GE Hydrwave washer was making loud jet-like sound during spin, now won't spin at all

by Patrick
(Houston, TX)

Hi. I have a GE model WHDSR316GOWW Hydrowave washer. About 9 months ago, the washer would all of a sudden make a loud jet-like spinning noise when in the spin cycle. Well, since the washer would still work, we figured, oh well, and just learned to live with it, since it only happened during the spin cycle. Fast forward to two weeks ago. The washer now does not spin or agitate at all. I've also tried spinning the agitator by hand, but it won't spin (could of sworn it used to!). I've tried the motor reset (unplugging and lifting the lid, etc..) but to no avail. There is no blinking light on the motor at all. I've put the washer through a light wash cycle to see if it worked after trying the motor reset, and it seems to go through the cycle fine, except for the spinning/ agitation part (the pump works fine, and you can hear a faint sound coming from the inside, which it has always made since I purchased it brand new). I've also checked the fuse and am getting continuity across it. Would the pump work if the fuse was bad? Because it does work. The only other thing I can think of maybe worth mentioning is that there has been a couple of times through the 3+ year life span of the washer, that it would vibrate badly just before fully powering up in spin mode. And I mean "the whole washer moves if you don't open the lid to stop it" kind of vibration. We figured it was because of an unbalanced load, but it seems these particular models are more sensitive to this than others? After redistributing the load, it would then be OK. I'm not sure if these problems are related, but the more I think about it, the more I believe they are. Help!

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Answer

Hi Patrick,

If the fuse were blown the pump would still run.

Have you looked at the pictures/video on this page to be sure you are looking for the blinking light in the right place HydroWave Washer Repair


Just to rule out a locked shaft and tube assembly try turning the large pulley under the washer that the belt connects to. If that pulley will not turn I believe you have a bad shaft and tube (drive system/transmission).

If the shaft and tube isn’t locked and the light isn’t blinking then I believe you have a bad motor.


Thank you,
Shawn/administrator