If your Whirlpool washer is not spinning, check three things before any part: that the lid locks (or the front-load door latches), that the load isn’t out of balance, and that the cycle isn’t set to Low Spin or No Spin. Whirlpool’s own help pages put those first.
Still no spin? Then you check the drain, and only then the drive.
The same order works on a Maytag. Maytag is a Whirlpool brand, and Maytag’s help site carries the same not-spinning page, word for word. Most of my service calls were Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid machines.
Check the lid lock first on a top-load HE washer
A top-load HE washer won’t spin until the lid locks. Whirlpool says the lock is on whenever the tub moves, because the basket can spin at very high speeds. So a lid that won’t lock means no spin, every time.
You should know what normal sounds like first. When you press Start, Whirlpool says the washer tests the lid lock: you’ll hear a click, the basket turns slightly, and the lid unlocks briefly before it locks again.
Then it makes short, slow spins to estimate the load. Those sensing spins can take 2 to 3 minutes before any water goes in. That’s the washer working, not a spin fault.
If the lid won’t lock, your display may show a code. Whirlpool’s top-load list covers three:
- LdL: lid not locking. Something in the load may be keeping the lid from locking, or detergent has built up around the lock. Check right under the lid.
- LdU: lid can’t unlock. There’s something on top of the lid, like a laundry basket. Take it off.
- lid: lid left open. Close it. After 10 minutes open, Whirlpool says the cycle resets and the water drains.
Clean around the lock with a damp cloth and clear any lint or clothing you find in the way. Then reset the control: Whirlpool says to unplug the washer for 5 minutes and plug it back in.
Older top-loaders without a locking lid use a lid switch instead. On a Reddit thread about a Whirlpool that drained but wouldn’t spin, one reply started there:
“I worked with appliances for 30 years the first thing I would check is the lid switch that is the most likely culprit” u/V_Gatekeeper on Reddit
On a front-load washer, the door does the same job. Whirlpool lists a door that isn’t closed as the first reason a washer won’t drain or spin.
Rule out the load and the cycle
An out-of-balance load is the first thing Whirlpool checks when a washer won’t spin. You’ll hear loud noise in the spin, feel shaking, and find wet clothes at the end. Whirlpool says the washer tries to fix it by refilling and rocking the basket back and forth.
If that self-correction fails, you’ll get an error. On top-loaders it’s Ofb. On a front-loader, Whirlpool says a large unbalanced load means reduced spin speed and wet clothes. Here’s Whirlpool’s fix:
- Cancel the cycle with Start, or unplug the washer.
- Run a drain-only cycle if there’s water in the tub.
- Rearrange the clothes, or take some out, so the load sits level.
- Restart on Bulky or Heavy Duty. If the wash is already done, run Drain & Spin instead.
To stop it happening again, load clothes in loose heaps around the basket. Whirlpool says to fill only as high as the top row of holes, and never to wash one absorbent item on its own. One rug won’t balance. Add two or three garments.
Then look at the settings you picked. A few of them cut the spin on purpose:
- Low Spin or No Spin. Cycles with lower spin speeds remove less water. Pick the right speed for what you’re washing.
- Delicate or Hand Wash. These use slow spins so fabrics don’t stretch or wrinkle.
- A remembered setting. On front-loaders, Whirlpool says each cycle’s settings are remembered from the last time you ran it. If you ran Heavy Duty without spin once, it’ll skip the spin next time too.
- Too many suds. Non-HE detergent, or too much of it, can leave you with reduced spin speed. Top-loaders show Sud.
- Add a Garment, late. Pausing later in the cycle than the light allows can keep the washer from reaching full spin speed.
- A power failure. If power cut out during the spin, the washer may not ramp up to full speed. A PF code means you should touch and hold Start to restart.
Is the washer level? Whirlpool says an unlevel washer can unbalance the load and stop it spinning correctly. Rock it corner to corner with your hands. If it moves, adjust the feet. If your clothes come out soaked with no code at all, the page on a washer not spinning clothes dry covers that case.
Make sure the water can get out
A washer won’t spin a tub full of water. If water is standing in the tub, check the drain before you suspect the drive. Whirlpool says it may be the way the drain hose is installed.
Check these on your hose:
- The drain hose sits 4.5 inches into the standpipe. Whirlpool says only 4.5 inches (113 mm) should go in, held by the U-shaped form, and the opening shouldn’t be taped over.
- The standpipe is the right height. Whirlpool’s top-load page gives 39 inches minimum and 96 inches maximum. Above 96 inches, the pump can’t push the water out, and it may flow back into the washer.
- No kinks or clogs. Straighten the hose, and clear the drainpipe or utility sink.
On some front-load models, you can reach the pump filter yourself. Whirlpool says it can clog with lint and small items and should be cleaned now and then.
A drn code on a top-loader means it isn’t draining properly. Whirlpool says that’s sometimes an installation problem.
When the basket still won’t turn: the drive
If your washer drains but still won’t spin, and the lid, load and hose all check out, the problem is in the drive. That’s the motor and the parts between it and the basket, and it’s the first step here that means opening the washer.
Start with the display. If it shows an F# E# code, Whirlpool says to press Start/Pause once to clear it, then again to restart. If it doesn’t clear, schedule service. The Whirlpool washer error codes page lists what each one points to.
No code? Then it depends on how your washer drives the basket. On older direct-drive top-loaders, one Reddit reply to the owner of a Whirlpool LSQ9030PQ1 explained why the water drained but nothing spun:
“The pump is hooked directly to the motor but the coupling drives the transmission.” u/kacealraid1988 on Reddit
So the motor can run the pump fine while a broken coupling leaves the basket still. Another reply on the same thread named the coupling or the clutch as likely, and the transmission as less likely. Other models use a belt instead.
Which parts your model has is on its tech sheet, and you’ll want it before you order anything. I pull that sheet first on every Whirlpool-family washer, before I touch a part. Look behind the kick plate, inside the console or on the back panel. It lists the parts and the test steps for your exact model.
Unplug the washer and shut off the water before you open anything. If it’s grinding or banging as well, read washer making noise but not spinning first. On a Maytag Bravos, the Maytag Bravos washer won’t spin guide covers that line.
Stop and call a pro if: the F# E# code won’t clear (Whirlpool says to schedule service), or the fix means pulling the transmission.
Whirlpool washer not spinning: questions
How do I reset a Whirlpool washer that won’t spin?
Unplug it for 5 minutes, then plug it back in. Whirlpool says the control has to be disconnected that long to reset. If an F# E# code is showing, press Start/Pause to clear it first.
How do I get my Whirlpool washer to just spin?
Pick Drain & Spin. Whirlpool suggests it when you only need the water out of a finished load. Rearrange the clothes first so the basket starts balanced.
Why won’t my Whirlpool spin when there’s no error code?
Several causes above don’t need one: a low spin setting, a remembered cycle, a single heavy item or a hose pushed too far into the standpipe. Whirlpool also notes its code list may not include every code for your model, so check your owner’s manual too. If the display shows a symbol instead of a code, the Whirlpool washer symbols guide says what each one means.
Work it in this order, and you’ll only pick up a nut driver once the free checks are done.
