F2, SUD - codes to make a woman's blood run cold. I had no idea what they meant, but my washing machine kept flashing them at me just as it quit spinning and draining right after the wash cycle, but before the rinse.
Thank the gods for the internet! I did a search for the two codes in conjunction with my machine, a Whirlpool Duet HT. A handy YouTube video indicated what the problem might be, but to find out, I needed to take the lower face plate off the machine. ??? How?
My next try was the Whirlpool website. To get any information, I needed the machine's model number. Hmm. Click on the "where do I find the model number" button. The only available information is for a top-loading machine. Mine is a front loader. Plugged in every number we could find on the stickers on the back of the machine, but none worked. That, by the way would be the back of the very heavy, full-of-water-because-it-wouldn't-drain machine which had to be pulled away from the wall.
Do I need to say that most of Whirlpool's advice involved calling a repair man?
YouTube to the rescue again. Another video described the same solution to the same problem, but this time in more depth. Turns out there are three screws holding the face-plate on, but they are, of course, tucked under the very bottom of the machine. I got down on my hands and knees to see what kind of screwdriver I needed. A very small hex-head one.
Nope, the first set I brought up were Allen wrenches - not going to work. Back to "my" toolbox. That would be the complete tool set my brother gave me for Christmas several years ago. The same one Thane and the boat crew have cannibalized and scattered hither and yon.
"What," I asked, "are the chances that the one hex-head screwdriver tip I found will be the right one."
"None," Carol, my mother-in-law said with surety.
Someone was on my side. The tip was perfect. The screws came out with no trouble, and I
managed not to lose them. The face plate lifted right off.
So what you ask, was the problem? The machine's drain tubing has a filter that screws out at the front of the machine. If the filter gets blocked, the machine won't drain. A word of advice, if the machine is full of water and you remove this filter, water goes everywhere. The drain is too low to get a bucket under, so be sure to have a large pile of old towels on hand.
It turns out that washing machines really do eat socks...and ear plugs, pens, quarters, pennies, nuts, screws, plastic wrappers, and other odd bits husbands and children leave in their pockets. There was no chance water was getting through that mess.
Screw the filter back in, mop up the mess, and run a spin cycle to get the rest of the water out of the machine. Bingo - all fixed! To finish up, all I needed to do was stand on my head again to get the screws back in.
Who needs a man? An Alaskan woman can do anything!
As a good mother, I had to turn this into a learning moment for Rowan. We stood and watched the water drain out of the washer (and not all over the floor!), and I gave her a short lecture on being resourceful and figuring out how to do things for herself because you can't count on men to be around when you need them.
I do believe I might have gotten an eye roll and a "Mo-o-o-m." (I'm really not sure how to write that particular pre-teen inflection, but I trust that you get the idea.)
If you're washing machine stops spinning and draining, I'll be happy to give you advice, but you have to do all the head-standing on your own.
