Bosch Exxcel Wvd2452Bgb /04 Stuck On 1 Minute & Not Draining

[Rollcage]

Hi,

I have Bosch Exxcel washer dryer model number WVD2452BGB /04. It is just coming up to 6 years old and this morning it decided to stop working.

I normally run the machine's cotton eco programme which takes around 1hr and 30 minutes. However when I went to check on it, I noticed that the drum was still full of water and foam despite the timer displaying 1 minute remaining. The cycle continued to overrun by 20 minutes until I manually stopped it by turning the dial to off. From what I observed, the drum was at turning at same slow speed and at no point did the pump kick in to drain the water.

I then tried the rinse programme and was met with complete silence - no pump kicking in and no drum turning - the timer was just running through the programme.

So I tried the drain programme which lasts a minute and again nothing. Tried the spin programme - same result. I decided to give the cotton eco programme another shot and the machine sprung to life but there was no water rushing in (as there usually is during the start of this programme). Instead the drum just continued turning on the same slow speed. I let the programme run its course and at no point did the pump kick in to drain the water. The drum just kept turning at the same speed. No final spin, no rush of fresh water. Just the same motion all the way through. I manually stopped it again.

The pump filter hasn't been cleaned since I've owned the machine. I've tried to remove it in recent years and it simply will not budge. I tried to use a pair of pliers to turn it and almost ended up cracking the cap. So I just left it alone. I did get some problems with draining last year when using the dryer - the machine would stop randomly during the dry cycle with an F:18 error. I overcame it by running the spin cycle several times.

I think my luck has finally run out and the pump has finally given up. Although I did some googling today and found that the fact it gets stuck on 1 minute remaining could suggest a problem with the heating element. Although when I touched the glass on the door it was warm (this was during the 60 degrees cotton eco programme).

Any ideas on what the most likely fault could be based on the symptoms described? Will I need a new machine or is it a easy straight forward fix? And if so what's the best (and cheapest) way to go about it - contact the official Bosch repair service or get a local plumber to take a look? What am I looking at in terms of minimum cost?

Edit: I removed some of the water in the drum to get model number. After leaving it alone for 2 hours, I decided to give the machine another go in the evening. I selected the 15 minute rinse programme and the machine started working - the drain pump came on and the cycle completed. I then ran the 8 minute spin programme 3 times - they all completed successfully and I heard the pump working.

I then selected the 1hr 40 minute intensive drying programme and it has just finished without any problems. Most of the clothes were almost touch dry and there was no water in the drum.

All of this suggests that the drain pump is "alive". So maybe the pump/drain hoses just need a good clean out? I'm a bit worried about the wash cycle getting stuck on one minute remaining - could that also be down to a pump blockage? If the heating element was faulty then surely the dryer wouldn't work.

Any further suggestions and thoughts welcome.

Thank you.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

The first thing to do is get the pump filter off and check for obstructions inside the pump. My article on washing machine pump filter gives relevant advice including a section giving advice if the pump filter is stuck.

[Rollcage]

The first thing to do is get the pump filter off and check for obstructions inside the pump. My article on washing machine pump filter gives relevant advice including a section giving advice if the pump filter is stuck.

Hi,

Thank you for your reply. Well I got an enginneer in today and he tested the machine on the 30 degrees quick wash programme and the drain programme. The pump worked on both cycles and both cycles completed successfully . He tried to remove the pump filter but it just wouldn't move. He told me he'd have to order a new pump unit if I wanted it removed because they don't sell the pump housing separately for this particular model.

He established that the pump was working though.

I asked about the pump not kicking in during the 60 degree cotton eco programme and about the cycle getting stuck on 1 minute remaining and he said it was probably a one off and whatever the problem was the machine seems to have resolved it because the pump is now working.

After he left I ran the machine on the 30 degree quick wash cycle again with nothing in the drum and it completed successfully - the pump was working during the cycle.

