This is another edition of the Neli DIY Appliance Repair Series for your continued enjoyment. I’m going to tackle the Whirlpool WED8127L Series dryer today. Today’s dryers are simple, which makes them durable. I think the main reason some people don’t enjoy working on them is that they’re not easy to access – unless you have the know-how. I’ll show you how soon.
WED8127L Error Codes
To make things easy below is a picture showing you how to enter diagnostics.
With the new touch screen UIs, sometimes they won’t register your button touches. Keep trying because it will work. Try moistening your fingertips and try again. When you’re checking for error codes, remember they’re always in the format F# E#. F indicates the category of the error, and E indicates the component causing the error code.
F1E1 – Main Control Fault
The main control (ACU) is not detecting input line voltage or at the heater relay. You can check the board for proper connections, but first, confirm that you have the correct incoming voltage to the dryer. I can’t tell you how often that happens. Maybe L1 or L2 are missing at the wall plug, or there could be a burned wire on the dryer side terminal block.
F2E1 – HMI (human-machine interface or UI)
You will only see this error when you’re already in diagnostics. That’s because the buttons are touch and won’t behave like mechanical ones. This is an error within the UI and there isn’t any way to repair this except to replace the UI itself. If you’re lucky, you can reseat the connecting cable from the UI to the ACU.
F2E2 – Internal UI error
You’ll see this error if the UI has failed completely.
F3E1 – Open or shorted exhaust thermistor
Check the thermistor for over 50 KΩ for an open thermistor, and less than 500Ω for a shorted one. But the same could happen if the J14 connector is unplugged from the ACU.
F3E2 – Open or shorted moisture sensor
Check the moisture strip just inside the drum area. They’re two thin metal strips side-by-side.
F3E3 – Open or shorted inlet thermistor
Check the thermistor with your meter set to resistance. If it checks over 245KΩ, it’s open, and if it measures less than 328Ω, it’s shorted. I’ve always found them to read less than a hundred ohms when they’re shorted.
F3E5 – Open or shorted rear moisture sensor
This error covers the moisture sensor strips on the rear bulkhead inside the dryer. But you won’t see them in every model.
F6E1 – Communication error between the UI and ACU
This one is tricky because if the cable between them checks ok, you’ll have to use the Tech Sheet that came with your dryer to test each component. It’s been my experience that the UI or HMI is at fault more often.
I said earlier that many people don’t care about working on these new dryers. But they’re not bad if you are in the know-how. Below are a few pictures that show how to remove the console. TIP: use ONLY a thin but stiff plastic putty knife! Anything else will scratch the surface. Once the knife is in the right place, it will feel springy because you’ll be pressing on the spring clips. Push from front to back while holding the console.
Once the console is off the machine, you can access the ACU for making checks. Follow the diagram carefully to avoid scratching the paint. Hopefully, you won’t have to do this too often.
Testing the Main Control (ACU)
The ACU has a green LED near the center of the board that lights up and flashes when the dryer is turned on, then glows steadily after bootup. Another quick test of the HMI (UI) is to unplug the dryer, then reapply power, press power, and allow the UI to wake up the system. If the UI won’t wake up the dryer, check for the lighted green LED on the control. If it’s off after a minute or two, the ACU is defective. If the LED works normally, but you can’t power the dryer from the UI, suspect the UI.
Neli is Here to Help
This concludes today’s talk about the WED8172L series dryer. As always, if you run into trouble, you can set up an appointment and one of us will be glad to help! Don’t forget to check out our other articles about DIY appliance repair!
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