Washing Machine Troubleshooting – Stops but Restarts After Lid Opens/Closes

First, let me say, you are far from the first person to have smell problems with washers, especially front-loaded ones. This has been the topic of many conversations resulting from home inspections and with concerned customers. I have had followup consults with factory reps, appliance repair specialists and the like.

The most common problem seems to be with the rubber sealing rings at the door. Water sits in the folds, mold grows in the folds and is untouched by the "washer cleaners" that are currently on the market. Wonder why they are so popular? some folks have been able to manually clean these areas with bleach and many rags. Others have had to have it replaced then keep it clean before the mold takes hold again.

Any closed reservoir can harbor mold and usually does. If you cannot access them to clean the mold out, that part usually has to be replaced. The other problem is if small amounts of water sit in the bottom of the unit and don't get expelled. this is easily treated with flushing cycles with bleach or cleaners.

Before you completely give up on the unit, see a Bosch dealer with a good service reputation. Several models from several manufacturers have been recalled or service bulletins issued for exactly the problems you are having.

The humming is the drain pump, not the motor.

You probably have an electrical problem - some wire someplace is broken (probably a wire going to the motor, perhaps a sense wire, or for high speed power). I had this happen to me and diagnosis said to replace the main control board for $$$.

But before doing that I checked it closely and found a cracked solder join (i.e. one wire was not making a good connect). I reflowed the solder and all was well.

But I did this myself - and it took a long time. For you to pay someone to check this for you will probably cost more than just getting someone who does this for a living to just diagnose and fix it.

Unless you are really good friends with someone handy? Usually if you take apart the machine it will have documentation telling you how to diagnose it.

First thing to do after following the instructions on the documentation is carefully check each wire going to the motor, and check the board where the wire goes for a loose connection.