Thread Number: 83167  /  Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Whirlpool WTW5540SQ0 Temperature Regulation
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Post# 1074700   5/28/2020 at 12:47 (1,400 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        

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This must have been one of the last of the DDs. I picked it up in really good condition for $5.00.

Seller said water just poured out of the bottom.

Of course it did, both hoses to the pump had been disconnected and there was a note on one of them to hook them back up before use.

Probably not the best place to have put it. I've learned through the years, though, that it's better to have a super-major leak than a minor one. The major leaks are almost always stuff like this.

 

So, re-connected the hoses, disarmed the lid switch and now have a question for the experts here.

The machine has a thermistor built into the inlet valves. I'm guessing the logic is nothing more than a super simple one-chip op-amp with two resisters as the control values.

How do I disarm the dratted thing? Measure the resistance cold, disconnect it and throw in a resistor close to that value? Or is the logic sophisticated enough to check ambient at start up against resistance a little bit later?

 

Thanks for the help in advance. I was never in love with the DDs, but compared to the splutch garbage on the market now, it's a decent design. Once I have it running with real 145F water and not this luke-warm nonsense, it will be going to a friend who needs a large-capacity washer which can actually clean.

 

Oh, and, eco-freundliche Dahlinks: Save your electrons. I don't believe for one moment that luke-warm water cleans worth ....compared to real hot water.





Post# 1074704 , Reply# 1   5/28/2020 at 13:39 (1,400 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas)        

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The sensor is on the water inlet valve on these. You may be able to just disconnect the wiring connector from the valve. I had a customer that complained of the slow fill on the hot water setting that was due to the restriction of the hole size on the hot water side of the valve. I installed an older DD inlet valve and left the wiring disconnected due to the valve I installed not having the sensor. Worked great and customer was thrilled with faster fill.

Post# 1074705 , Reply# 2   5/28/2020 at 13:59 (1,400 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Thank you

panthera's profile picture
Melvin,
Thanks! I shall try that. I could see the machine sending commands and not checking for feedback.
I'll post if it works for this one. Built around May 2007.




This post was last edited 05/28/2020 at 17:39
Post# 1076481 , Reply# 3   6/9/2020 at 15:43 (1,388 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
It worked! Thanks, Melvin!

panthera's profile picture

Life is what happens when you're making plans and it's been a bit since I asked for and received help on disarming that abominable, stupid, ridiculous, hateful, monstrous, idiotic and just plain worthless ATC system on the washer.

Today, I had some time, so I took the control panel off, unhooked the cabinet (NB: It would be really simple to paint this whole think PANK) and disconnected the thermistor. AFter I shot the photo, attached, I made sure to wrap the connector in electrical tape and tie it back so it couldn't rub. The electronics will no doubt still be referenced to earth, so caution is always best.

Yay! Hot water is now hot, cold is still freezing and warm is, well, what a sane person would call tempered cold.

Anyhoo, thanks again!

Looks like we're going to be keeping this, after all. The extra-large capacity Maytag from 1992 (piece of Sh-T on a par with 2019 SpeedQueens) took a transmission oil dump all over the floor. Hateful thing, it was a fine example of everything wrong with Maytag towards the end.

I will replace the water inlets with ones which don't have the hot water restricted. That can wait a bit, though.

Really grateful for the help. The DD design was certainly never my favourite, but time has proved me wrong on their reliability.

Now, which shade of PANK? 


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Post# 1076503 , Reply# 4   6/9/2020 at 20:08 (1,387 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas)        

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Glad it worked for you.

Post# 1076634 , Reply# 5   6/10/2020 at 17:13 (1,387 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Had a free moment and changed out the inlet valves.

panthera's profile picture

What an enormous difference in the hot water stream! Thanks for the tip, again.

This washer is now, finally, back to the level of one 20 years before it's time.

What idiots Whirlpool are to do this to such a simple, competent design.


Post# 1076655 , Reply# 6   6/10/2020 at 21:30 (1,386 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas)        

repairguy's profile picture
I would imagine that DOE regulations forced them to do this to their machines. But I like the quick fill with 100% hot water.


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