Maytag Washer Not Draining or Spinning: Causes

When a Maytag washer won't drain or spin, Maytag's own troubleshooting starts with four things: a lid or door that isn't fully closed, an unbalanced load, too many suds and a kinked or clogged drain hose. Front-loaders add a fifth, a clogged drain pump filter. If all of those check out and water still sits in the tub, the drain pump, the lid lock or door lock, or the drive system is the likely failure, and a technician should test it.

This site is an independent directory of local repair companies and is not affiliated with Maytag or Whirlpool Corporation, which owns the brand.

Read the code first

Many Maytag washers tell you what stopped them. These codes come from Maytag's own help pages:

Codes differ between models, so check the list in your owner's manual. For a lid or door lock code, Maytag's advice is to clear any clothing or object near the latch, then unplug the washer for five minutes to reset it.

Rule out the load, the lid and the suds

Maytag explains that its washers only run and spin when the lid or door switch senses it is fully closed, and that the lid or door locks at the start of a cycle. A towel corner in the door or a lid that didn't seat will stop the spin every time.

Balance comes next. Spread the load evenly, mixing big and small items, and don't wash one heavy item on its own. Maytag's vibration guidance also says to confirm the shipping bolts were removed and that all four feet sit firmly on a level floor. A badly balanced washer will keep pausing to redistribute instead of spinning.

Suds are the third suspect. Maytag says to use only HE detergent in HE washers and to measure it by the detergent maker's directions, because too much causes oversudsing and poor rinsing. Excess foam can slow or stop draining. If you see a lot of suds, run a rinse with no detergent.

Know what's normal on a Maytag

A few things owners report as faults are actually normal:

• Low water on HE top-loaders: Maytag's auto-sensing models spin slowly to judge the load, then add water in stages, so the level can look lower than you expect.
• Sloshing with no water in the tub: a liquid-filled balance ring at the top of the tub moves to offset uneven loads.
• A clunk when the cycle changes: Maytag notes top-loaders shift between agitation and spin, which can make a clunking sound.

Hands-on checks, done safely

Before you reach into the pump filter, pull the washer out or open any panel, unplug the washer and turn off both the hot and cold supply valves. Pressing the power button is not enough; GE's washer manual makes the general point that the button does not disconnect a washer from its electrical supply. Lay down towels and keep a shallow pan close.

Drain hose and standpipe (both types)

Ease the washer away from the wall without crushing the hose. Look for kinks, lint at the hose end and a hose pushed too far down the drain. Maytag's high-efficiency installation instructions allow a standpipe from 18 to 96 inches tall and warn against an airtight seal between the hose and the standpipe. Limits vary by model, so check your own instructions. If the standpipe overflows when the washer pumps out, the clog is in the house plumbing.

Front-load: clean the pump filter

Maytag recommends cleaning the front-load drain pump filter every few months, or whenever it clogs. The filter usually sits behind a small panel at the lower front. Drain the leftover water into the pan, unscrew the filter, clear out lint and small items, rinse it and screw it back in firmly. Maytag says to check your owner's manual for the exact location on your model.

Top-load: check the lid area

Maytag top-loaders come with either an agitator or an impeller. On both, the lid must close and lock or latch before the spin. Clear lint and detergent buildup from around the lid lock or switch, then do the five-minute power reset. The pump and internal hoses on a top-loader are inside the cabinet, so leave those to a technician.

Likely failed parts and what a technician tests

If the basics are clear, these are the parts a technician typically checks on a Maytag that won't drain or spin:

• Drain pump: listening for a hum with no flow (often a jam) or silence (an electrical failure or no power from the control), then testing it.
• Lid switch, lid lock or door lock: whether the lock engages and the control sees it as closed.
• Drive system: on top-loaders, the parts that shift the washer from agitation to spin; on belt-driven models, the belt.
• Motor and motor control: whether the motor gets power and turns.
• Water level sensing and control board: if the washer never starts a drain.

When to stop DIY

Call a technician if a lid or door code returns after a reset, if F9E1 keeps coming back with a clear hose, if the pump hums without draining, if you smell burning, or if water is pooling under the washer. Our guide to a washer leaking from the bottom can help with that last one.

Maytag is part of the Whirlpool family, so much of the advice in our Whirlpool washer not spinning guide applies here too. For brand-neutral steps, see our general guides to a washer not draining and a washer not spinning.

What a Maytag drain or spin repair costs

Fixr lists a typical service call fee of $50 to $100. For parts and labor, Fixr puts a drain hose at $95 to $170, a lid switch at $85 to $160, a door lock at $110 to $200, a drive belt at $120 to $175, a drain pump at $300 to $400 and a motor at $300 to $500. Fixr's rule of thumb is that if a repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new washer, replacement usually makes more sense. Read more in our washing machine repair cost guide and our guide on whether to repair or replace a washer.

Find a Maytag washer technician

Start with our Maytag washer repair directory, or jump to a city such as Maytag washer repair in Houston or Maytag washer repair in Chicago.