Washing machine light goes straight from sense to done
The washing machine fails to fill or run its cycle because the lid latch switch is broken, the water inlet valves are blocked, or the shift actuator has failed. This prevents the machine from registering that the door is secured or that water is flowing, causing it to prematurely abort the cycle and jump straight to the finished state.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Contacting the warranty protection plan provider for a technician repair appointmentDid this help you?
- 2Unplugging the washer and attempting to change the wash cycleDid this help you?
- 3Testing suspension springs by compressing each corner independently to check for lag or immediate returnDid this help you?
- 4Replacing the motor couplerDid this help you?
- 5Replacing the clutch assemblyDid this help you?
- 6Throwing the washer outDid this help you?
- 7Replacing the computer board yourself or hiring a professional for repair.Did this help you?
- 8Checking the wiring harness, the capacitor, and the main driveDid this help you?
- 9Running diagnostic test modes and spin cyclesDid this help you?
- 10Replaced the timerDid this help you?
- 11using hot water instead of cold waterDid this help you?
- 12Cleaning up the belt and manually running through the pulleys.Did this help you?
- 13Accessing machine diagnostics to check trouble codesDid this help you?
- 14Manually draining the basin and inspecting internal componentsDid this help you?
- 15Ordering replacement parts like a pump or control boardDid this help you?
- 16Repairing loose or damaged internal wiring with wire nuts and electrical tapeDid this help you?
- 17Replaced the cold and hot water valves, the hoses, and the pressure switch.Did this help you?
- 18rearranging items inside the dishwasherDid this help you?
- 19pressing the start button again when it stops halfway throughDid this help you?
- 20Use hand wash, drain, or spin modes instead of normal modeDid this help you?
- 21Clear errors and run calibration after parts replacementDid this help you?
- 22Entering diagnostic mode to run testsDid this help you?
- 23Trying a hard resetDid this help you?
- 24Unplugging the washing machine, though the error reappears immediately upon reconnecting power.Did this help you?
- 25Trying to diagnose the problem via internetDid this help you?
- 26Reaching out to WhirlpoolDid this help you?
- 27Using the emergency drain hose to empty water taking around 30 minutesDid this help you?
- 28Checking if the washer is level using a spirit levelDid this help you?
- 29Lifting the drum from the inside to check for playDid this help you?
- 30Researching potential causes like shocks or the spider armDid this help you?
- 31Replacing the shift actuator repeatedlyDid this help you?
- 32Checking or ohm-ing out the wire harness between the board and the shifterDid this help you?
- 33Testing other components like the capacitor, motor, gearcase, or control board with a multimeterDid this help you?
- 34entering diagnostic modeDid this help you?
- 35moving clothes around when off balanceDid this help you?
- 36checking if the lid switch clicksDid this help you?
- 37switching it off at the breaker and waiting a while to turn back onDid this help you?
