We have a two-year-old Kenmore HE3t high-capacity front-loading washer. It has started malfunctioning. It stops right after the drain cycle starts and flashes "F02." In the manual it says this pertains to the drain hose (blockage, kink, etc.). This morning I pulled off the drain hose and ran boiling water through it to try to flush out anything that might be in there. Only a small amount of residue flushed out. I hooked it up again and tried the spin cycle but it still shuts down and flashes "F02." My wife called the Sears appliance hotline this week and was asked whether she has been using High-Efficiency detergent. She has not. She didn't know that was necessary. She was told that regular detergent builds up inside the machine. She was told to get a large amount of water very cold and run it through the dispenser, unplug the machine for one-half hour, plug it in, and push "Pause/Cancel" twice. She tried this and it didn't work. Any idea what we can do to fix it?

Craig Schuller, July 2005

Had the same F02 code just before Thanksgiving. The wash tub was full of water. After reading how much water had dumped out on others, I disconnected power, shut off water supply and removed kick plate. With access to the drain pump, I disconnected the power wire, and removed the rubber gromets that hold the pump to the frame. This allowed enough room to lift the pump and place a small bucket under it (at an angle of course). Releasing the clean out a little at a time, empty the bucket and repeat until the wash tub is drained. I cleaned out the drain, impeller etc. I put everything back together and it worked for one cycle. The pump began making an aweful noise and the wash tub was agin full of water. I was now getting the SUD code. I knew the pump was gone but I got 10 years out of it. (not bad Kenmore/Whirlpool) I purchased a new pump ($158.00 part # 280187) and repeated my drain technique with just about no water spill. Carefull though, there is water in the pump. After removing the hoses I stuffed with a paper towel. In 15 minutes the new pump was installed (install hoses, clamps power wire, slid rubber gromets to frame and screw in front. Easy fix and no $80 service call and $250.00 part fee. The machine works like new.

Tom in Massachusetts, November 2012

Woohoo, 60 cents an old sock and some skull candies. You guys rock.

jerry, April 2012

Perfect It worked like a Champ I now have 46 cents and no F2 lol

David S., December 2010

Thanks, saved me a repair bill. Piece of cloth stuck in the drain.

Jason - Edmonton, AB, July 2010

Just a little sidenote here - how efficient IS this washer if it sucks the money DIRECTLY from your pockets! I'd say that is POWERFUL - efficiency may be another matter. 2nd time, we've had this happen and I believe I'll be able to "fix" the problem again when I get home today. - Oh and the washer is about 10 years old, so I think that's a pretty good operational record. I do notice the wobbles and noises have increased in the past couple of years though, other than that - like new!

Adm Techie, May 2010

This is a good post with positive results - but can someone tell me where to find the drain pump so I can try this solution? I am having the same problem.

Ginny, February 2010

Same problem f02 after cycle but my problems are never as simple as a bra strap or some coins. After removing the drain cap there was very little debries so I removed the pump. The impellerdid not seem to be seated all the way in where it should be otherwise it is more like an egg beater instead of a pump. My problem I can not seem to find a picture. The impeller is connected to the shaft which seems to have broken loose from the armature inside its the whole shaft sliding out of the armature which makes the impeller hit inside the pump housing causing the clicking sound. So an easy way to see if you have the same problem as me is to remove the drain cap and stick your finger inside the hole for the drain to the pump ( MAKE SURE THE MACHINE IS UNPLUGGED ) HA HA any dummy should already know this. Push on the impeller and see if it moves in. then you have the same problem as me and my solution is to get a little epoxy and try to glue it back inside the motor, which should work. I do not think I have any other choice because of the reason I explained above I would otherwise have to replace the pump. Well its off to go and get some JB Weld and see if it works. Well it done I was able to pull the shaft out really easy I sanded it with 400 paper to rough it up a little I put a coat of JB Weld and slid it back in i left a little space so that I could wipe off the excess that squirts out as you slide the shaft in. then I sent it all the way in and in 12 hours or so it should be fixed. otherwise the part is around 50 bucks it seems. I always say, That it is better to try and not succeed, than not to try and succeed. Good Luck

Mr Fix It, January 2010

I cleaned out all pipes, found change in filter area and it ran well until the last cycle when the "SUD" came on then after a few minutes it signaled "F02". Won't drain or spin. It makes a nasty sound during the cycle too. Help!!! Cannot afford service call and I have 5 living in my house that needs laundry done. Any suggestions? Do I need a new pump?

