How a washing machine door lock works, how to test interlocks

Tired of a washing machine door stuck shut? This video offers a deep dive into the inner workings of door locks and how to diagnose and fix common issues.
**In this video, you'll learn:*

How washing machine door locks work: Explore the mechanics and electrical components behind the lock, including the bi-metal strip, PTC heater, and locking pin.
Testing your door lock: Discover safe and effective methods to test the lock's functionality using a multimeter and understanding wiring diagrams.
Troubleshooting common problems: Identify potential causes of a malfunctioning lock, such as a faulty bi-metal strip or distorted plastic parts.
Repair solutions: Gain insights into fixing the lock yourself, including replacing damaged components.
Bonus:

Shop for replacement parts: Easily find the correct door lock for your washing machine model through the provided links.
Access additional resources: Explore comprehensive tutorials on door lock replacement and tips for dealing with a stuck door.
Don't let a faulty door lock disrupt your laundry routine! Watch this video today and gain the knowledge and confidence to diagnose and fix the problem yourself.

🛒 * *Washing machine door locks*

Washing machine door locks really only get 3 major faults

The points between live and common fail in some way.
The NTC heater or bi-metal strip fail.
The plastic gets to hot and distorts inside the lock causing it to jam.

Washing machines must have some way in which you can lock the door closing mechanism when the machine is started up and then unlock them with a certain delay (normally two minutes) after the current has switched off via the program or on/off switch, in order to ensure that the door cannot be opened while some of the components are still rotating initially (in particular the motor and the drum of the spin-dryer).
When you shut the door, the latch on the door pushes inside the door lock onto a sliding bar which moves over and activates an electrical part inside which locks the door shut. At the same time, power is passed through the interlock on to the rest of the machine. The actual latching shut of the door is a simple spring-loaded mechanism where the latch just slips into the door catch and the door stays closed. Locking the door is a separate process.

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[michaelhall]

I am a commercial heating engineer and I must say how precise this video is and it make a very pleasant change to see a professional instruct clearly what to Many thanks

[jean-pierreduponsel]

Very well explained ! Never thought that they would use a heater mechanism to allow / disallow the latch to open. All along the years, could not understand why the small delay at the end of the cycle. Thank you.

[taab]

At 5 min 26 sec, finally a clue as to which wires to bridge to bypass a malfunctioning door-lock. Remove the door-lock after disconnecting the 3 wires leading to the lock. Bridge common to live. (Keep neutral isolated with insulating tape). Door-lock for my 21 year old machine no longer available so bypass was essential & machine is now working great.

[MrAkos]

This video showed and proved to me that is time for a new machine.
Paul you are great explaining how this switches works. It is terrible, they should not make it bi-metal enforced, this is really old design.
It is so much easier to do by computer program,
Water is out of the machine to the door level? yes - no
if yes, open door immidiatelly
if no restart a drain cycle, tell the customer water in machine to high, draining. then open door.

Paul you are did a fantastic job!

[butchisaacsen]

Very good video when he mentioned and ohm reading on the heaters it is open or closed you dont need a resistance measurement in numbers its open or closed.

[echolalia]

Very good video - I didn't realise the interlock was so complex - thought it was a simple switch. Thanks

[nancolpitts]

Thankyou soo much for this video! I thought I’d have to remove the whole top & front panels, or book a service call! This took just minutes to fix & saved me $$! Happy dance!!

[tomh.]

Thank you for the information. I did use this knowledge to fix my LG front load washer with the DE error. No one else shows how the latch works. You
After some thinking i decide not to buy new part, instead i take it apart to bypass by fooling it. Wedging a piece of plastic below the contact strip so it makes contact with the upper one did the trick. Very obviously the heating bimetallic strip was bad on mine thus causing the DE error. Furthermore I broke the plastic pin that prevents the door from opening once it is running.

It works. No part replacement requires. Door can be opened during use but I do not care as long as it works. Besides who would open the door while it is running.

Thanks again for showing how it works when no one else does. Knowing how it works is the key to figure out how to fix it or by pass it! I did and it worked.

The metallic heating strip is common to fail as it heats up and cools down throughout its life and once that thing is toasted there will be no more contact goes in and out thus the DE error. Well if that were the case then i will fool it by providing the missing door lock signal mysel by bypassing it. Many appliance forum repair people said it can't be done. Well they either want to sell new part or don't know themselves how to bypass. I beg to

Hope this helps someone. Attention! this mod. requires disassemble the latch switch assembly which is very easy and understand what i talk about here to do it. Good luck!

[leonyoung]

Great video. Thanks. Can you tell how to identify the wire? which one is live, neutral and common as they are same color and no any sign.

[Golfer-rnlh]

really great explanation of how the switch works, thanks

[jason.aldridge]

great info i to thought it would be a simple micro switch to lock unlock the door but n as i got inside witch then found myself watching your video to see the working as i thought id be able to just bypass it for now as the mrs is on my case now as like most stuff around the house its left till last minute now we have a pile of washing the mrs will have me doing laudry runs if not sorted soon. but thanks again for the info on the door workings even though i learnt something today and it wasnt as basic as i first thought.

[judith]

Thanks for this crash course in washing machine anatomy! It's a real pain if you can't solve a problem just because you don't know how the parts you are struggling with actually look like. It's always the same: as long as things work, I don't even ask myself how they do so. It's only when something stops doing what it's supposed to that people like me start asking questions xD!

[elyankhayat]

You deserve a million likes
Thank you so much for good details

[mbcline]

This is a very long detailed video, but you didn't really explain what you were doing with the multimeter. What are you measuring? What units? What readings are you expecting?

[zsebacsi]

Very big thank you!
with the help of this I managed to clean my interlock and it's working again:)

[daniepark]

Thank you this helped me fix my latch. Mine just seized but when I took it apart it became free, thank you for all you help again

[Sumbalsalah]

Hi there where does the green cable go in hot point while fixing the door lock?

[arnelangeles]

But you haven't mentioned what's the range for Ohm resistance for good or bad door locker switch? say for 3pin terminals.

[svkurup]

My LG front door washing machine door is locking properly, but the the door lock sign in the board doesn't light and hence the machine cannot be switched on.
Appreciate your guidance to solve this problem.

[michaelparanormal]

I have a Next dinamic Hoover washer/dryer, when i turn dial to program sometimes i get the padlock on display even though i have not pressed the start button and after a few seconds i get E16 error, i looked up the error for this and found out its the heater eliment could be faulty i changed the heater eliment but still get the same error code, somtimes the machine works ok and other times when i have not used it for a few days the error comes back on, i checked all possible reasons with pump blockages or water and drain pipes but found they are all ok, i think it could be the lock that you showed or something else!