- 38open it back up and shut it again for the washer to startDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“2.5 year old Maytag MVWP575GW1 stopped working yesterday around 10pm out of the blue. It stopped full of water and wouldn't do anything.”source ↗
“All that pulls up is Er Ub. I looked it up and saws unbalanced load but I don't know how to fix it.”source ↗
“I have a whirlpool that does not want to run spin cycle.”source ↗
“Found a blown coupler on the motor....makes sense why spin cycle doesn't work......but also did motor coupler blow because something else is having a difficult time spinning?”source ↗
“I tried to start a load and the machine simply wouldn't fill. I'd hold the start button as usual to begin the cycle, the machine would make a noise several times like it wanted to start, but then the light would go directly from Sense to Done, skipping the other lights.”source ↗
“When I came back, the clothes in the washer were soaked, which I assume means the spin cycle didn't run. So I tried running just a "drain & spin" cycle, but same issue as before now. Press start, noise happens, light goes from Sense to Done.”source ↗
“GE front load washer when powering on just the knobs blink and can’t do anything.”source ↗
“Trying to run a second load it went from the “add garment” it did the three hums with almost full rotation I assume to sense the load to immediately go to 1 minute wash time and then complete.”source ↗
“I went into the diagnostics and it keeps giving me the F7E1 error.”source ↗
“I’d like to do this myself as I am a young homeowner with a tight budget and a tech isn’t necessarily in my budget.”source ↗
“I have a Hotpoint washer that won’t fill with water at the beginning of the cycle. It will agitate, drain and fill for the rinse cycle, and drain, but won’t spin.”source ↗
“I replaced the timer, but that didn’t change anything. What could be the problem?”source ↗
“Washer fills fine but then makes noises and won’t progress to next part of cycle. No agitating or draining, even when manually moving to another parts of cycle with knobs.”source ↗
“It's showing an IE (inlet error) code and I've tried just about everything to clear it.”source ↗
“I'm pretty lost and could use your help, thanks!”source ↗
“where i load the dishwasher. and then it won’t start. i can sometimes get it started by rearranging but their is no rhyme or reason to how i shuffle things around.”source ↗
“also, when i do get it to start it will sometimes just stop halfway through and i have to press start again?”source ↗
“I replaced the actuator and still having an issue. It stays on sensing and buzzes loudly and never gets to the next step, wash.”source ↗
“Wash mode : Lid closed, water splashes briefly, stops. Fill light remains on. That’s it.”source ↗
“Drain and spin mode : lid locks, heads water drain twice. Basket doesn’t spin.”source ↗
“My washer stopped working today. When i try to run, it will lock, unlock, then say done or make some draining noises and say done.”source ↗
“Towards the end in spin cycle we can hear the machine starting to rotate super fast and shacking lots and computer slows it down and it’s getting stuck in the spin cycle loop.”source ↗
“I’m leaning towards issue being with shocks after lots of research, but I’m a noob when it comes to fixing laundry machines, want some extra opinions before proceeding with a next step.”source ↗
“We have a 2yr old Washing Machine that randomly stopped filling with water.”source ↗
“No matter the size load, water fill selected the cycle will start and skip straight to drain and spin.”source ↗
“washer started its cycle, filled with water, but failed to start agitating.”source ↗
“A few weeks ago the washer made some very loud grindy noises in spin cycle… was concerning but a few loads after were fine.”source ↗
“Then the other day I get a glitchy machine with a load of soapy wet clothes.”source ↗
“When I press power the sense light blinks, then upon pressing start it makes like a locking and maybe unlocking pair of clicks. Nothing else.”source ↗
“Kenmore Model 48102/48106 nine beeps will not function, was hard to latch prior to this issue.”source ↗
“I could get it to work by switching it off at the breaker and waiting a while to turn back on, but now even when I turn the breaker back on the nine beeps and all lights above cancel pause button flash.”source ↗
“Sometimes the door would not latch and I’d have to open it back up and shut it again for the washer to start.”source ↗
“I get "Unbalanced Load" about 80% of the time, even with small loads, and the basin will bang against the sides of the machine frequently.”source ↗
“Our whirlpool washer will not cycle when we run cold water, it will fill up and sit there, then drain the water then spin dry. Works just fine on hot water. Thx”source ↗
“My Whirlpool WTW5015LW1 washer will sense for a couple seconds, then switch over to done.”source ↗
“My Samsung front-load washing machine asks me to clean the drain filter after every 2–3 washes. It stops in the middle of the cycle with water still inside the drum.”source ↗
“I then have to use the emergency drain hose, which takes around 30 minutes to empty. When I remove the drain filter, it is already clean and there is nothing blocking it.”source ↗
“The problem is intermittent—the machine may work normally for a few washes and then stop again.”source ↗
“we’ve had this washer 13 months… already had to replace shift actuator once.. now looking to replace again? is this washer model really that shitty?”source ↗
“This washer is less than two years old, last year it was doing the same thing of not spinning out and we replaced the shift actuator but I couldn’t remember what code it was throwing then. Sad that the new actuator only lasted less than year.”source ↗
“we’ve replaced the actuator once already within the first year of having it… just ordered another…. seems you’re in the right career, job security! lol”source ↗