I have a Whirlpool HE 3T washer that doesn't respond well to button pushes.
I usually have to press and press and wiggle and press and on and on to get the buttons to make changes.

SO today I removed the PC boards and checked the tactile micro switches directly.
Oddly, most of them seem to not work according to my VOM (continuity and ohms tests). When the leads are placed across them and then the button pushed, nothing happens. No change in resistance and no continuity. A few show some response but many don't.

Are Tactile micro switches prone to failure over time? I would say the washer is 10 years old.
Is it "likely" that this could be the only problem with the push button controls on my washer?

Thanks

 

They are fairly common switches, DigiKey will have them.
Max.

 

A lot of switches like that have 4 pins, of which only 2 have contacts internally. Are you sure you had the meter probes on the correct pins?
And yes, that type of switch does wear out and fail (at least, the left-click one on my mouse does!).

 

From the ones I have obtained, there are 4 pins, but a pair on each side are connected together. Just two connections for each pole.
Max.

 

These appear to be 2 pin switches. There are only two solder points to test them. It would be great this is the only problem

 

That switch type is so common you might be able to harvest one or two from discarded electronic gadgets.

 

Qty 10 for a $1 on ebay.
Max.

 

Does anyone know if I'm testing them correctly? The show infinity or open at rest.....and "some" of them show about 500 ohms resistance when pressed....but I didn't get full continuity on any of them.

 

Normally you would get 0 ohms or close to it.
500Ω seems a little high indicating poor contact.
I tested some new ones I have and they measure 0.8Ω.
Max.