How to Fix a White Westinghouse Washer That Won't Spin

A washing machine spins clothes to remove water and lessen the drying time. If your White-Westinghouse washing machine won't spin, the problem is likely with a safety component on the lid or one that spins the washtub. Although you can still operate your washer, you'll need to manually wring clothes after the cycle ends before you place them into the dryer. Otherwise, it may take more than one cycle for the laundry to fully dry.

Washer Is Unbalanced

Before you contact a washer repair technician to inspect your machine for a component failure, verify that the washer isn't unbalanced. Sometimes if clothes get pushed to one-side of the washtub, the washer may become out of balance and spin inconsistently or not at all, according to Don Vandervort's Home Tips website. Open the lid and redistribute the clothes evenly throughout the tub. Repositioning the load should automatically reset the White-Westinghouse washer's balance switch. Close the lid and restart the spin cycle.

Damaged Lid Switch

Open the lid of your White-Westinghouse washing machine and verify that the lid switch is operational. The lid switch is a safety device that prevents you from opening the lid during the spin cycle and possibly becoming injured. Press and release the lid switch on the washer's cabinet opposite of the tab on the interior door frame. It should make a clicking sound when it's working properly. If you don't hear it click, replace it. If the switch is functional, inspect the door tab. If it's broken or out of position, it won't strike the switch and lock the washer when you close the lid. Change out a faulty tab.

Worn Belt

Many White-Westinghouse washing machines have a rubber belt that enables the washtub to spin with power from the motor. If the belt snaps, the washer won't spin because there's nothing to propel the tub. Place a putty knife between the top of the cabinet and the control panel and lift up the panel. Unscrew the screws beneath the panel and slide off the top cover. Unfasten the front panel's screws located on the top, interior corners of the cabinet and lift it off. The belt should go completely around the center of the tub. If the belt is in pieces at the bottom of the cabinet or has slipped off the tub, replace it with a new one.

Shorted Motor

If your White-Westinghouse washer uses a reverse motor -- one that spins one way to agitate and another way to spin and drain, it may have burned out running the spin direction. When this happens, the washer may still agitate normally but remain still during the spin cycle. Unfortunately, if the motor wears in this manner, it needs to be replaced to restore the washer's full operation. Contact a service technician to complete the repair.