Article: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
Archived on 10/14/2009
I have had my HE4T Kenmore for 9
months and wish I had kept my old washing machine. After using it 2 times my husband
complained that the towels stink and don't smell or feel like they use to. I paid a ton of
money for this product and it isn't worth it. Does anyone know of a class action lawsuit for
this machine? I am almost tempted to buy a reliable top loading machine again. I paid so much
money for this machine and the smell is so bad I wouldn't even give it to my worst enemy. My
clothes don't even smell fresh either. I have kids that complain also. There is definately
something wrong. I never had any of these problems until I purchased this washing machine. I
also have the matching dryer which has not caused any problems.
Kim from NC
Feedback:
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
Have you contacted Sears about the problem? They should be able to help or even replace it. All
of my large appliances are Kenmore (some 30 + years old) and I have never had a problem with
them. (11/03/2006)
By DL1052MCD
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
I love my Kenmore front loader machine. It's my favorite appliance in 26 years of marriage. A
few suggestions:
- you are supposed to leave the door open for a little bit after doing a load to air out the
washer
- there is a routine, monthly maintenance that is required, you run bleach through the
machine with a special cycle.
Check your manual, you'll find this information in there. Good luck. (11/03/2006)
By Sheryllynn44
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
I have the HE3 and had the same problem. A Sears repairman was out to fix my dryer and looked
into my washer. He asked if I was getting smelly laundry. I was and he said that I was using
too much soap. He said that when they designed the soap cups for these washers the soap on the
market wasn't as concentrated. He said to use less than half recommended or better yet if
using powder only 1TBS. I have done this and no more smell, clothes come clean.
He said to rid the washer of the smell and soap residue I should run a cycle on hot with no
clothes and 2TBS of automatic dishwasher soap. This worked great no more soap scum on the
inner flap and best of all no more smelly laundry. Hope this helps you.
Laura (11/04/2006)
By Ann29
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
We had the same problem with our washer. After trying bleach, baking soda, vinegar and other
washer cleaners we sent for a cleaner from smellywasher.com. After using just 3 tablespoons the drain
water went from green to clear. It's been over 4 months and still no mildew smell from towels
or washer. (12/04/2007)
By Lisa
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
I too purchased a Kenmore HE4t washer and dryer. We used to have a Kenmore top loader. On a
scale of 1 to 10, I would give our washer a 9.5 and the gas dryer a perfect 10. I encouraged
another friend to buy one on my recommendation and the only problem he had was with the 0%
finacing for a year. I had the same problem. We too have the moldly smell, buy only if we
leave the door closed. We just get in the habit of leaving it open an inch or so. That is a
minor inconvenience. It's not perfect, but we like it alot - purchased it in 2004.
(12/30/2007)
By Deide
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
I have the HE2t. I bought it last week. Today I got an error message that was just an F. I'm
running it through again.
I was delighted to find out that my favorite detergent is HE compliant. It's Nellie's
Laundry Soda and can be purchased online or at some health food stores. You use very little of
it and my very allergic family has had no problems since we switched to it. It uses sand, not
just soap, to clean and it rinses clear, even in very hard water.
After this load completes, I will fun some through with vinegar and washing soda in lieu of
bleach. I hope I luck out with this unit. My heart goes out to those who are frustrated with
theirs. A washer is a significant purchase. (01/08/2008)
By Lorna
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
I too have a Kenmore HE washer and was ready to load in the back of the pickup and toss it off
the tailgate at a high rate of speed I am so disgusted. Anyway, in talking with my hairdresser
she informed me of info she heard re: these front-load washers and stated there was some
solution that Home Depot and possibly Lowe's sells that is supposed to eliminate these smells
from the washer (I too have tried baking soda, bleach, vinegar, etc. to no avail).
So I purchased tablets called "Affresh" at Home Depot for $6.99, threw one in an empty
normal cycle, then washed a load of clothes in the next load, and lo and behold, no smell.
Apparently you do this same empty-load cycle w/a tablet once per month so one package will
last you three months (as there are 3 tablets in each package).
I have also heard that Tide HE is a bad detergent to use which could be exasperating the
problem. My sister switched to Wisk HE and says her laundry is much better. So I'm throwing
out the Tide HE and buying Wisk HE along with these once-per-month tablets and hopefully going
to save the $2,000 I was going to spend on an LG machine.
Jan in Phoenix (02/03/2008)
By Jan in
Phoenix
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
I too have this hunk of junk. I have read around and taken people's suggestions and
implemented a few of my own. SmellyWasher did not work for us. I sprayed the "boot," the
dispenser, and the inside of the washer with Tilex, it's suppose to kill mold and mildew.
Didn't use a ton, because I didn't want a lot of bubbles everywhere. I let it sit a few hours
and then ran a cold water wash. I ran a half cup of Electrasol dishwashing soap and a warm
water cycle.