Brette Twardosky, January 2010

I wish to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who posted such great, articulate instructions. I too had the F02 code and saw that the machine was not spinning out properly. I followed the great advice here and I too found lint, plastic material and other "good" stuff in the ejector pump filter. You saved me a $130 service call!!! Wahooooo!!! I wish I could buy all of you a drink! Thanks again, Brian

Desparately needing to do laundry, December 2009

Thank you so much it was so easy to fix, I found 2 pair of my wife underwear. One thing I would like to add, if you have a wet dry VAC use it when you unscrew the drain plug, water will flow out.

Army Strong, October 2009

I did the above, and took of every hose, from the tub, to the drain, from the pump to the back panel and the back panel to the wall. Cleaned out all hoses, took the pump off and cleaned that area out, and put it back together. Unfortunately, I am still getting the F02//Sud message. If my pump motor is starting to fail (makes a funny clicking sound when it is running), could that be why I am still getting the code?

Scott, October 2009

My he3t was plugged up in two places after washing bathroom rugs. The screw in filter ahead of the pump was full of debris. There was also carpet fibers/sludge in the drain area of the plastic tub and into the first part of the rubber drain hose. there is a float ball valve dealy in there with fibers that were between the float ball and the upper seal (which is part of the hose itself). It was fairly easy to remove and replace the rubber hose from the plastic rim of the drain. Just make sure you lower the seal spring down onto the hose before you try to replace the rubber hose onto the tub drain. Any water in the tub should come gushing out of the screw in filter opening. If it does not, then you should check inside the tub drain area (pour water into the washer and open the drain screw. A lot of debris flushed out of the tub after I cleaned the ball valve/drain area). one last bit of advice. the pump/drainscrew assemly is held in with one torx screw at the base of the screw drain. you can then back it twards the front of the washer and tilt it so the two plastic legs will come out of the base of the washer. This allows just enough foreward movement of the pump/drain screw to get it over the front edge of the machine and get a shallow drain pan underneath it.

wintomatic, September 2009

Excellent information! I scheduled an appt w/Sears and am two weeks out! I can't bear going to the laundromat! I used all the suggestions here and found a sock, 11 cents, small rocks and small nails. Funny how the socks get sucked thru the drain! Ditto on the broiler pan to catch the water. Drain as much out of the tub as you can and be patient. Beware - the stench of sitting water! Thanks to all!

corkey33, June 2009

Fixing the drain is a winner! Thanks for the advice.

Tom R, June 2009

Many thanks to the comments here - my only addition is that since I'm sure I'll be cleaning this again, I replaced the cover and held in place with two nails on the outer holes instead of screws. This will allow me to quickly pull the panel in the future.

Preston, April 2009

Does the F02 code apply to any kenmore washer machine?Mine is an oasis series.

Alan, February 2009

I wanted to add one more thing to my previous posting. To reduce the amount of water that comes out when you open the drain trap, siphon out as much of the water that you can from the tub first. I also borrowed my wife's broiler pan, lifted the front of the washer slightly, and slipped the shallow pan under the drain trap cap. You also might want to put some towels on the inside bottom of the washer on either side of the drain trap to catch excess run off. I then was able to slowly open the cap, allow some of the water to drain into the shallow pan, close the cap before it overfolwed, empty the pan, and then repeat until I had drained all of the water without too much spillage. There is not too much room in my laundry room to get to spilled water behind the washer so this was a good preventive measure. Again, I hope this helps.

