Timer gets stuck - Dishwashers

Very seldom does the timer go bad. The timer will often get the blame when something else is the real problem. If the dishwasher is heating water, the timer will stop until the water reaches the correct temperature. Without knowing the make and model of the dishwasher, I can’t provide a better answer.

cyccle through the setting to get out of timer

A DEFROST TIMER is a cycling device, it times the frequency and duration that the defrost heater coils melt the ice that builds up around the evaporator coils. If ice is allowed to build up, air will not be able to freely flow past them - resulting in reduced efficiency and sometimes a drastic warming of the cooling unit.



Most of the time, the defrost timer is in the cooling mode, allowing the compressor to activate when the thermostat signals it to. The remaining part of the cycle (usually less than 30 minutes)the timer is in defrost mode. In this mode, it signals the defrost heaters to melt the ice build up on the coils. This defrost action is limited by the defrost thermostat. If your DETROST TIMER go to bad, one symptom would be if your refrigerator is not cooling. Although there are many causes of this symptom, A stuck defrost timer can be one of them. The timer can get stuck in cooling (compressor activated) or defrost mode (defrost heaters activated) for usually two reasons:
- The timer motor can fail for one.
- The gears can also become locked up.

No matter what the reason is or which mode the defrost timer gets stuck in, the refrigerator can stop cooling. When the refrigerator is stuck in defrost mode, the compressor no longer comes on to cool the unit. If the timer gets stuck in cooling mode, the evaporator coils never get a chance to defrost, causing ice build-up to the point where there is a complete blockage of airflow past the coils.

The defrost timer can also cause the refrigerator to stop cooling due to failure of the internal switch which activates either the compressor or heater coils. Finally, when doing any repair on a refrigerator, check the condenser coils for dust buildup and clean accordingly.

According woth yur brand and model, look the part replacement in this link: partselect.com/refrigerator+test-defrost-timer+repair.

Good luck.

Interesting why the timer motor blew the breaker. with this size, less than 1/20 hp, the winding would have easily burnt out. You must have this circuit already load to the max. At this point, I would say that the motor is toast. you can get the guts (motor and switches combined) online from intermatic or order it from your local electrical supply distributor.

Did you replace the timer? If it got stuck once it will get stuck again. If you did replace the timer, are you sure you connected the wires to the correct terminals? If not you will be in defrost for 12 hr, and cooling for 20 min. (example) Hope this helps

Turn the electric off to the timer and carefully try to clean and dust, dirt, corrosion off the timer points. Turn the electric back on and try it out. If it is still malfunctioning it is probably time to replace it. Good luck.

The only fix is to replace the timer.

It appears that your timer is failing. The process to remove and replace the faulty timer is relatively easy to do with just some simple hand tools.

You should unplug the washer from the wall outlet before taking the top backsplash (control panel) apart. There are screws on the backside of the control panel, that you need to remove the back panel. Doing this will let you get to the wiring plug connector on the timer motor.

You'll also need to remove the timer/cycle knob on the front of the panel so you can use a socket (or a adjustable wrench) to remove the mounting nut and lock washer that holds the timer to the metal panel.

Once you have everything loose and accessible, all you need to do is unplug the connectors on the old timer and out them on the new timer and reinstall the lock nut and washer and button up the panel.

That shoud be all that's needed to get things working again.

Here's link showing a drawing of your washer along wtih the parts list (and prices) for parts.

The timer is part #134378400 and costs about $89.00

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/getSubComp.pd?modelNumber=FTF530ES1&productCategoryId=0153200&brandId=1428&modelName=WASHER&diagramPageId=00001&componentDescription=CONTROL%20PANEL&documentId=R0509003&backToLink=Return%20to%20Sub%20Components%20list

Hope you find this Very Helpful and best regards!

This is the sign of a bad timer. It is not sensing how long it has been in the cycle. The timer is not advancing. Replace the timer.

Sounds like the timer could be getting stuck and not releasing the defrost cycle. If you have to do it again, you should have the timer checked, or just replace it.