I have discontinued liquid soaps, as I saw more mildew in my dispenser when I used them
(they're slimey to begin with). I also rarely ever use fabric softener as Downy produced tons
of mildew and slime in my dispenser. I switched to using Snuggle once in a blue moon, I
normally use dryer sheets.
This has significantly cut down, but not stopped the problem, I'll catch a whiff of mold,
but I'm not seeing it build up in dispenser or boot anymore. I really think the liquids
promote the slime and mildew. I've also been told by repairmen that the detergent companies
have us using about 2-3 times the amount of soap that would already work which is bad for our
environment, clothing, and wallet. I use a large tablespoon of powder detergent and the same
for the fabric softener (if I use it at all.) and I have two boys and their clothes do get
clean. Good luck. (04/15/2008)
By RVG
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
Our washing machine was giving draingage error codes and had a bad smell. After searching the
internet, I finally found a site that told me that there is a filter on the water pump that
may need to be cleaned out. It's really easy to do and I'm really suprised that the manual
doesn't say anything about it. When I opened the filter up, I found 3 toddler socks in it
covered in "Gunk". I removed them, cleaned the filter out, and ran it. The machine started
working great and I haven't noticed the smell since. The only trick is that you have to have a
set of star drive screwdrivers to remove the front lower panel, and a shopvac to empty the
water from the hoses and pump before opening it all the way, or you will get water everywhere.
(11/06/2008)
By je11634
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
When the Kenmore HE4T throws a F11 error, it can be fixed for not a lot of money. Check the
posts in fixitnow.com. Search for the Kenmore HE4T error
messages. My HE4T starting to throw the codes and 5 relay replacements later, seems to be
working like brand new. It looks like you can only get about 3 to 4 years (at 5 loads per
week) from 3 of the 5 relays on the main control board inside the top of the washer.
The board was designed for the European market and I think the lower US voltage has a lot
to do with this problem. The contacts begin to carbon up from constant DC switching. Again,
follow the instructions in the fixitnow.com website to repair. Be patient about removing the
plastic covers and the circuit board from the plastic housing. Replace all 5 relays on the
board just to be safe. When you remove the old relays, be careful not to damage the wire
connections on the board. The board itself is high quality, so you can dismiss comments about
poor solder joints and edge connections coming loose. It's just worn out relays. You can get
new ones from Newark Electronics part numbers 24C0595 (3) and 35K4530 (2).
In total, the repair will cost you less than $30 which is a lot cheaper than spending
hundreds on the board. As to why Whirlpool didn't use solid-state relays (which would outlive
the mechanical components) for this application? That's because Whirlpool was able to cut at
least $10 off the HE4T mfg. cost. Guess they measure mfg. costs a lot better than customer
satisifaction? (11/16/2008)
By Kenmore HE4T (Whirlpool Duet) F11 Errors
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
I am pretty sure that with the f and DL codes, you have a draining issue. What I have found,
because of many kids leaving stuff in pockets or throwing stuff in dirty clothes, that the
drain will get clogged up with stuff and plug the drain. That is why your stuff is starting
to smell. There is water that is sitting in the bottom of your washer. If you remove the
bottom panel, which there should be just two small hex screws on the very bottom left and
right of the panel, then it should just pop off. When you open it up, you will see what looks
like a gas-cap.
Mine is white and it should be right in the middle on the bottom. Turn the cap a hard left
and pull out the plug. Be prepared with lots of towels, because if it is clogged, there will
be on out pour of water and it will stink. It made me gag a few times. Just clean that off
that cap-plug and put it back in. If that doesn't fix it, take off your drain hose and flush
it out good with a pressure washer or a hose, making a strong stream, and that may help the
problem.
Also, just another tip. Pull back the rubber stop at the bottom that meets up with the
drum after every cycle. Especially if you have kids. This machine likes to eat socks. If
they go under that rubber stop and are not removed, they will eventually fall down under the
drum and go into the drain system. You can then remove them by pulling that cap off and
cleaning it out as I described above.
I hope this helps somebody. I paid $80 for the advice and for a service tech to come show me
what was going on. Now I check that drain every couple of weeks to make sure that it is
clear. $80 is a lot of money for something that literally takes 5 minutes and no expertise at
all. Just need a socket wrench or a very small wrench. (02/08/2009)
By Amy
RE: Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
I bought my He4T in 2005. Failure code F11 started last week. Since someone mentioned of bad
contacts (not relays), I removed the circuit board, the contacts were not gold plated so would
be prone to fretting. I sprayed W2 on Q-tips and cleaned the contacts on the board. Then use
the fine surface of a block nail file (looks like a stick of butter) lightly scratched the
contact fingers on the boards. Re-cleaned with W2 using Qtips. Also spray W2 on connectors
that plugged to the board. First load ran without any error. You may want to do this first
before replacing relays. (05/04/2009)
By turtle09
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