David, November 2008

Great postings! I just fixed my Kenmore washer using your info and wanted to add some more tips to help others repair theirs. The three screws holding on the bottom of the front kickplate have torx heads, but they are also 7mm hex-heads that you can use a socket on if you don't have a torx screw driver. (A 1/4 inch socket might fit as well, but I didn't check.) In addition to cleaning out the trap (the round white thing in the center that has a cap you can unscrew) I also opened the pump itself and shook out a stone or two. In order to get access to the three screws that hold the pump together (pumping chamber and impeller that inserts into it), you first have to remove the torx screw that is just below the trap. This truly is a torx screw without a hex head so you will actually need a torx screw driver to get it off. Once this screw is removed, the entire trap and pump assembly can slide forward in its rubber mountings and thus release from the frame of the washer. Caution: This assembly is still attached to the tub drain hose and the water discharge hose so you can't move it too far. However, there is enough flexibility to rotate the trap side of the assembly toward the rear of the washer and thus expose the three phillips head screws that hold the discharge pump together. I also kind of shook/tapped the black rubber hose that connects the bottom of the tub to the trap and several pieces of blue foam rubber came out that were probably contributing significantly to the clogging/back pressure problem. (Our Lab chewed up a foam mat in his kennel and the foam shards got mixed into his bedding and thus made their way to the washer, but the dog is quite another story!) I hope this info helps others to fix their own F2/SUD fault problems. I think it is unconscionable that the Sears repair hotline fed someone such a line about flushing the detergent dispensor when the fix really is so simple and easy once you have the proper repair knowledge. It really is well within the capability of a home do it yourselfer so save yourself some bucks! You can do it!

David, November 2008

This worked perfectly for me as well. Follow the directions provided here.

I found several nasties that were blocking the way.
I can hear the washer working as intended as I type this message. Thanks to everyone above for this very simple fix!!!

Steve, September 2008

Thanks to this thread I also saved my self a service repair. Our dryer is stacked on our Kenmore HE3T washer so it was a pain to get those 3 screws off without moving the washer but it was well worth. I found 7 baby socks jammed in there!

Ricardo, August 2008

We got an "F" error code and followed the troubleshooting procedures in the book. After checking the drain lines for clogs the book said "call for service". I pulled off the bottom cover and checked the filter, found a bra strap clogged in the filter. Cleaned the filter and it works good as new. Saved a $100.00 plus service call.

Steve, July 2008

F02 and SUD alternating error.
remove front bottom panel via three screws on bottom of bottom panel. I used a small allen wrench to fit into the TORK screw head. Once panel is off, unscrew filter cover in center. Remove all the cr*p in there. Be prepared with many towels as there will be a lot of water draining. Realign cover and tighten down. Works like new again.

Ricko, April 2008

Not sure if it fixed the problem yet - but found a sock, bb's, money (bills and coins), plastic games pieces etc. Hopefully that does the trick. It was very easy to do and I'm sure saved $$. Thanks

LRB, March 2008

Little after the original date but... Since I wasted about 10 minutes cautiously taking off my lower front panel, I just wanted to add some clarification for the first timers.. All that's holding it on are the three torx screws at the bottom of the panel. Mine had a bit of corrosion holding the top in, so I had to hit the panel on the side to knock it loose.
The trap is easy to remove (It's the big white thing in the middle that looks like it's meant to be unscrewed), but do it slowly with towels to soak up the water. I was able to squeeze the black rubber boot going to the main drum a few times to clear the drain path, allowing a drain cycle to complete before unscrewing the cap, which I assume cut down on my water. FYI my contents were a dime, couple pieces of plastic, and a cotton ball. which could have cost me $$$ and someone elses 5 minutes. Thanks everyone for your help.

Matt K., December 2007

Wow. Took off the cap and a pair of underwear got past the filter and clogged the drain!! It was really wedged in there pretty tight.

fordpsd, June 2007

I removed the cap, low and behold there was money, fingernail clippers, a wrist band, and misc items. Thanks for the tip.

Stan in Greenwood, Ark, September 2006

have PLENTY of towels handy

andy, June 2006

Thank's Glenn that fixed mine also. Just wanted to fix your typo it's the lower front panel.

J Savoy, April 2006

If you are handy , unplug the washer and remove the lover front pannel. Once the pannel is off you will see the a cap over the drain filter conneting the drain. It is right in the front and easy to reach. Unsrew the cap and the drain screen will come out. It acts like a trap and collects everthing prior to the drain. reassmble and you are good to go.

glenn b, August 2005