Kenmore Washer No Hot or Cold Water Explained

Most Likely Cause#

When a Kenmore washer fills with only one temperature no matter what you select, the odds favor a burned-out solenoid in the inlet valve — about 35% of these cases. Kenmore machines have no water heater for standard cycles; they mix hot and cold straight from your household supply through a valve with two separate solenoids. Hot cycle opens the hot solenoid, cold opens the cold, and warm opens both to blend in the valve body. Kill one solenoid and that temperature simply disappears. Because Kenmore is a rebadged machine, the first practical step is knowing which OEM built yours, since that decides where the valve hides.

Fault Map: Why One Temperature Is Missing#

Locate the Valve by Platform#

The first three digits of the model number name the manufacturer and the valve's hiding spot. A 110 (Whirlpool) puts the inlet valve at the rear where the fill hoses connect, behind the rear access panel. A 796 (LG) tucks it inside the top panel at the rear — three screws to lift the top. A 417 (Electrolux) hides it behind the top panel at the rear-left. On every platform the valve is sold as a complete assembly; Kenmore does not offer the individual solenoid coils, so a single dead solenoid means a whole new valve.

Working the Causes#

Burned solenoid. The most common failure is a single solenoid coil going open. Unplug the washer, unplug the connector at each solenoid, and meter the coil — a healthy one reads 500-1500 ohms, an open (infinite) reading is the dead one. That confirms the valve before you spend anything.

Scaled screen. Each inlet port has a mesh screen, and in hard water one side crusts over with scale while the other stays clear — the hot side tends to go first because hot water drops more dissolved mineral. Pull both screens and compare; a heavily caked screen on the missing-temperature side is the whole story, and a vinegar soak with a brush restores it for free.

Supply, heater, and hose. Before condemning the machine, rule out the plumbing: confirm both wall supply valves are fully open, verify you actually have hot water at a nearby sink, and check that neither fill hose kinked when the washer was shoved back to the wall. These cost nothing and catch a real share of "no hot water" complaints that have nothing to do with the washer.

Control board. On electronic-control Kenmores (newer 110, all 796, all 417) the board signals the right solenoid for the selected temperature. If the relay or triac for one temperature has failed, that solenoid never gets power regardless of the setting — so a valve that meters fine but still won't fill one temperature points back at the board.

Rule Out the Plumbing First#

Three of the six causes live outside the washer, and all three are free to check, so clear them before you reach for a screwdriver. Confirm both wall supply valves are fully open — a half-closed gate throttles one temperature down to nothing. Prove the house has hot water by running a nearby sink hot; a dead water heater or a shut heater valve starves the washer's hot side with nothing at all wrong at the machine. And trace both fill hoses behind the unit for a kink, which is the classic aftermath of shoving the washer back against the wall. Only once the plumbing checks out is a solenoid or a screen worth pulling.

The Warm-Cycle Cross-Check#

A warm wash is a neat single test because it opens both solenoids at once. If warm fills normally but hot-only and cold-only each fail, both solenoids can't be dead — look instead at the board's per-temperature signal or at two separately scaled screens. If warm comes out at whichever single temperature still works, that confirms one dead solenoid or one blocked port rather than a control fault, and it points you straight at the side that's missing so you're not guessing when you open the valve.

Replacing the Inlet Valve#

1. Shut both wall supply valves and unplug the washer.
2. Disconnect the fill hoses, noting which is hot and which is cold.
3. Open the valve's access panel for your platform (see above).
4. Photograph the wiring, then disconnect the electrical connectors and the internal outlet hoses.
5. Remove the mounting screws and take the valve out.
6. Fit the new valve so its hot and cold inlets match the external hose connections.
7. Reconnect internal hoses, electrical connectors, and fill hoses.
8. Open the supply valves, check for leaks, and test every temperature setting.

Cost and Repair-or-Replace#

This repair skews cheap and worthwhile. A scaled screen, a closed supply valve, or a kinked hose costs nothing to fix; the inlet valve is an inexpensive assembly and a moderate DIY on any platform. Because the machine underneath is a well-built Whirlpool, LG, or Electrolux, even a control-board fix is usually worth doing rather than replacing the washer. Source the part by the OEM number for your platform, not the Kenmore label, since the badged version routinely costs more for identical hardware. If you'd rather have it diagnosed and fixed in one visit without pulling panels to find the valve, schedule service and we'll arrive with the right valve for your platform.