Whitegoodshelp

Hi. Welcome back Andy. It sounded Ok here but volume not very loud. After filling up a bit they always energise the pump and that sounds like the pump running. However, if there was a problem with the pump it should make the same noise each time it empties the water unless each other time it pumps the main motor is also whooshing around.

Hi, the black buttons you describe are TOCs (thermal overload cut-outs). It's unusual for them to be resettable. It's useful, but most of them have historically been one-shot devices like a fuse. When they trip, they are gone, and need replacing. The reason for this is that they don't usually trip for no reason. The cause always requires properly investigating. This is exactly what you have found. They have tripped again because something is overheating and needs fixing. I would also replace both TOC devices too, especially the one that looks overheated. I have an article on Whitegoodshelp that explains the possible causes for overheating, which include the main dryer fan not running, blockages, and no water running into the condenser - Washer dryer - dryer not heating

Sadly that's just about impossible now. Ebac is the only one I know of

Hi Andy. I think so, but hoover had the exact same fault on their soft-wave and new-wave washing machines. They had the same overheating at the door lock with the wires connecting to it baking and burning as far back as 2 or 3 inches. Sometimes the insulation on the wires melted completely exposing the charred copper wires. On the Hoover door lock though, the wires were connected to the door lock using exactly the same 13 amp tags that were on every other wire (including the heating element). That’s why I reasoned that the heat was generated inside the metal switch of the door lock that they were connected to. The hoover door lock in question was actually just a very small micro switch.

Hi Andy. I always thought it was the connections inside the door interlock that weren’t good enough, causing excessive heat that heated everything up right back to 2 inches of the cable. It could be the connectors, though they didn’t have the same problem with connectors on the heating element drawing nearly 13 amps. And of course if it was the connector, it’s still down to poor quality. The fact that it happened in the 1980s and still happened 30 years later is a disgrace.

Hi. I can't rule it out, but in my 40 odd years of repairing appliances, I don't think I ever fixed a fault by spraying anything with switch cleaner. Switch cleaner is more designed to clean potentiometers and switches inside where they are inaccessible, rather than these types of connections. To get the connector block off I would expect the unit it sits on would need to be removed from the top of the machine and pulled clear of the back casing. Have you seen any explanation of the error codes? I can't see any in my book, although to be fair it's very much out of date now.

Hi. Yes I was told that by Ebac too. Unfortunately, appliances need to be designed with Which? tests in mind and it seems like Ebac designed for the customer. It shouldn't be necessary but a poor review from Which? is a disaster. Especially for a company like Ebac. I would guess that most people considering an Ebac are likely to be discerning and intelligent customers. Exactly the type of customer that would consult Which?

Hopefully they will fix the fault. Worn carbon brushes are very common, although many modern washing machines do not have them fitted any more. If they were the cause of your fault one or both should be very badly worn down or have a charred tip. Details on this help page Do my carbon brushes need replacing?

Hi. Usually there are only 3 places where the motor is attached though it's possible some could have 4. Normally you undo the 2 that are most accessible and the 3rd at the back is often not attached, but just pushed onto a stud on the tub motor bracket. Is yours the same as in the photo above or different? Could you upload a photo?

Hi, drum bearing failure is very common and usually not worth repairing. However, there are more possible causes of a noisy washing machine than in any other fault. I have 2 very comprehensive articles exploring them all - Causes of noisy washing machine More causes of a noisy washing machine

I wouldn't have expected the crack to cause a problem, though it's unusual. Inside the valve is a coil of thin but insulated wires so the plastic is just effectively a casing.

Yes always use the genuine spare part and not "suitable for" or "will fit"

Hi. It has to be packaging.

Well played Joe. Many people would have replaced the main pcb, which is what I was warning about. There are many faults that either don't trigger an error code or, worse still, they trigger an error code implicating a specific part erroneously. The old days before error codes were the best. Back then, you could be a proper diagnostic engineer, which is most of the fun of doing the job. You gambled and it paid off. As I said earlier, if a specific part is not running you never just replace the part because it may not be running because of electrical connection or wiring faults and could be in perfectly good health.

Fingers crossed. I would expect if you are right it should still produce an error code though. If it performs any check and the check fails, that's when it is easy to trigger an error code. Also, if a part isn't running, it could be because it doesn't hasn't been supplied with power, or there's no neutral return as well as a possible fault on the part. Please let us know, even if it isn't that, it is useful for everyone to learn from it.