The F33 error signals a failure in the drain pump control circuit on the main board. It usually happens when the CCU cannot activate the pump or detects an open circuit in the wiring.
F33 is basically the washer saying it tried to fire up the drain pump and got nothing back. Don't ignore it. Leaving standing water in the drum for days can grow mold fast, and running cycles anyway risks frying the CCU for good. I usually find the fix in the wiring harness, not the board itself, so don't panic-order a $200 control board just yet.
OK so here's the deal with F33: it's an electrical handshake problem. The CCU sent a signal to the pump, didn't get the response it expected, and shut everything down. Could be a $6 wire repair or a $180 control board. Whirlpool front-loaders see this one pretty regularly, especially on machines that are 5-8 years old and have been doing heavy loads for years.
Most Likely Causes
Based on aggregated repair data, here is the probability breakdown for this error code:
Failed CCU Pump Relay55%
Faulty Drain Pump Motor25%
Loose or Damaged Wiring15%
External Clog Straining Circuit5%
Symptoms You May Notice
Washer stops dead mid-cycle with a full drum of standing water and won't do anything except flash F33.
You hear a brief hum or buzz right when the drain cycle should kick in, then silence, then the error code pops up.
Door is locked and won't open, which happens because the control board won't release the latch when it knows there's still water inside.
Machine gets all the way through the wash and just... stops. Won't go into spin, won't drain. Just sits there.
Faint burnt plastic smell coming from the back panel area near the control unit, especially if the relay on the CCU actually cooked itself.
Can you reset a Whirlpool washer to clear the F33 code?
Unplug the washer from the wall outlet completely. Wait a full five minutes, not thirty seconds. Plug it back in. Press the Power button once. Then press Pause or Cancel twice to clear any stored fault codes. Select a Drain and Spin cycle and press Start. If the pump activates and water drains, you're good. If F33 comes back, you've got a hardware issue that a reset won't fix.
Tools Required for Diagnosis
Phillips #2 screwdriverT20 Torx driverMultimeter (with ohms setting)Needle nose pliersBucket (at least 1 gallon)Old towels or shop ragsFlashlight or headlampElectrical contact cleaner spray
Diagnostic Checklist
Follow these steps in order. We start with the easiest external fixes before opening up the machine.
ComponentComponent Under Test
Expected Range10–20 ohms
ConditionIf Open (OL) or infinite, replace component.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does F33 mean on a Whirlpool front load washer?
F33 means the control board tried to turn on the drain pump and the circuit didn't respond the way it expected. Basically there's a break somewhere in the electrical path between the board and the pump motor. Could be a bad connector, a dead pump motor, or a fried relay on the control board itself. The board detects this mismatch and shuts everything down instead of letting a stuck motor overheat.
Can I still use the washer with an F33 code?
Honestly, no. The machine can't drain, so any new cycle just adds more water to whatever's already in the drum. Most units will lock the door and refuse to start new cycles, which is actually the board protecting you from a flood. If yours is letting you start cycles anyway, don't. You risk burning out the pump motor or the CCU trying to run a drain cycle that can't complete.
How do I reset the F33 error code?
Press Pause or Cancel twice to clear the display, then unplug the machine for five full minutes. That drains the capacitors and lets the board do a full restart. Plug it back in, run a Drain and Spin, and see if it comes back. If the code clears and stays cleared, you're probably fine. If it comes back the moment the drain cycle starts, you've got a component failure that the reset can't fix.
Is it worth fixing a Whirlpool washer with a bad CCU?
If the machine is under eight years old and the drum bearing sounds fine, yeah usually. A replacement CCU for these runs $150 to $220 depending on the model, and install is maybe an hour of work if you're comfortable with it. If the machine is 10+ years old and already making grinding noises or has had other repairs recently, do the math. Sometimes that $200 is better saved toward a new machine. But don't assume it's the CCU until you've ruled out the pump and the wiring, because those fixes can run $30 to $80 total.
How do I get the water out of my washer when it's showing F33 and won't drain?
Use the manual drain filter at the bottom front of the machine. Pull off the lower kick panel and you'll see a round cap, usually with a small drain hose clipped next to it. Put your bucket under there, pull the small hose and let it gravity drain first, then slowly unscrew the filter cap counterclockwise to let the rest out. It's slow but it works. Have a few towels ready because it always makes more mess than you expect.
Models Known to Experience F33 Errors
This repair applies to most Whirlpool washers with this error code. Common model numbers include: