51 = diverter fault, which is determined by the controller sensing that the water level is dropping during what should be the EcoActive recirculation wash period. The water is draining instead of recirculating, which in turn triggers the machine to refill to reattain the required water level for recirculation. The error triggers when it can't reattain the target recirculation water level. (This differs from Code 52 which triggers if the diverter is partially draining, it can refill to the target level but then looses the level and has to refill repeatedly.)

The diverter should read between 700 and 2,500 ohms (0.7K to 2.5K) depending on its temperature (room temperature, or heated from having been energized during a cycle). 61.2 (assuming you don't mean 612 or 6,120) is far below spec. So, yes, seems your diverter is bad ... hopefully the controller board hasn't been affected.

Incoming hot flow is intended to be a little slower than cold but if it's obviously *much* slower then the hot valve may be bad. Both valves should read ~64 ohms at room temp. Hot and cold are physically different (although electrically the same) so be sure to get the correct hot valve if you decide to replace it.

You should have a look at the pump while you're under the machine dealing with the diverter to confirm it hasn't been leaking (rusting or minerals deposits on the pump). A leaking pump, even if it's not enough of a leak to puddle on the floor, MUST be replaced.

Thanks for replying so quickly! Our pump looks good. We've replaced it twice over the years. Super easy to do. Thanks for the reminder to check it.

Our washer is in the garage so 'room temperature' is about 90-100 deg. F or higher these days in Florida. lol I don't know how much that affects the readings. All I know is I saw 61.2 on the multimeter when he touched the wires w/the machine, and I jotted the number down. When I asked my husband if it was 61.2 K's or ohms, he seemed to say both so I'm a bit confused. I couldn't follow his explanation.

We're going to go ahead and buy a diverter valve. The local appliance store where we purchased this washer has them in stock. Yay! About $40.

I'll double-check the hot water again and if we need to replace the hot water valve, I'll be sure to do as you suggest and make sure it IS a hot water valve.

Many, many thanks! I'll let you know if the new diverter valve solves our problem.

Quick follow-up question: Do you know if the diverter valve wasn't working & there was no 'waterfall' of sudsy water, does that mean that the laundry detergent I put into the center of the agitator didn't get into the tub to wash the clothes? Uh oh. Or does it get mixed in somehow else?

Does that mean I need to rewash the last several loads and clean the inside of my dryer now? I hope not.

Detergent placed into the agitator falls down into the outer tub and mixes with the water beneath the inner basket as the machine fills. The fill for EcoActive is minimal, not enough to rise up and be seen in the inner basket. The recirculation spray simply pumps the water in the tub up and over the clothes. The inner basket is perforated on the sides and bottom (under the agitator) so water is free to flow between the basket and the outer tub and the detergent will get fully mixed in and to the clothes during agitation if there is no recirculation. The Perm Press cycle, in fact, does not run the EcoActive wash period, it fills directly to the agitated wash phase.

A concern in your situation, however, is that if the initial fill of water is drained out via the non-functioning diverter, then most of the detergent dose is lost.

If you need to wash before the diverter is replaced, use the Perm Press cycle.

F&P instructs to place detergent into the agitator but that's not required, the machine will work perfectly fine pouring it into the basket before loading clothes, or sprinkling it atop the loaded clothes.

Well, that's good news and bad news, I guess. Good to know exactly how that works & about the Perm Press cycle. Thank you.

I honestly can't recall if the initial water was drained due to the non-functioning diverter. It would make sense that the detergent would be sucked out with it.

I'm trying to recall what looked to be happening when I watched the washer fill this morning & when the 'waterfall' of water wasn't present. I don't think the water was draining but it's difficult to tell due to the load: towels. Highly absorbent. Darn it. Hmmmm, I'll have to sleep on that one.

I've occasionally put the liquid detergent right on the clothes too - I figured it worked just as well but good to know it's not required. :)

Btw, the new diverter valve ($43) is in and it works!! I ran an empty 'load' through on the same setting and no problems. The 'waterfall' effect worked beautifully and the machine didn't stop & beep! YAY!!

Thank you so much for all of your help today and in your previous posts to others. I truly appreciate you taking the time to help. :)

I don't think the water was draining but it's difficult to tell due to the load: towels. If the pump runs, the water *must* go somewhere. There may be drain and recirculate simultaneously (both flows will be weak) if the diverter is clogged or broken such that it can't fully seal in either direction ... but drain is the only choice in your case of the diverter apparently being dead (it defaults to drain when not energized).

Congrats on the repair. :-)

This question is for Dadoes,

I have a 13 yrs old Fisher & Paykel washer GWL11. it beeps in he middle of the wash cycle and also at the rinse cycle giving me code 51. I already checked the deverter valve foe any blockage but it is clean. I just bought a brand new diverter valve and installed it but the problem continues.

When the wash cycle starts all the water drains. I don't see keeping the water level.

Any ideas?

Bad motor board is the only other factor. The old diverter may have been bad and damaged the board, or maybe just the board is bad. I advise leaving the new diverter installed if you intend to replace the board ... don't want to swap-in the old diverter if it is bad and damage the new board.

You should be able to use the Perm Press cycle without error, it doesn't run the Eco Active recirculation phase.

Thank you dadoes for your quick response. is it any such thing as resetting the error code after replacing the diverter valve? Is it any other way to test the motor board to make sure that is indeed bad?

I'm using the permanent press in the meantime.

Thank you.

There's no reset. Fault codes automatically clear from memory after several cycles have run with no recurrence of the malfunction.

Service doc references a test for Fault 51 but it may not be valid in all instances. Turn the machine off but have it connected to power. Check for voltage at the diverter terminals (presumably with the wires connected to the diverter ... the test description doesn't clarify whether to disconnect the wires and check them directly for voltage). 120v reading indicates the board is bad, replace both the diverter and the board.

Otherwise it's a process of elimination. There's nothing involved in operation of the diverter except the diverter and the board ... and the wires between.

So my fisher & paykel won’t enter the spin cycle. It gets part way through then stops and beeps. The pump was just replaced with a brand new unit. When I do the power button/wash temp maneuver it throws a 3,6,8 code which I have read elsewhere is failure to drain. My suspicion was the diverter valve, so I installed the valve open to the drain and ran it on rinse/spin on permanent press (which I’ve read does not call to switch the diverter) and left the diverter unplugged, just to be sure it didn’t switch back on me. Still didn’t work. It did drain some water, although I had drained our most of it, trying to troubleshoot, but still didn’t make it into spin and is still throwing the 3,6,8 code at me. Help!

Greg Neault,

You didn't cite the model number.

What problem led to replacement of the pump?

Code 3, 6, 8 ... I assume you mean the 3rd, 6th, and 8th cycle progress lights for Fault 37. Fault 37 triggers if the control board senses that the water level is not dropping at all or not fast enough when the machine is supposed to be draining. The machine *does not* directly monitor pump operation. Anything that prevents the water from draining will trigger Fault 37.

The diverter is energized for recirculation during the Eco Active pretreatment phase at the start of the wash period. Perm Press doesn't run Eco Active. The rinse process doesn't make use of the diverter on any of the cycles.

Does the pump shut off partway through the drain? It shouldn't. It may turn off for a few mins toward the end of the final spin (then back on when spin decelerates for ending the cycle) but otherwise should not shut off during drain if there's water visible in the tub. Check it via diagnostic mode (press the Regular cycle button to toggle the pump on/off) ... it should keep running for as long as you let it go.

It is a GWL11.

The machine would run up until the first light of the rinse/spin sequence, then shut down and beep, wouldn’t drain. I called a repair dude in and he replaced the pump saying that was the cause of the issue (the pump was leaking and rusty/corroded). However now it’s doing it again. It sits currently full of water. Obviously the pump is brand new, none of the hoses are clogged, and the diverter valve is the only other moving part down there. I figured it may be stuck with the diverter in recirculate position, not allowing water to drain.

You are right about the code, third light, sixth light, eighth light.

I’ll try the pump diagnostic mode move tomorrow, but the pump better not be the problem!

It's not uncommon that a bad pump (particularly when long-term leaking is involved, evidenced by rust/corrosion) damages the motor controller board in some way or other.

The pump runs on standard 120v AC so you can disconnect the wires and connect a test AC cord (if you are able to configure one) to it to run it directly, thus bypassing the board.

