it open.

It's the little grey thing in the corner of the washer base.

Then you have to find the electric controls that harbor the door lock mechanism under the other side of the lid.  It looks like this.

Once you find it you must unplug the wires from the central control box.
Like this.

Then you plug it back in.  Shut the lid.  And......

It runs.

Weird huh?  The husband wants to place a switch on it, but hasn't yet.  And yeah it's very, well, weird that this is how we use our washer, but this versus 700 for a new one?  Makes unplugging it and plugging it back in all worth it.