WM714145W carbon brush burning

[Dave Capstick]

Hi , on a spin at the end of wash the washing machine sounded louder than usual and gave off a slight smell of burning. Upon investigation it appears 1 of the carbon brushes has melted slightly the plastic surround. The brush has plenty of life left in it (length) so unsure why it has generated so much heat and melted some of the housing. I have checked the part of the motor it connects to and no obvious issues / reasons why it should have happened? Is it worth replacing the brushes or will the same happen again? 
 

please note the unit is only about 1 year old but had stood unused for around 8 month then this occurred on the 2nd cycle following the gap in use . Your help is much appreciated. 

Edited February 14, 2020 by Dave Capstick

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello Dave. Yes it is unusual for so much heat to be generated, and not a good sign. If it gave off a smell of burning that lingered quite a lot was quite pungent it could be the armature starting to burn out. If the insulation on the windings starts to burn out it is a very strong and distinct smell. But if it was just a general faint smell of burning, or burning plastic it might not be the main armature. If the brush had just got stuck it can cause a lot of sparking and that of course can cause a lot of heat so there is a possibility that a new set of brushes might fix the fault.

Try to find time to read these articles, which I have written on carbon brushes to get more information and a better idea

• Washing machine carbon brushes
• washing machine motor sparking