LG Front Load Washing Machine Not Draining

The most obvious problem. It doesn’t pump out because the pump doesn’t work. There are two main points of failure for the pump. The motor and the impeller. We will start by removing the pump. Here's a guide to that. There might be some differences, model to model, but the basic idea is the same.

Pump Motor (red) on Pump Body

Impeller on Pump Motor

Start by checking the pump motor. This is a likely failure when you don’t hear the pump run at all.

• Inspect the pump power connectors and make sure they are seated properly.
• Use a multimeter to measure the resistance of the winding. It should be between 10-20Ω.
  • If it is outside of this range, replace the pump motor.
  • If OK, remember to seat the connectors fully, then go to the next item.
• You can also check the bearings to see if the motor moves freely,
  • This is more difficult because the permanent magnet motor turns by hand in impulses or steps, so it is harder to judge the condition of the bearings.
  • If you hear grinding noises when you turn the motor you should replace the pump motor.
  • If it just spins freely with little resistance to turning, or turns with a mix of free spinning and impulses, it's defective and should be replaced. Contrary to what you might expect, such free spinning means the impeller has come loose on the shaft, or the drive magnet has come loose.

Next, check the impeller. If you can hear the pump running, but no water is being pumped, you may have either a loose impeller (mentioned above), a broken impeller, or a clog. We will look for clogs later.

• Inspect the impeller for damage like chipped or missing blades.
• Remove any lint or other debris that is on the impeller or wrapped around it.

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• Check the pump body for clogs or debris. Small laundry items can become lodged in the pump body and block flow. If you find any such items, remove them. We will want to check for other clogs as well. (One clog often leads to another.)
• Check the wiring to the pump. There are connectors in that wiring path that should be disconnected and reconnected to make sure they are fully engaged. If possible, trace the wires back to the main control board, and check for continuity.

If everything now looks good on the pump, move on to the next step.

If the hoses are clogged, little or no water will be pumped out of your machine.Clogs can happen either upstream or downstream of the pump, or sometimes in the pump body itself. We have already checked the pump body, so the next check is the drain hose.

• Remove the drain hose from the wall drain or standpipe.
• Note if the hose has been put more than 4 inches (10 CM) into the drain pipe, or if the hose outlet is over 8 feet in elevation. Correct either of these issues if you find them.
• It may be easiest to remove the drain hose from the washing machine entirely so you can check the whole length for clogs.
  • Use a dowel or a wire with the end folded over to run through the hose to make sure there are no clogs.
  • Rinsing out the hose, if possible, after you do this is a good idea as you may have dislodged debris as you checked for clogs.
  • If you find a clog, remove it.
  • Go on to the next step.

The other place for hose clogs is the tub to pump hose. Once the pump is removed, this hose is already disconnected at one end, so it is not too hard to check.

• Here is a guide for removing the tub to pump hose.
• Once the hose is removed, check for obstructions, especially things like small hair accessories, small socks, etc. Look through the hose. Also look if possible at the outlet from the tub where the hose was installed.

If you have found one or more clogs, you can choose to reassemble your machine at this point and test it. Given that the machine takes time to reassemble and disassemble, you may find it worthwhile to check the water level sensing system.  But this is a lower priority if you have found substantial clogs.

We look at these items next because if there is a problem with them, the system is likely to cause the machine to display an error code, so you probably would already be alerted to them. Since your problem is a failure to drain, it is less likely that the washer will indicate a failure to fill. Here are some common error codes:

• You likely could get a drain error, OE, (the O is likely supposed to represent a D and dE is used for a door error) because the washer isn’t detecting the water being pumped out.
• Less likely is the overflow error, FE,  because this occurs when the machine believes that the water level is too high. It is supposed to start the pump when it detects this condition. If your pump is defective you might get this error, because it can’t pump out the excess.
• You could possibly get an inlet error, IE because the machine doesn’t sense that it is filling. It might actually physically overflow because it doesn’t sense the water level rising. (Most LG machines will shut off the water inlet valve after 20-25 minutes if the central control board doesn’t receive a full signal when the machine is filling).
• The pressure sensor error, PE is discussed below.

The main culprit in these malfunctions is the pressure hose.

Pressure Sensor and Pressure Hose

Air Dome and Pressure Hose

Any air leak, either at the fittings or in the hose itself, will cause problems.   As the air pressure from the air trapped by the water bleeds off, the machine will eventually think it is empty (no pressure=no water). It may try to top itself off with additional water and could overflow.

• Examine the entire hose, especially where it is clipped to the machine for breaks or cuts or to see if it has become disconnected or loosened at either end.
• While leaving the hose connected to the pressure sensor, blow into it and see if you find an air leak.
• There could be a loose connection to the pressure sensor, or to the air dome, so replace the connector at the air dome and then remove the connection at the pressure sensor and blow to check the air dome.
• A clogged hose will also cause problems because sometimes it may detect the water filling the tub, it can't detect when it empties, as the clog won’t let the trapped air out.
• If the hose checks out, move to the next step.
• Any problems:
  • If the hose is cracked, replace it
  • If the hose fits loosely on the connector at each end, you can try hose clamps, but replacement is wise because the hose has probably stretched.
  • If the air dome has cracked, replace it.
  • If the hose is clogged, clear it, or replace it.

The Pressure sensor can fail, and usually will cause an error code on the display (PE). You can test it with a multimeter.

Check the resistance of the sensor, it should be between 21 and 23 Ω. If it's outside this range, replace it.

Depending on your model, you can also test it using buttons on the control panel to set the display to give actual frequency readings. If you can locate a service manual you can get the button combination needed. They should be pressed simultaneously. Sometimes you will need to enter a diagnostic mode. Some likely candidates:

• Soil + Delay Wash
• Wash/Rinse +Soil Level
• Wash/Rinse + Delay Wash
• Custom Program +Pre-Wash

In each case there will be a number representing a frequency displayed; the number x .1kHz is the water level frequency. When only 2 digits are available (or 0XX) then it is 2X.X kHz. A higher number indicates empty. 21.4 kHz +/-  usually full, 25.0kHz +/- usually empty. If it is below 10kHz or above 31kHz you will get a PE error.

This is the last stop before the control board. Testing the wiring harness if all of the components are testing good, before replacing the control board is a good precaution, as control boards are expensive.

• Before replacing the control board you may want to try disconnecting and reconnecting all of the cables that are connected to the control board.
• Then test the function of the washing machine.
• If you have a service manual or tech bulletin you can check the connections that have to do with the drain pump and the pressure sensor.
• If the harness doesn't check out for continuity, replace or repair it if possible.
• If the harness checks out then go to the next step.

The end of the line. You have tested the other components and they check out. Replace the control board.