Did your repair guy install the retrofit fuse kit to protect the board from future pump damage? (That, of course, won't help up-front if the board is already damaged but it will protect a new board.)

If the pump won't run at all or is flaky when run via the board but runs OK via a test cord, then the board may be the problem.

Hello, The discussions on this site have been helpful, but I am stuck with my GWL11. I am getting fault code 248 at the beginning of the rinse cycle. If I push start/pause, it will advance, but stop again at the the last spin step (last LED). Always getting fault code 248. I've removed the pump and did not find any debris. I then took the diverter valve out and found a twist tie stuck in the valve. Got it out, and put everything back together, and still the exact same problem. In diagnostic mode I can activate the diverter valve and see the water recirculate properly, and deactivate it and see it drain out correctly. I'm really stuck. I could replace the diverter valve, but it tests just fine. Any advice?

Ok, so I put the machine in diagnostic mode and used “Regular” to run the pump, no problems. I pushed “Delicate” to switch the diverter and it continues to recirculate, won’t drain.

Greg Neault,

Your motor control board is probably bad. A way to test this is UNPLUG the machine from power for 10 mins to allow the diverter to cool and shift to drain mode. Reconnect the power and QUICKLY either get into diagnostic mode to run the pump (leave the diverter off), or advance to the final spin on any cycle and Start. If it drains for a few seconds then shifts to recirculate, the board is bad in a way that keeps the diverter continuously energized. You could work around the issue by disconnecting the wires from the diverter and washing on the Perm Press cycle ... but the diverter may energize for a few seconds of recirculation near the beginning of the agitated rinse fill (to flush the recirculation hose) and the control board may (or may not) throw a fault code if it doesn't sense (by change in resistance reading) that the diverter is functioning.

Chaz Astbury,

Fault 248 is a pump failure that applies to the AquaSmart models, which
use a different pump design than GWL11. GWL11 is not an AquaSmart
machine.

There is no Fault 248 described for GWL11. Check that code again, maybe you're interpreting the lights wrong?

Greg Neault,

To further clarify regards to testing the diverter via diagnostic mode ... the diverter is in drain-mode when *not* energized. Pressing Delicate in diagnostic *energizes* it for recirculation mode. It should drain initially, before Delicate is pressed, switch to recirculate in minute or so *after* Delicate is pressed.

Ok, so after leaving the machine unplugged for a piece, I put it into diagnostic mode and ran the pump. It drained. I turned on the Delicate option for a few then ran the pump again. It recirculated. I tried this unplugged diverter/permanent press trick yesterday (I came up with that one all on my own, I was so proud) and it didn't work (much less proud). How much is this motor control board going to cost me?

Noooo. DO NOT press Delicate when testing the board-and-diverter as I described above. The board will energize the diverter *without* pressing Delicate if it's malfunctioning ... that is the crucial point for this test.

Cost of the board depends on what prices you can find online if you can DIY it ... or board + service if you need to call a servicer.

Ok, tested again. Booted up in diagnostic mode, used Regular to run the pump. Did NOT press Delicate. The machine drained for a minute, then switched over to recirculate eventually cutting off the draining altogether. I assume this means that we are in motor board territory. I'd like to do it myself, is it difficult? Is the board going to cost a mint (estimates, I understand it will vary)?

DIY is a matter of swapping the wires and the water level pressure tube. There may be a difference in where the diverter connects on a new board, should be instructions included with the replacement. All "new" boards for GWL11 are factory reconditions.

Replacing the board also typically requires the machine size parameter be set, which is a simple procedure using a different button sequence than for accessing Diagnostics.

Part Number 420094USP. Google it for best price. There may be used boards on eBay (which probably wouldn't include instructions). NeedApplianceParts.com seems to have the best current price for a "new" board. There's a used one on eBay for $85 which probably doesn't involve any wire connection changes, if you want to risk that.

Hello dadoes,

Yes, I may have been reading the error codes wrong. After sitting unplugged overnight, I ran a test load again tonight to try to read the error codes, and it ran without issue! Yesterday, I removed the debris from the diverter valve, but maybe it had to sit a while unplugged to rest. Thanks!

Looking for advice- I recently experienced the infamous diverter valve problem with my GWL11. Our machine just kept running and running on a load as it was stuck in a recirculation loop during the final spin and rinse cycles. It went on for about 2-3 hours before we realized the load should have been finished. After learning about the diagnostic procedure, we were able to drain the water, flush out the black dirty recirculated water, and reset the diverter valve back to proper function. By the way, NO error codes ever presented themselves in the diagnostic mode. We then cleaned everything and went back to normal. Or so we thought. After a few weeks of good performance, I went downstairs to put a load in, and noticed a small amount of standing water in the bottom of the empty inner basket. That alerted me to a malfunction, so sure enough, I went into diagnostic mode. Indeed, dirty smelly water poured into the unit from the recirculating hose. Alright, problem. Next, I went back and forth with the diagnostic trick to turn the diverter valve on and off, and sure enough, back to normal---- at least for now.

Since I have no error codes, I'm trying to determine WHY this keeps happening. I've tried to determine what has changed. Two things I can think of:

1. Question: I have a college student family member who tends to cut-short the cycle because he's in a hurry and doesn't want to wait for the normal cycle to complete. Is it possible that interrupting a normal cycle may throw the action of the diverter valve out of sync?

2. New variable: This all started happening after we started using the newly trendy laundry pods with the dissolvable plastic. Is it possible the plastic is not entirely dissolving and somehow causing a kerfuffle with the diverter valve?

3. Is it possible to still have a bad diverter valve and NO error codes?

FWIW, we replaced the pump about 2 years ago. It was our third pump since we bought the machine in 2004. We have the fuse installed as well for the board as part of the last pump replacement.

Thanks for any advice!!!

I used to work at a furniture store that also sold appliances. I remember the F/P rep telling me to only use powder detergent (HE), and never to use liquid detergent because the liquid detergents leave a residue and will shorten the life of the pump. We switched over to powder exclusively and still had a pump failure, although it took many more years for it to happen compared to the first pump replacement. I'm beginning to think this may be a result of those pods. Back to powder and will have to do a deep clean of the unit again. Hopefully the diverter will hold up afterall.

My Fisher&Paykel GWL11 is not allowing hot water to get into the machine. There is no beeping. I noticed the water was cool and then turned off the cold water valve and no water would enter the machine. I wanted to was my sheets in hot water. No luck. What do you think is wrong?

My machine would not recirculate so i went through the diagnositc mode steps to get it to do so, but NOW having done so it wont DRAIN.

I would prefer to just use delicate and not worry about recirculate cycle . How do i get it to drain?

@derauf

Permanent Press is the cycle that doesn't run Eco Active recirculation.

Did you remove and examine the diverter for a broken linkage, or a foreign object jamming it from physically shifting modes?

Assuming your pump runs and the diverter is not broken or jammed, a cause of continuous recirculation (failure to drain) is a bad motor controller board that continuously powers the diverter, per the previous replies to Greg Neault in this thread. Using Permanent Press won't circumvent that problem because the board is bad and powers the diverter at all times regardless of the selected cycle.

A possible work-around is via disconnecting the diverter wires. Permanent Press is the only cycle that would work that way. The motor board would run the pump during recirculation periods on the other cycles which would drain the water even if the diverter is disconnected.

thanks. then it cant be a bad board since it was draining ALL the time before i tried this fix. Now i just want to go back to draining and use on PP mode. I will ry disconnecting the diverter wires. Cant remember where those comie in to the main baord?

You say the board can't be bad. Disconnecting the diverter wires cannot have an effect to solve the problem if the board is not causing the problem.

The diverter assembly is a wax motor and automatically by nature switches to drain position when it isn't powered unless 1) it's broken or 2) the valve is obstructed from shifting position by lint or other debris caught inside of it.

ok so it did not automatically switch and it is not clogged meaning it is broken? For now i sitched it by hand to drain.

This video is from New Zealand (home-base of Fisher & Paykel) so the 240 voltage reference does not apply to the U.S. for a GWL11 but rest of the concepts are the same.

Resistance reading on the diverter is normal between 700 ohms and 2,500 ohms depending on the temperature of it. It can read normal when cool but go wonky when heated. As the video references, a shorted diverter can zap the circuit on the board which requires both the diverter and board be replaced.

You are so kind!