What could be causing your washing machine to stop in the middle of a cycle?
Many issues could be to blame but there are a handful of reasons for this weird behavior from your appliance. We'll go over what's more and less likely to be at fault, so you will have an idea on how to troubleshoot your washer yourself.
First off, the lid switch assembly might be triggering the washer to stop. If the machine thinks the lid is open, the cycle pauses until it detects the lid is closed again. A defect in this mechanism can cause the washer to stop in the middle of a cycle. Check the lid switch for power with a multimeter and put in a new one if it fails this test.
Next, if the lid switch assembly is fine, consider whether the door lock mechanism is not latching shut properly. Any defect in the door lock can cause the machine to stop in the middle of a cycle. There are multiple switches to test for continuity, but look for physical signs of defect first.
Another possible culprit would be a malfunction with the water inlet valve. If the valve is operating improperly the machine will stop during the fill cycle while anticipating more water. You can also test this with a multimeter to see if it is operating fine.
Two other possible, but less likely causes of a washing machine stopping in the middle of a cycle include a fault in the control board or with the timer. Both parts are commonly mis-blamed for causing this particular issue, though. Tackle the other three possibilities first before you consider replacing either, or get a professional to diagnose and tackle your washer repair for optimal results.
What should you do if your washing machine suddenly won't turn on? First off, make sure it didn't rock back and forth, hit something and inadvertently unplug from the outlet. While rare, such circumstances is never worth a service call charge. Next, check the breaker panel to see if the respective breaker tripped. If so, turn the breaker back on and all should be fine. If your home has fuses, it might be burnt out and need to be replaced. If your washing machine keeps tripping breakers or blowing fuses, test on another outlet to see what's to blame.