MFR Door Lock Error Cause & Fix

Before starting this process,

TURN OFF POWER TO THE WASHER!!!

First remove screws above and below the door lock cover plate

Remove the panel screws on the left side and you might have to remove the ones on the right side depending on how much room you have to get your hands inside the front panel

If you have never removed the front panel, you should open the top panel and look inside. There are two additional screws holding the top of the panel in place. Remove those otherwise you will never get the front panel off!

Once the front panel is off, or at least moved enough to get at it, remove the cover plate from over the lock assembly

Remove the two screws holding the door lock assembly BUT BE CAREFUL!
SEE NEXT PICTURE FAST!

The back of the door lock assembly will have thin metal shims.
These tend to fall off. FIND THEM!
Know how many are on the upper and lower screws (usually it is two each, unless your door has been worked on then you might have more on the top screw or the bottom screw and not necessarily equal). Usually these shims are glued together. Don't be surprised if there is tape.

Unplug the door lock assembly from the big white mole plug and take it completely out of the machine.

Remove all the small screws holding the cover plate

Door lock assembly looks like this on the inside

Notice the thin copper colored metal plate. This should not be bent upwards or downwards like in the two pictures above. It should lay flat like in the picture above it. If it is bent, remove it and manipulate the metal until it lies as flat as possible. If the plate is flat move on to the next step.

Remove screws holding copper colored metal plate


Notice this spring. Don't lose it!

This is the problem on 90% of the door lock issues. It is Maytag part 23002899 Handle, Locking Part (this probably has a different number in newer part manuals or warehouse inventories). For the sake of this blog we are going to call it the "SWING ARM"

Move the swing arm with your finger and see if it easily slides behind the the metal piece in front of it. You shouldn't have to put any pressure or twist it in any way to make it slide behind the little piece of metal that it is supposed to slide behind.

It shouldn't run into the copper colored metal plate and stop either. 

It should slide behind it easy.

Odds are your Swing Arm looks like this. Bent. It should be straight.
This happens from people slamming the door or trying to open it before it unlocks. This is soft metal and can be bent back into somewhat of a straight shape until your new one arrives, but it can easily break too. You definitely want to replace with a new one, however remember this blog is about ways you can get your machine up and running in the short term until that new part arrives. Hence why the tip about bending it back into shape can work for a very short term.

Unhook the small spring from the Swing Arm and pull the swing arm straight off of the peg it attaches to at the top of the Swing Arm. 

Replace with new or newly straightened part.

Reverse all of the disassembly steps above until the door lock assembly is mounted back inside the washer. Notice the shims in  this picture behind the bottom screw. Make sure you put the shims back the way they came off.

Push the Swing Arm back and forth a few times to make sure it slides easily behind the copper colored plate and into the metal channel. If so, attach power to the door lock assembly unit, put the front panels on, turn power back on to the machine and give it a try on a service mode. You should be back up and running!

Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy