Door Lock Assembly - GE WSXH208A Series Technical Service Manual

The new door lock assembly consists of a coil,
door switch, switch actuator, locking fork, wax
motor, and spin lock arm. When the timer line
switch is closed, electrical power is applied to the
coil and the door lock switch. The magnetic field of
the coil pulls the locking fork down and tries to pull
the contacts of the door lock switch closed. If the
washer door is open, a tab on the switch actuator
prevents the contacts from closing. The locking
fork will not allow the door to be closed until the
timer line switch is opened. When the washer door
is closed, the door strike pivots the switch actuator
out of the way. This allows the magnetic field of
the coil to close the contacts of the door lock
switch and the locking fork locks the door. The

Door Lock Assembly

wax motor and spin lock arm are used to prevent
the door from being opened while the drum is still
spinning. The wax motor is electrically in parallel
with the drain pump. Power is applied to the wax
motor when the washer is in spin. When power is
applied to the wax motor, it expands its piston (40
to 65 seconds), driving the spin lock arm between
the locking fork and the switch actuator holding the
locking fork down. When power is removed from
the wax motor, it takes about 130 seconds for the
wax motor to cool down and retract the piston,
pulling the spin lock arm back and releasing the
locking fork. This allows time for the drum to coast
to a stop before the door can be opened.
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