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The start button on my LG washine machine WD14700RD is very hard to press, and getting worse.

I need to lean on it with my whole body weight in order for the program to start.

All the other buttons work fine, so I am guessing it's a problem with the contact point behind the start button.

Can I try to repair this myself? Should I just remove the top of the washing machine, then try to remove the control panel, and see if I can get behind the plastic start button?

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Ok well I managed to take off the control panel. There is a little plastic arm behind the start button that had been worn down on the end and wasn't making contact with the electronic button underneath.

A little bit of tape on the end of the plastic arm did the trick.

To access the control panel on the WD14700RD:

  1. Disconnect the unit from power and water
  2. Remove the top: take off two screws at the back, push it backwards one inch and lift it off
  3. Take out the soap tray and remove two screws on the soap tray compartment.
  4. Remove the control panel: push down on the two arms on top of it so that it can pop out, and pull it out at the top and then lift it off the bottom hooks. Pull it out a little from the machine, about an inch.
  5. Remove the front plate from the control panel: there are 7 screws behind it. Rotate the control panel up or down in order to access the screws behind
  6. Now that the front plate of the control panel is loose, identify the arm of the button that has stopped working. Wrap a small amount (2-3 times around) of electrical or plumbers tape on the very end of the plastic arm. Or if there is a nib instead of an arm, a small dab of epoxy resin allowed to harden does the trick.
  7. Refit the control panel and test the button now works.
  8. Reassemble the control panel, top, and turn on water and power.
  9. Test once again.

And that's it! All you need is a screwdriver and some tape. Too easy :)

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  • You may find the tape to be a temporary solution. Over time tape will wear and the glue may let go and it will start to come off. You may want to investigate removing this plastic piece and building up the worn end with some epoxy. You can apply in several layers, let it dry well and the file to fit if necessary. – Michael Karas♦ Nov 3 '13 at 19:07
  • Thanks for the description of your fix. I just did the same but didn't have glue on hand, so since it was hollow tube I put a tiny nail in instead. The nail's head seems to be a good replacement for the worn down material. Should be quite durable too. – dschaeffer Dec 23 '18 at 6:55
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Using a hole punch, make 2 layers of electrical tape rounds. Put them on the end of the start button nib with slow dry super glue. Be patient. You are trying to add a few thousandth of an inch. The tape is non-conductive, not brittle, requires no special tools and is a much better fix than wrapping. The push button is not available as a separate part, you must buy the entire control panel, or do this easy fix. The button shown at repair clinic.com is the dryer button, the outer silhouette is the reverse of the start button, the nib is nonexistent, and costs over 30 dollars.

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I've had great luck with www.repairclinic.com for appliance repair parts. I'm not familiar with your machine but usually replacing the control panel or a button is pretty easy. Having a replacement part on hand is helpful because you can see what the part looks like in isolation to help guide your dissembly.

Go for it!

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  • Thanks, I didnt find my washer there, it was purchased in Australia, so I dont know if that makes the model harder to find parts for or not. – vikingsteve Nov 3 '13 at 13:49
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I was having the same issue and worried it wad going to be some lengthy & costly repair. I did a simple restart by unplugging my washer for 10 seconds, plugged it back in ten held down the start button for 5 seconds. Boom... It worked!

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My LG start button was stuck in and would not press to turn on. There was no "give" to the start button when pressed. I used my kids toy arrow with a suction cup on one end. Wet it and placed it over the start button. Pushed in so the suction was activated. When I pulled the arrow off, the button pulled back out to the correct position, no longer stuck in and was able to start the washer when pressed. Cost: Zero

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As suggested by one commenter, I used a small 18 gauge brad nail in the hollow end of the back of the button, cut to size so it was just slightly over the edge of the tube. It worked; let's see how it holds up.

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I used a silicone gun, filled a little so it does not fall and put just a milimeter thick layer. All perfect!

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  • 1
    Welcome to DIY.SE! Can you expand a bit on your answer, as it's a little unclear (at least, to me). Did you put some silicone over the button from the outside? Or take it off first? How did you prevent it from getting in places where it shouldn't? – mmathis Jun 2 '17 at 20:12

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