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Kenmore 796 model front-load washer, including Wi-Fi models · exact code

Kenmore 796 model front-load washer, including Wi-Fi models code LE: meaning and exact next steps

LE means a locked drive motor. This answer applies only to Kenmore 796 model front-load washer, including Wi-Fi models, as covered by the Kenmore code tables on Sears PartsDirect for the 796 model front-load washer and 796 model Wi-Fi enabled front-load washer series. Each code here appears in the table for at least one of those series, and the wording is the same wherever the tables overlap. A different Kenmore series, or the code list of the company that built the appliance, may word or number these codes differently.

On the covered Kenmore 796 model front-load washer, including Wi-Fi models, LE means a locked drive motor. First, check the wiring on the motor and on its hall sensor, the speed sensor. Then: repair wiring faults, then replace damaged motor components. If the motor is sound, the hall sensor is replaced.

Part of Kenmore 796 model front-load washer, including Wi-Fi models error codes

Differential

Likely causes of “Kenmore 796 model front-load washer, including Wi-Fi models code LE”, and how to tell them apart

  1. 1

    An overloaded washer

    What separates it LE appears and the drum is packed so full that it cannot turn

    How to confirm If the washer is overloaded, pull some clothes out and restart the cycle

  2. 2

    Excessive suds that make the drum hard to turn

    What separates it Lots of suds are visible in the tub after the cycle

    How to confirm Let the washer sit idle for 30 minutes, then run a Drain/Spin cycle

  3. 3

    An item stuck between the basket and the outer tub, or a damaged spin bearing

    What separates it The spin basket does not rotate smoothly by hand

    How to confirm Open the door and rotate the spin basket manually with the washer unplugged

  4. 4

    Loose or broken drive motor or tachometer wiring, or broken magnets in the motor rotor

    What separates it The basket spins smoothly but the motor does not rotate

    How to confirm Check the wire harness connections and examine the rotor magnets

  5. 5

    A failed motor tachometer or drive motor

    What separates it The wiring and the rotor magnets are okay and the code remains

    How to confirm Have a service technician test the tachometer and the motor to find which part is at fault

Before you touch a setting

Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence

  • Whether the drum was overloaded or oversudsed
  • Whether the spin basket rotates smoothly by hand
  • The condition of the motor and tachometer wiring

Try in this order

0 of 5 completed

  1. What to do first

    Reversible

    Check the wiring on the motor and on its hall sensor, the speed sensor.

  2. Correct only the documented fault domain

    Reversible

    Repair wiring faults, then replace damaged motor components. If the motor is sound, the hall sensor is replaced.

  3. Pull some clothes out and restart the cycle if the washer is overloaded, and deal with suds if you see lots of them

    Reversible

    For suds, let the washer sit idle for 30 minutes, start a Drain/Spin cycle, then run a new cycle without detergent. For future loads, fill the basket loosely and use about 1 tablespoon of HE detergent per load.

  4. If neither applies, cancel the cycle, remove the clothes and drain the tub, then rotate the spin basket by hand

    Reversible

    Run a Drain/Spin cycle with No Spin selected, or after unplugging the washer suck the water out through the drain hose with a wet/dry shop vac. A basket that does not rotate smoothly means an item stuck between it and the outer tub, or a damaged spin bearing, which a technician repairs.

  5. If the basket rotates smoothly, check the motor wiring, the rotor magnets and the tachometer wiring

    Reversible

    Unplug the washer, remove the top and back panels, remove the rotor-mounting bolt and pull off the rotor; replace it if magnets on its inside edge are broken. Reconnect loose wires or replace a damaged harness for both the motor and the tachometer; if all is okay, the tachometer or the motor needs replacing, which a technician can pin down.

Model-specific

What is true of this model and not of its siblings

Shown as
LE (796 model front-load tables, standard and Wi-Fi).
Parts named by the chart
Drive motor rotor, drive motor stator and tachometer (Wi-Fi); drive motor components and hall sensor (standard).

Stop boundary

When this stops being a self-service repair

  • !A spin bearing repair must be done by a service technician, because it requires taking the washer apart completely
  • !The chart says to have a service technician test the tachometer and motor to determine which parts need replacing

Evidence ledger

Sources behind this answer

Where the manufacturer's article stops. This page combines both charts' LE rows: the standard chart checks the motor wiring and hall sensor; the Wi-Fi chart adds the overload, suds, spin basket, rotor magnet and tachometer steps.

01
Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts and repair) Kenmore 796 model front-load washer error codes

Exact questions

Common questions

What does LE mean on a Kenmore 796 model front-load washer, including Wi-Fi models?+

a locked drive motor.

How much HE detergent should I use?+

The Wi-Fi chart says to reduce it to about 1 tablespoon per load for future loads.

What must a technician do?+

Repair a damaged spin bearing, which requires taking the washer apart completely, and test the tachometer and motor.

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