Why Your LG Washer Dial Won’t Turn: 5 Common Causes

Your LG washer dial won’t turn. This is frustrating, but some causes are easy to fix before you call for major repairs.

First, look at the child-safety feature. It is possible that it has locked and will not let you use the dial. So always make sure that feature isn’t enabled. If it’s not then you can eliminate this as a cause of your problem.

Checking the Control Board and Fuses

LG washer control dial and panel

So now that we’ve eliminated the child lock, let’s do a complete wash machine reset. Power off the unit and let it sit for a moment or two. Now turn it back on, and hopefully, any temporary glitch will be gone. This is an easy fix for some small electronics problems.

It seems like maybe your washer are operating properly again, yet the dial still feels like it have no response.

Control panel with child lock active

So now that you’re aware it’s not a software issue, what’s the solution?

To get down to brass tacks, pull off the front panel. The cover is held on with screws and can be removed using a cordless drill. From there, you have access to user-interface board. That’s what you want to check out: the selector button itself. It’s not complicated.

Removing control panel screws

Then you take off the panel and there are all of the insides.

Next, remove the panel. At this point, check out the button mechanism. Press the button several times. Rotate the dial around. Does it seem to be jammed? Is it not working right? Is it stuck or maybe even physically damaged?

If the button itself is broken, it’s going to need to be replaced. It is time for a hardware failure.

Detached control panel with dial

Then you check out control panel itself for general problems. If the screen doesn’t light up at all, that’s typically a sign of a bad control board. On most LG units, a bad PCB cause power-button issues. Take a close look at the PCB. Two fuses sits below it.

Internal control board component

Here are some things you want to look at.

Next, you check if those two fuses is actualy connected with your multimeter. Do you want to know if they’re even functional? This helps you troubleshoot electrical issues.

It’s possible one of them could be blown and there are no other outward signs. Maybe it’s blowing out every time you start your engine. Your checks could of reveal the fuses haven’t been damaged.

Testing fuses with multimeter probes

That rules out one of more obvious electrical culprits.

Again, if your location is the UK then examine the actual power plug as well. Sometimes there’s an internal fuse in the plug which fails. Use the multimeter again to test for good conductivity. It’s another of those bits that are not considered when troubleshooting. Turns out the fuse isn’t at fault.

Cylindrical fuse with metal prongs

That is how to do an electrical check.

Now that you’ve checked those things out, what do you think? The problem is either with the jammed selector button or something more serious on the control board. It looks like replacing the busted button should be your next move.

And there you thought it would be easier than that. But at least you know exactly where the problem lies so you don’t waste money on parts you don’t need. Now let’s get this washer fixed.

Author

  • Eddie Odin

    Hi, I am Eddie Odin, an avid lover of IoT and home automation. With a passion for smart home technology and would like to automate aspects of my home. I share my real personalised DIY smart home experience!

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