Indesit 4 Flashes

[Philip 0603]

Hi to all. As a newbie on theis forum I humbly ask for some help with my washing machine.

Firstly have had a look in the washing machine fault FAQ's which were most helpful, though did not solve the problem, though may point to a solution, just need to ask before I spend money I have'nt got.

I have an Indesit WT82T of 2002 vintage. It is very similar to the Hotpoint WTL500P though with 800 spin speed. The machine was installed in a property in France for about 6 months then put into storage for 9 years.

Having read the section on fault codes I proceeded to see if the machine would be forthcoming and give me one. Any way this is what it does. Set the programmer to a spot/cancel programme position on the dial, close the lid and switch on. Mains light flashes slowly whilst the lid lock is enaging then 4 (I think) rapid flashes then it goes out and the machine starts pumping out and a few seconds later the programmer starts to roatate. No matter what I do I can not re-set the programmer. The light does come on agin breifly as the programmer passes the rinse section of each of the programme areas.

Reading your fult code section it has been suggested that this could be a thermistor (what ever one of those is). I am a reasonably competant diy-er and wonder if I could replace the offending part myself.

Your advice would be greatly appreciated, I am sure I can obtain a spare part even though the machine is a French model.

Thanking anyone in anticipation.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Replacing a thermistor should be straight forward if that's the fault. When it aborts the wash and starts to pump out and the dial starts clicking round, that's when it should be indicating an error code with a flashing light flashing in a recurring sequence. How many times does it flash when the washer aborts? It should flash a set number of times, pause for a second then repeat.

[Philip 0603]

HI and thank you for the reply.

I have just been out and run the machine again and this is what it does in the sequence it does it in.

.

Close lid, (forgot to say it's a drum action top loader) select program then the lights do the following. Power on light lights, then slow flash till the lid lock engages after a few seconds or so, then the power on light flashes 4 times rapidly then comes on steadily for a few seconds. it does not repeat the flashing. The machine then switches off the power indicator light, starts to rotate the programmer dial and switches on the pump. At no point does the drum rotate. The power light then comes on once per sector as the dial passes the rinse symbol of each third of the dial.

I am hopeful that the fault lies with the fact the washer has not been used for so long and is throwing wobblies at having to work.

Thanks in anticipation.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

I'm not familiar with top loaders I'm afraid, and error codes normally repeat. The first thing it should do is take in water, so apart from checking there isn't a problem with no water going into washing machine it may be detecting an error immediately and aborting. Unless anyone else has any ideas you probably need an engineer with an insulation test meter to check it out.

[Philip 0603]

Thank you Andy for your help. I will initially try the Thermistor as this problem started after a hot wash. As far as the difference between drum action top loaders and standard front loaders is concerned, the way I see it is the componentry is the same; just an alternative way of introducing clothes into the drum. One small advantage of the top loader configuration is the drum is supported on both sides thus bearing failure is reduced.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

The top loaders have their own ways but yes, please keep us informed of your progress whatever happens. Even if you fitted a thermistor and it was no different that's still valuable experience others can learn from.

[Philip 0603]

Thanks for the help Andy, will post again when I have fixed the machine. This may take a bit of time as I have swapped the machine out for another spare one. Yes I am sad and have three automatic washing machines. This one is an old Tricity Bendix 7179 compact washer that I use if putting the caravan on a seasonal pitch. It is so small that I can carry it around, though I don't know exactly how old it is it still works as it should. No electronics in sight just pure mechanicals.