So fast forward to this evening and I've loaded the machine up with some clothes and selected my usual 60 degrees cotton eco programme and more than half an hour in the pump hasn't kicked in even once. This is very is unusual as the machine normally would have at least drained once by now. The drum is also spinning at the same speed. It feels like the machine hasn't moved on from the beginning of the programme (despite the counter ticking away).

I stopped the programme manually and selected the drain programme and the pump started working.

It's quite obvious that the pump doesn't work whenever a 60 degree wash programme is selected. I've just tried the regular cotton programme (also 60 degrees) and I'm getting the same problem - no sign of the pump starting.

I touched the glass window and it was warm during the cotton eco cycle. Could it be a problem with the heating element? Maybe it's not heating up to the required temperature to advance further into the wash cycle?

The pump seems to work when I select the drain, rinse or 30 degree quick wash programmes.

Perhaps it's a software problem any way I could "reset" the machine? Should I contact the engineer again? Is it an easy fix?

Any advice appreciated Thank you.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Intermittent faults are a right pain and can prove almost impossible to fix at times, especially as engineers have so little time to repair them these days. The main issue still seems to be that the pump is intermittently not working and leaving the washer full of water but sometimes working OK. As this could be caused by an obstruction moving around and your pump filter is jammed (which is often caused by an underwire or other object stuck inside the filter) I can't really think past eliminating the possibility of an obstruction first. Did you read the article I linked to where it advised how to get take the sump hose off to check the pump and potentially free off the filter?

If the pump runs sometimes but not at other times it's most likely to be something occasionally jamming it or a fault on the pump. It is theoretically possible for it to be a connection or electrical fault too though. Unfortunately an engineer wouldn't see anything if the pump worked ok when he was there although it's disappointing that he didn't get the filter off or at least lay the machine on its front and remove the sump hose to check for obstructions in the hose, filter or pump.

[Rollcage]

Intermittent faults are a right pain and can prove almost impossible to fix at times, especially as engineers have so little time to repair them these days. The main issue still seems to be that the pump is intermittently not working and leaving the washer full of water but sometimes working OK. As this could be caused by an obstruction moving around and your pump filter is jammed (which is often caused by an underwire or other object stuck inside the filter) I can't really think past eliminating the possibility of an obstruction first. Did you read the article I linked to where it advised how to get take the sump hose off to check the pump and potentially free off the filter?

If the pump runs sometimes but not at other times it's most likely to be something occasionally jamming it or a fault on the pump. It is theoretically possible for it to be a connection or electrical fault too though. Unfortunately an engineer wouldn't see anything if the pump worked ok when he was there although it's disappointing that he didn't get the filter off or at least lay the machine on its front and remove the sump hose to check for obstructions in the hose, filter or pump.

Hi,

Thanks for your response and sorry for the delayed reply. I did read the article that you linked. I agree with the evaluation in regards to the engineer. He seemed to settle on the diagnosis that the pump was working and to change the filter would require the installation of a brand new pump unit (as the pump housing for this particular model isn't available seperately). This would cost me about £250 (including parts,labour and VAT). I was surprised that he didn't pull the machine out to check any of the hoses or lay it on its side.

However after he left, I decided to look online for the program controller reset sequence for this particular machine. I entered the reset code around 5 times. And ever since then, the machine has started working normally again. I've run it on the cotton wash programme several times since Tuesday evening and it has completed successfully (pump comes in, drains, with a final spin).

Perhaps, the reset has fixed things for now? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

By the way, should I be seeing a lot of suds during the wash cycle? I use Surf (washing powder). I'm just a bit concerned by the lack of suds during washing, but I've read in other places across the web that a lack of suds is normal with modern detergents. I do live in hardwater area (typical London water) so I'm not sure whether this true.

Could you offer any insight into this?

I think I've been overdosing my machine for years because of the lack of visible suds during the wash cycle.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Yes you don't need to see lots of suds, modern washing machines use very little water and soap suds are suppressed in front loading washing machines because they actually hinder washing by cushioning laundry when part of the cleaning process is through laundry rubbing together.