DIY washing machine repairs (part 2)

 

Washing machine door won't open

This is one of the most frustrating faults to get, especially if your clothes are stuck inside the washing machine. Lots of people force the door open out of frustration and cause extra expense. There are many reasons why the door may be jammed shut -

1. The water hasn't pumped out properly and the washing machine has a pneumatic door safety lock (a rubber hose connected to the door interlock and connected to a pressure chamber bottle on the tub - water forces air up this tube and locks the door) Washing machine won't empty water
2. The water has pumped out properly, but a blockage of gunge inside the pressure chamber bottle is trapping the air that's operating the door lock (if a pneumatic lock is fitted - not many have these days due to cost cutting)
3. Door interlock jammed
4. Door catch, handle, or mechanism broken
5. Pecker (a device that detects the motion of the drive belt fitted to many older Hotpoint washing machines which "pecks" at the belt when the door handle or button is operated) is broken or has fallen off

Do not take the lid off and reach inside the washing machine to try and release the door if the washing machine is still plugged in as you will be electrocuted.

 

 

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Washing machine door broken (or) hinge broken

This is more common than ever. In particular, Hotpoint doors, Indesit doors and Hoover doors are always breaking. Also the door hinges break on these washing machines. The washing machine door and washing machine hinges are easy enough to replace.

Buy washing machine door parts

• Buy washing machine door hinges
• Buy door handles
• Buy door interlocks
• Search for door parts

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Washing machine is dead, wont start

Obviously the first thing to check is that the socket is supplying power by plugging another appliance in such as a lamp. It is less likely to be the socket but you'd be daft not to check it out before calling an engineer as it does occasionally turn out to be a faulty wall socket. This is only necessary though if there are no led indicator lights lit up on your washer as any light that's on shows that the machine is getting a live and neutral supply from the socket.

The second thing to check is the fuse in the plug. Either put the fuse into something else and check the appliance still works or try another fuse that you know to be OK in the washer. Make sure you use a 13 amp fuse and never by-pass a fuse! If both of those are OK, then the most common cause for a washing machine that wont start is the door interlock, particularly if the mains lights on the washing machine has come on, but nothing works. However, the fault could also be in wiring to the door interlock or even the door catch not activating it properly, or the on off switch or the main control module. With some Indesit and Hotpoint washing machines even an open circuit heater or motor can cause the entire washing machine to stop working except the led lights.

You need to know what you are doing to trace this type of fault so if it isn't the wall socket or the plug you'd be better getting an engineer to trace it. Do not work on a live washing machine. Engineers should use a continuity test meter to trace faults with the washing machine unplugged and never test with a live washing machine.

Call an engineer or research Washerhelp's forum archive

 

 

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Washing machine is noisy

It's very difficult to advise on a noisy washing machine because you often can't describe noises accurately enough. People can describe the same noises quite differently. Most people suspect the drum bearings but there are many different causes of a noisy washing machine.

Here's a general guide -

• If a washing machine is rumbling, and very noisy on spin, the main suspect is the drum bearings. Drum bearing failure is common on many washing machines due to water getting into them if the drum bearing seal fails. (Hotpoint and Zanussi in particular in my experience) To check for drum bearing failure you can take the belt off and spin the drum by hand. If the drum rumbles when spun then the bearings may have gone. There should be a constant rumble all the time the drum is revolving. (Personally I wouldn't tackle replacing washing machine drum bearings as a DIY job unless a seasoned DIYer. It's a big job, and most washing machines these days have plastic tubs with bearings recessed into them or even completely sealed outer tubs. If you want to have a bash, or maybe have an old washer you may be interested in this link - Buy drum bearings | Alternatively if you want a professional try here - Appliance repairs page
• Another drum bearing failure symptom is excessive up and down play in the drum which can be checked for by lifting the drum up and down from the drum lip behind the door seal. A further symptom of drum bearing failure can be a brown rust patch underneath the washing machine and down the back of the outer drum, underneath the drum pulley (where the belt goes) although this patch is not always present. There are usually two small holes at the back of the drum bearings where water that has got past the drum bearing seal trickles out, and it's usually stained with grease and rust if water has got into the bearings.
• Loud noises when turning the drum by hand can also be caused if the drum itself splits, or the spider at the back of the drum has come away from the drum, is corroded or even broken. This would normally be a loud noise on each revolution of the drum whereas the noise when drum bearings have gone is constant all the time the drum is turning. Lifting the drum checking for excessive play can often reveal a broken or loose drum spider which sometimes only occurs at certain points round the drum (the spider has three arms and is bolted to the drum at three points)
• Coins or other obstructions trapped inside the tub under the drum can make horrendous noises as they get tossed about on spin. They often don't make the noise unless laundry is in though. Look out for obvious dints and creases in the drum itself as evidence of a coin or similar stuck inside although be aware that it only shows there's been an obstruction in at some point and the coin could have fallen into the sump hose or filter and not actually be the cause of the noise at this time
• Other causes of a noisy washing machine are coins and other obstructions inside the water pump. This will cause noise when the washing machine is emptying the water. Coins or other obstructions can get trapped between the outer tub and the inner drum. This would produce a lot of noise on spin as the coins get tossed around inside. Often, spinning the drum by hand will not reproduce the noise in the case of coins because the coins drop to the bottom of the tub and lay flat when the washing machine isn't spinning
• A light scraping or ratchety noise when the drum is turned by hand is commonly a bra wire trapped between the tub and drum. They can often be removed from underneath with the sump hose taken off. It's always worth checking that the wire isn't poking through one of the holes in the drum which can be pulled back out from inside the door. It's rare, but I've retrieved 3 or 4 this way over the years.
• A high pitched squealing or harsh noise can be motor bearing wear. This can also be checked for by taking the belt off and running the motor alone.
• A knocking noise can be a loose tub weight. This would normally be worse with heavy loads and would not normally be present on spin with no washing in. This is because the knocking noise is caused when the tub (or outer drum) shakes about on spin. Without washing inside the drum the tub doesn't move so the noise isn't normally present. Another symptom of a loose tub weight is grey concrete dust under the washing machine. Warning: These days most washing machines have plastic tubs and over tightening a tub weight bolt can easily shear the bracket resulting in a new tub being required. I know because I've done it - more than once. Try loctite. Often, once a tub weight has come loose the plastic tub is damaged anyway especially if it isn't caught early enough. The weight of the tub/drum weight swinging around commonly breaks the fixing on the tub - especially now they sare mostly only plastic. The tub (outer drum) weight is fixed on using locking nuts, which have plastic in them to make them very stiff to turm. if yours have come loose you can try tightening them but listen out for them coming loose again and if so try to buy some new locking nuts or use loctite.
• Sometimes a badly worn drive belt can cause a surprising amount of noise. I've even come across some where i was convinced the drum bearings were gone until I took off the belt and spun the drum by hand to find no noise. It was caused by the rubber degrading and the individual tracks (only on some belts) getting covered in melted rubber.

It's very tempting to ignore noises while the washing machine is still otherwise working. Some noises can be ignored as they will not develop into serious faults. Other noises, if left, will cause extensive damage and can end up costing considerably more than if tackled early or these days writing the washing machine off. Of course the problem is that you can't tell which of the categories a noise falls into - so ignore noises at your own risk. If you have a specific noise you are concerned about, either call an engineer or research Washerhelp's forum archive

 

 

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