The washing machine will not start or stalls mid-cycle

lid switch or door lock ^[S1]

high likelihood moderate $351 installed about 45 minn=14 completed jobs ^[S3]

the dial parks and never moves to the next step it will not start when I press start

The tell the source gives is precise: the dial parks before the spin with an empty tub. The machine is satisfied with everything except the signal that says the lid is shut, so it never starts the cycle it is holding in position. This is one of the most common repairs the source completes, at a $351 median in its own records. Its warning is the part worth reading twice - forcing the dial past the stuck point by hand does not address the cause and can chip the cams inside the timer, which turns a lid switch job into a lid switch plus a timer.

the source prices a lid switch as a completed job at a $351 median rather than publishing a part-only figure; the switch itself is an inexpensive part and the invoice is dominated by reaching it inside the cabinet. The n below is a second, cross-brand measurement from the same publisher: 14 completed door-lock jobs at a $390 median, which is the part's own job count rather than the size of the no-start sample

water inlet valve scaled or clogged ^[S1]

high likelihood moderate $362 installed about 50 minn=104 completed jobs ^[S3]

the dial parks and never moves to the next step it fills with water and then stops

The other half of the same symptom, and the one that hard water produces: the valve is scaled up enough that it opens slowly or not at all, so the machine waits at the fill point for water that is arriving in a trickle. The tell the source separates it by is the point where the dial parks - at the fill, rather than before the spin. A pressure switch that reports the wrong water level produces the same stall from the other side and is checked in the same visit.

the source publishes a $362 median for the completed inlet-valve repair, parts and labour together, rather than a part-only price; a solenoid valve on its own is a cheap component and the invoice is the visit and the access. The n below is the same cross-brand table's inlet-valve row: 104 completed jobs at a $362 median

drain pump or a clogged pump filter ^[S1]

medium likelihood advanced $381 installed about 60 minn=127 completed jobs ^[S3]

it stops before the spin with the tub still full the dial parks and never moves to the next step

The third place the dial parks, and the one that is usually mistaken for the timer: the machine holds the cycle because it cannot empty the tub, and the pump cannot empty a tub when its filter is matted with lint or the impeller is jammed by something that came out of a pocket. The source names this as the drain path rather than the timer. Medians in its records: $381 for the completed repair.

no part-only price is published; the $381 figure is the source's median for the completed drain-pump repair, so it includes the part, the labour and the service call. The n below is the same cross-brand table's drain-pump row: 127 completed jobs at a $374 median

timer assembly on a mechanical machine ^[S1]

medium likelihood advanced $150–$300 installed about 45 min

the dial parks and never moves to the next step the lights come on but nothing happens

The part everyone assumes has failed, and the last one the source reaches for: a dead timer motor or worn cam contacts, confirmed by testing rather than by the symptom. Its framing is the useful part - a timer that will not advance is one of the most misdiagnosed faults in laundry repair, because most of the time the timer is not broken. This is why the same complaint lands on three different parts at three different prices, and why the diagnosis has to name the part before the number means anything.

the source quotes a national band of $150-300 for replacing the timer assembly including labour (HomeGuide, 2026 washing machine repair data); it publishes no first-party median for the timer alone because the part is rarely the confirmed finding

control board on a digital machine ^[S1]

medium likelihood advanced $436 installed about 75 minn=112 completed jobs ^[S3]

the lights come on but nothing happens it will not start when I press start

The timer's modern equivalent, and the top of the range: on a machine with a display and a membrane panel the board plays the same conductor role the dial once did, and it costs more when it fails - a $436 median in the source's records against $351 for the lid switch it is usually confused with. A panel that lights up and then does nothing is the signature, and it is the one finding on this list that is worth checking against the price of a new machine before approving the work.

no part-only price is published; the $436 figure is the source's median for the completed control-board repair on a digital machine, including the part, the labour and the service call. The n below is that table's control-board row: 112 completed jobs at a $439 median, a second band standing beside the $436 above

supply taps not fully open or a kinked fill hose ^[S1]

medium likelihood easy no part needed about 5 min

it fills with water and then stops the dial parks and never moves to the next step it will not start when I press start

The source lists this first among the usual suspects for a machine that parks itself, and it is the only item on the list that costs nothing to rule out. A dial that stops at the fill point needs water, not a part: check that both supply taps behind the machine are open all the way rather than half a turn, then look along the fill hose for a kink where the machine was pushed back against the wall. A machine that stalls with the drum already full and the clothes dry is telling you the water stopped arriving, not that the timer failed.

the lid or door is not fully latched ^[S1]

medium likelihood easy no part needed about 5 min

it will not start when I press start the lights come on but nothing happens

The second free check, and the one that separates a switch from a latch. Press the lid down and listen for the click the switch makes when it is depressed, look into the strike for a sock or a coin sitting where the lid has to close, and hold the lid closed by hand while pressing start. A machine that runs only while the lid is held down is telling you the switch is not being reached rather than that it has failed - which is a free adjustment rather than the $351 repair in the next section. Do not defeat the interlock with tape or a wedge to keep running the machine: it is the part that stops the drum turning while the lid is open and the tub is full.