--- title: "Washer will not spin" description: "Kenmore washer will not spin — the cheap answers come first here and they are right most of the time." url: "https://kenmoremiami.support/symptoms/washer-will-not-spin/" date_modified: "2026-09-01" Appliance type: "Washers" --- # Kenmore washer will not spin ### Redistribute the load and try again A single heavy item — one comforter, one bath mat, one pair of jeans — will not distribute, and every one of these machines will refuse to spin up rather than shake itself across the laundry room. Spread it out, add a couple of towels, and start a spin cycle on its own. If it spins, nothing is broken. ### What it usually means, by the company that built it Kenmore manufactures nothing, so the same behavior points at different things depending on who made the appliance. The three digits before the period on the rating plate are what tells them apart. - **110 Whirlpool** — uL or OFb for an out-of-balance load, LdL when the lid lock will not engage, F7 E1 when the motor cannot reach the speed asked for. - **796 LG** — UE for an unbalanced load — LG's own wording is that the laundry has piled up on one side of the drum — and LE, MOTOR LOCKED, which LG attributes first to overloading. On a two-character display LG warns that LE appears first and then the 1, so LE and LE1 can look the same for a moment and are different findings. ### Shipping bolts An LG-built front-loader ships with transit bolts through the back panel that hold the drum still. If they were never removed, the machine will vibrate, complain and refuse to spin, and it will do it from day one. It sounds obvious and it is one of the more common findings after a move. ### Why the expensive answers really are last Not modesty — sequence. A drive component that has failed will fail the same test tomorrow, so nothing is lost by checking balance, the lock, the drain and the level first. What is lost by skipping them is somebody’s money on a part that was fine. The load will not balance The most common cause by a wide margin, and both manufacturers publish a code for it. The lid or door lock No machine spins without confirming it is closed, and this fails far more often than the motor. Water still in the drum A machine that cannot drain will not spin. That is a drain problem showing up as a spin one. The machine is not level An unlevel washer trips its own balance protection on every load. Belt, coupler, clutch or direct drive depending on the builder. Genuinely different work on a 110 and a 796. Suspension or bearings Where the drum moves badly or sounds wrong. On a front-loader this deserves an honest conversation about the value of the machine. Is there water left in the drum If yes, this is a drain problem first. Does a spin-only cycle work with a spread load The single most useful test, and free. Does the machine rock when you push a corner Level and feet, before anything electrical. Does the lid or door lock audibly A click and then nothing is the switch rather than the lock. The load comes out soaking What it usually means Balance and the lock before the drive Two builders, two drive systems The motor is rarely the answer Redistribute the load and try again A single heavy item — one comforter, one bath mat, one pair of jeans — will not distribute, and every one of these machines will refuse to spin up rather than shake itself across the laundry room. Spread it out, add a couple of towels, and start a spin cycle on its own. If it spins, nothing is broken. What it usually means, by the company that built it Kenmore manufactures nothing, so the same behavior points at different things depending on who made the appliance. The three digits before the period on the rating plate are what tells them apart. 110 Whirlpool — uL or OFb for an out-of-balance load, LdL when the lid lock will not engage, F7 E1 when the motor cannot reach the speed asked for. 796 LG — UE for an unbalanced load — LG's own wording is that the laundry has piled up on one side of the drum — and LE, MOTOR LOCKED, which LG attributes first to overloading. On a two-character display LG warns that LE appears first and then the 1, so LE and LE1 can look the same for a moment and are different findings. Shipping bolts An LG-built front-loader ships with transit bolts through the back panel that hold the drum still. If they were never removed, the machine will vibrate, complain and refuse to spin, and it will do it from day one. It sounds obvious and it is one of the more common findings after a move. Why the expensive answers really are last Not modesty — sequence. A drive component that has failed will fail the same test tomorrow, so nothing is lost by checking balance, the lock, the drain and the level first. What is lost by skipping them is somebody’s money on a part that was fine. ### It spins, but the clothes are still wet. That is a slow spin rather than no spin, and it usually points at balance or at drainage rather than at the drive. ### It makes a grinding noise when it tries. Worth stopping the machine and calling. A noise under load points at the drive or the bearings, and running it does not help. --- **[Read full article: Washer will not spin](https://kenmoremiami.support/symptoms/washer-will-not-spin/)**