Indesit Iwde126 - Stopped Mid-Cycle. Unable To Restart Any Program.

[MarkP]

Hi,

Our washer dryer had stopped mid-cycle (looks like just before the stage where the softner is added). There are no fault LEDS and I can't seem to get it to work again.

I tried putting the machine onto drain to empty it, but even though the lights change when the start/stop button is pressed, nothing starts. I've tried all programs. I have manually drained the machine via the outlet at the bottom right, where I found a very small key and coin, but it looks like that was there for a while as there is a rust stain on the platsic. Still can't get the machine to start anything and the door doesn't lock when the program is supposed to start.

When I do press the start/stop button, I can hear a very faint click. It's not a click of the door as it sounds like its coming from the inside somewhere and you can just about hear it when there is silence in the room.

I have pulled it out and checked the waste tube. That seems fine and the water must be fine for it to have filled up.

As said, all the lights work as they should and don't give a code. IT's like the machine seems to think it's not faulty, but it will just sit there not starting the program even though the light for the program is lit.

I was wondering if it's the door lock as even though the program has 'started' but with no activity, you can still open the door.

Anything else I can try?

Thanks.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Indesit are one of the brands that can give these symptoms (lights come on but machine dead) if the motor is open circuit so check the carbon brushes and motor first.

[MarkP]

OK Thanks.

So I'm assuming that I'm checking the brushes length(?), but not sure what to look for with the motor.

I'll check the wires and such and reply back here.

Thanks.

[MarkP]

OK, looks like I have found the problem. I have attached the photos. The carbon brushes and motor seem to look fine by the way.

The problem is with the door interlock. As you can see, the wires have melted at the connector. So the question is, can I strip back the wire and put on a new connector? What connector am I looking for? How do I correctly re-wire the connector as there are 2 brown and 1 red wire? And should I also buy a new door interlock?

Thanks.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Wow, that's a mess. Normally the door interlock is the first thing I'd check but with it being an Indesit known for the carbon brush anomaly and you reporting you heard a click (which sounded like the door lock operating) I suggested the motor first.

Your problem is potentially complicated, why has it burned out like that and what if any damage has it done to the main pcb? Those two questions may be difficult to answer. You could buy a new door interlock at 4Washerhelp spares here - Indesit Iwde126 spare parts

However, it's unlikely you would be able to buy the connectors and you would need to replace the burned out wires by cutting them back and properly and safe;y using electrical (13 amp) connectors. Then you would need to try the machine and hope it all works OK.

The main problems (apart from the burned out wiring) are - why did it burn out like that - did water get onto it from a leak somewhere or did it just have a bad connection that overheated. The second question is when it all shorted out like that did it damage any components in the pcb (there's no guarantee the damage would be visible).

So it might be sensible to scrap it, but if you feel inclined to take a gamble...

[MarkP]

Thanks for the reply.

I have ordered a new interlock and the cable is a "Door Lock & Drain Pump Wiring. Genuine part number C00271423" ordered from Amazon. I've not received it yet but does this mean that the cable is also attached to the pump as well as the PCB (or something else?) like a Y or splitter cable? Is there a guide to replacing this wire?

As for the reason, I can only assume that water has managed to get to it somehow. I'll check the rubber door seal. We've never noticed a burning smell but the machine only runs during the night.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello Mark, don't ever leave it running through the night. It's not worth it, the machine could have caught fire and caused a serious house fire. Is it safe to leave washing machine or other appliances running when out or in bed?

The wiring is a lucky find, they never used to sell any wiring, but presumably these days they may burn out a lot more commonly. It looks like it's just the wiring and connectors which should be easy to replace. Let us know how you get on.