LG Washing Machine Troubleshooting Guide – 4 great tips

Owning an LG washing machine will certainly make doing laundry more convenient. However, to avoid any disruptions in regular use, you should be aware of how to troubleshoot common problems that affect these appliances.

Common LG washing machine problems that you should know how to troubleshoot revolve around filling, spinning, draining, and vibrating. For example, the washer might fill too slowly or not at all. It might not spin, fail to drain or vibrate excessively. You can troubleshoot these problems yourself before calling a technician.

Some of these common LG washer problems might seem overwhelming at first, but don’t worry. This guide will clear everything up for you to understand what to do if you encounter these issues.

What Are The Common Problems With LG Washing Machines?

Some of the most common LG washer problems you’ll have to troubleshoot revolve around filling, spinning, draining, and vibrating.

Let’s look at each of them, why they happen, and how you can sort them out quickly.

The Washer Won’t Fill or Fills Too Slowly

Affected parts: If your LG washing machine won’t fill or is filling too slowly, you’ll want to troubleshoot the incoming water supply and the water inlet valve.

The incoming water supply refers to your household plumbing, the shutoff valve, and the hose that connects to the washing machine.

As for the water inlet valve, that’s the component in your washing machine that controls water inflow.

Why this happens: There are several likely reasons why your washer is filling slowly or not at all. Firstly, check that there is an incoming water supply to begin with. The shutoff valve might be closed or not open all the way, and the hose might be kinked.

Any of the above will prevent water from flowing into your washer at a standard rate. As a result, the LG washer will take too long to fill.

Besides that, the water inlet valve might be faulty. It’s a mechanical valve controlled electrically by the washing machine. An electrical fault like a short circuit could stop it from working. At the same time, the valve itself could be physically stuck in the closed position.

How to fix it: Start your troubleshooting process by first checking on the incoming water supply. The potential causes there are quick to rule out if necessary.

Be sure to fully open the shutoff valve and remove any kinks or bends in the hose supplying your LG washer.

However, if you find that the water inlet valve is faulty, you’ll likely need to replace it. First, you can try to remove any large items that might be clogging the valve. But beyond that, the valve isn’t worth fixing.

Read: 5 Common LG Washing Machine Problems And Troubleshooting

The Washer Won’t Spin

Affected parts: Let’s suppose your LG washer goes through the wash cycle like normal but doesn’t spin during the spin cycle. 

In that case, you’ll want to troubleshoot either the drive belt or motor coupling, depending on which LG washer model you have. 

Some models transfer power from the motor to the drum through a drive belt, while Direct Drive models use a motor coupling instead. 

Why this happens: The spin cycle requires your LG washer to turn the drum at a very high rate of speed. That’s only possible if the drive belt or motor coupling is in excellent condition.

So, if the washer doesn’t spin as it should, you either have:

• A worn-out drive belt that doesn’t have enough tension to spin the drum effectively
• A worn-out motor coupling that isn’t gripping correctly, likely because parts of it have worn down or broken off

How to fix it: Whether your LG washer has a worn-out belt or motor coupling, you’ll have to replace the part with a new one as neither one is repairable.

You’ll likely have to remove the washer’s panels and take out the drum to replace the affected part.

Read: UE Error Code On LG Washing Machine. How To Fix It?

The Washer Won’t Drain

Affected parts: Your washer will drain its greywater at least once during a wash program. 

As the water exits the washer, it’ll pass the drain pump, drain filter, and drain hose and eventually enter the standpipe. So, if your LG washer won’t drain, it’s likely because there’s a blockage at one of those parts.

Why this happens: Standard laundry greywater carries a lot of impurities like lint, dust, and detergent residue in it. 

On top of that, the water sometimes also contains foreign objects that fall out from your laundry pockets as they tumble during the wash program.

Over an extended period, those impurities and foreign objects can build up inside the drain pump, filter, hose, and your household standpipe that carries the water away.

Unfortunately, those buildups will prevent water from exiting your LG washer smoothly. Instead, the water will back up into the washer, preventing it from draining more water.

How to fix it: To troubleshoot and repair your LG washer’s drain issue, start with the parts that are easy to remove and clean. Those parts are:

• The drain filter: You can find this on the front panel, close to the bottom. It’s concealed behind a small door. Remove the filter and clean it thoroughly.
• The drain hose: Detach the drain hose and flush out any blockages inside.

If your washer still won’t drain even after cleaning those parts, the drain pump is likely faulty or damaged.

You can remove the pump and inspect it for large foreign objects stuck inside. However, a faulty pump will need to be replaced with a new one.

Read: How To Fix LE Error Code On LG Washing Machine?

The Washer Is Vibrating Too Much

Affected parts: With excess vibrations, you’ll want to inspect the adjustable leveling legs underneath your LG washer.

Why this happens: It’s entirely normal for your LG washer to vibrate during a wash program. However, excess vibrations will occur when the washing machine is not balanced.

The most likely reason for that imbalance is its legs are not adjusted correctly.

The legs underneath your LG washing machine are adjustable to ensure that the machine is perfectly level, even if the floor underneath isn’t totally flat.

How to fix it: You need a wrench to adjust each of your washer’s legs. The washer typically comes with a wrench specifically for this purpose, though a standard wrench will do fine.

Your goal is to adjust each washer’s legs to get it perfectly level. A spirit level would be helpful for this purpose, though there are smartphone apps these days that perform the same function.

When you’re confident that your washer is level, give it a shake test. First, push the washer slightly from each corner to see if it shakes. Then, of course, it would be better to put it through a complete wash program to see if it still vibrates too much.

Read: LG Washing Machine PE Error Code Explained

Bonus Tips: LG washing machine repairs

Need a few more tips? Here are some questions and answers you’ll find helpful.

How Do I Stop My Washing Machine Drain From Clogging?

The best way to stop your washing machine drain from clogging is to clean the drain filter regularly. The filter will trap lint, dirt, and foreign objects so they don’t build up in other drain parts, causing a clog.

Read: LG Washer Code DE – Troubleshooting Guide

What Is A Normal Load For A Washing Machine?

You should never fill your washing machine drum completely with clothes. Instead, check the user manual to see the manufacturer’s recommendations for your specific LG washer model. A standard load should only be up to 2/3 of the washer’s total capacity as a rule of thumb.

What Is The Difference Between Rinse And Spin?

When your LG washer goes through a rinse cycle, it’ll drain the dirty grey water, then re-wash your clothes with clean water. When the spin cycle begins, the drum will spin at a very high speed to drain as much moisture from your laundry as possible.

How Do I Reset My LG Washing Machine?

You can reset your LG washing machine through power cycling. First, press the Power button to shut the washer off. Then, remove the plug from the wall socket or shut off the circuit breaker. Next, press and hold the Start/Pause button for 5 seconds. After that time, plug the washer back in and continue using it as usual.

How Do I Run Diagnostics On My LG Washer?

Some LG washer models come with a Smart Diagnosis feature that works with your smartphone. The diagnostics process takes 10 seconds to complete and will show you any active errors through the LG SmartThinQ app.

Start by pushing the Power button to turn your washer on to use it. Then, place your phone mouthpiece between the Smart Diagnosis logo and the Power button. Next, press the Smart Diagnosis button, then press and hold the Temp button until the countdown ends.

Other lG washing machine problems:

Troubleshooting Guides for LG Error Codes

UE Error Code on LG Washing Machine problems

LE Error Code on LG Washer

OE Error Code on LG Washing Machine

Error Code dE on LG Washer