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Do you have a Roper washer not spinning? A few quick checks and solutions can get you back to your wash!
A washing machine must be able to spin its drum and the laundry inside. Spinning agitates the clothes to remove stains and later helps to drain water from the wet clothes. So, a washer that doesn’t spin won’t do much for your laundry.
When a Roper washer is not spinning, check that the lid can close fully. There might be foreign objects or debris preventing it from doing so. If it closes, the lid switch underneath it might be faulty and need replacing. Excessive sudsing inside the drum can cause the washer to stop spinning, as will a loose or broken drive belt.
You can’t wash a load of laundry if your washer doesn’t spin. So, read through this guide to find out why that’s happening, so you can solve the problem and resume your regular laundry schedule.
Why Is My Roper Washer Not Spinning?
Your Roper washer’s lack of spinning could be due to a component failure, but it can also be caused by human error. So, before diving into more complicated troubleshooting tasks, it’s best to start with things you can fix or rule out quickly.
Here is a list of reasons your Roper washer isn’t spinning, starting with the most straightforward fixes to the most complicated.
Lid Isn’t Fully Closed
The appliance’s lid is the first thing you’ll want to check when your Roper washer isn’t spinning. Simply put, the washer will not begin spinning if the lid isn’t fully closed.
Here’s how the lid works: underneath the lid is a switch that senses whether or not the lid is closed. When it’s closed, the switch signals the machine to begin spinning. Until that happens, your washer will not start the wash cycle.
Similarly, the switch will stop the washer from spinning if you open the lid mid-cycle. That’s a protective feature to prevent damage and injury from things falling into the spinning washer drum.
If this problem happens after you close the lid, you must also check for obstructions underneath it. For example, clothes sleeves, debris, or other foreign objects could be stuck in the lid, preventing it from closing fully.
That, too, will prevent the washer from spinning.
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The solution: You can fix this problem by pushing the lid to ensure it’s fully closed. If that doesn’t work, open the lid and inspect it thoroughly for any foreign objects that might get in the way of closing.
Meanwhile, make sure that you do not open the lid for any reason during the wash cycle. Doing so will force the machine to stop spinning for as long as that lid stays open.
Read: 4 Common Reasons Why Dishwasher Door Is Not Closing Properly
Faulty Lid Switch
Above, you read about the lid switch’s role in starting or stopping the washer’s spinning. Unfortunately, the switch can also become faulty and fail to work correctly.
For example, you might fully close the lid, as you should. However, the fault switch will not sense that and mistakenly tell the washer that the lid is still open.
As a result, your washer will not spin.
It’s also possible that the lid switch will allow spinning to begin initially. However, it’ll stop the spinning mid-cycle when it mistakenly senses that the lid is open, even though it’s not.
The solution: A faulty lid switch will disrupt your wash cycle and your overall laundry plans. So, you must replace the defective switch as soon as possible.
Remember: never attempt to bypass the lid switch if it fails. The switch is there for a crucial reason: to prevent your washer from damaging itself and potentially injuring you.
So, the safest and most practical solution is disconnecting the existing lid switch and reinstalling a working replacement. Attach the switch to the same position as the old one to ensure it works correctly.
Read: 3 Ways How To Reset Roper Washing Machine
Too Many Suds In Washer Drum
Oversudsing can also be a reason why your washer fails to spin.
Suds are the bubbles or foam normally produced during the wash cycle. They result from the detergent mixing with air and water, much like when you shower with a bar of soap.
Suds are normal, and they’re necessary to clean your clothes effectively. However, too much sudsing is problematic. That’s because the excessive bubbles expand and find their way into parts of the washing machine where they don’t belong, disrupting the machine’s systems and electronic components.
In the case of your Roper washing machine, an oversudsing condition will cause the machine to spin slowly and eventually stop spinning altogether.
Oversudsing happens when you use far too much detergent than is necessary for your laundry load.
The solution: Firstly, you must clear the excess suds from your washing machine. You can run the Rinse and Spin option on your machine without adding more detergent.
That option will allow the machine to slowly wash away the excess suds and clear them from the machine.
Once the machine is clear, it can continue spinning and working normally.
You can prevent this problem from happening again by reading the instructions on your detergent packaging. The amount of detergent you use must be proportional to the size of your laundry load so it won’t cause another oversudsing condition.
Read: Bosch Washing Machine Door Lock Problems – Troubleshooting Guide
Loose or Broken Drive Belt
Lastly, your washer stops spinning because its drive belt is loose or broken.
The drive belt connects the motor to the washer drum. As the motor turns, it will move the belt, which then causes the drum to spin.
In other words, the drive belt transmits the motor’s power to the drum so it can spin and wash your clothes effectively.
The drive belt is made of rubber and other materials that gradually loosen with time. When that happens, the belt can’t maintain a tight grip at the motor or the drum. That will prevent the drum from spinning.
In more severe cases, the drive belt could break entirely. That will put an immediate stop to your washer’s ability to spin.
The solution: Whether your drive belt is loose or broken, you’ll have to replace it with a new one. That’s part of the belt’s regular wear and tear, especially if you’ve used it for several years.
Aside from the washer drum and motor, the drive belt also wraps around other components. That includes pulleys and a tensioner meant to keep the belt tense.
You’ll have to depress the tensioner to make removing the drive belt easier.
For a better understanding of your washer’s components, please refer to the user manual and any available technical sheet.
Remember: If your belt is broken, you must search for the broken bits and remove them from inside the washer. That will prevent them from causing any other problems later on.
Read: Why Is My Washing Machine Beeping During The Cycle?
Final Thoughts
Spinning is one of the core functions of a washer, as it agitates your laundry to remove stains and later drains water from your clothes. So, a washer that won’t spin isn’t of very much use at all.
The lack of spinning could be due to the lid not being fully closed. If the lid is closed, then the switch underneath it might be faulty, causing the machine to think it’s still open.
Besides that, oversudsing will also slow or stop spinning, as will a loose or broken drive belt.
mine will spin only after I open and close the lid. before the lid switch was replaced (2x, along with timer), I had to turn the machine on and off. it spins fine alone for the final spin. I had a repairman out 6 times with no luck. I dont want to buy a new machine when this works fine otherwise. just tired of babysitting the machine
By your description, it certainly sounds like the issue is related to the switch. But since the switch has been replaced twice, I would suspect one of two things:
1) The switch may not be getting depressed fully by the small actuator rod on the lid. Perhaps see if you can temporarily extend the length of the rod (dab of hot glue?). Not sure how your model is designed.
2) The control board might not be consistently registering the activation of the lid switch. I don’t like to blame the control board in most cases, but sometimes they are definitely the culprit. Unfortunately, this is difficult to test, being electronic. Replacing it might be the answer, though a last resort.
Keep in mind, some models don’t run this circuit through the control board at all, so don’t replace it without looking at a wiring schematic first.
Roper manuals
If your ROPER washer won’t spin, try checking for tangled or heavy loads, as it could be causing the issue.