Siemens iQ500 washer/dryer - WD14U520GB resets program after a minute then freezes

[Huw_F]

I have a Siemens iQ500 washer/dryer - WD14U520GB. If you try to start any program, the time comes up, it starts to fill, then just stops. After about 2 minutes, sits there the resets to the beginning of the program.

if you try to do anything, the start/pause button disappears and the door lock symbol shows. The only way to recover from this is to power the m/c off and power it back on, sometimes you have to wait a long period before it will power back on.

There is definitely nothing in the filter. I have checked the outlet is clear all the way to the outside drain. I can use just the drain function, but if I try to add spin, you get the same sort of scenario. I can empty the drum totally (open the filter) and remove all the contents using the manual release and remove the power to the m/c (unplug the mains) and try from scratch but still get the same problem.

I have also remade all the connections on the UI Panel and as many as I can get to on the 2 control boards and checked the pressure switch tube to the Drum is clear.

Any suggestions as to what may be wrong? are there any diagnostics I can run?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello Huw_F. How long does it fill for before it stops, and does the pump run?

Does the drum revolve at all on the spin cycle? Does the pump run on spin?

A washing machine normally energises the pump, and takes in water for just several seconds before starting to fill for the main wash. The problem with this fault is that it's not showing any error codes. So there is some problem, but the washing machine can't detect what that problem is, or even what area the problem lies.

For example, if it can't fill with water because of a lack of water supply or a fault on the water valve, then it should just sit there for a minute or 2, before timing out because it hadn't received the signal that the water levels had reached the correct level. At this point, the software will know that it has failed, because it hasn't taken in water. We would then abort the cycle and display an error code that implicates a lack of fill.

It's the same with overheating. The software monitors the rise in the water temperature, and if it detects that the temperature has got too high it aborts the wash cycle, and then displays an error code that implicates overheating. Most faults these days can be "captured" by the software monitoring and give an error code that at least implicates an area for an engineer to investigate.

The lack of any error codes make fault finding very difficult these days.

 

 

[Huw_F]

Hi Andy, it starts to fill for about 5 seconds, pauses a second, then carries on filling for about 2o seconds, then pauses, the timer counts down overall about 5 minutes with nothing at all happening, then resets, the time goes back to original time for the program, the pump runs to empty the drum for about 30 seconds, then nothing, the Start/Pause button disappears from the display screen and you can't do anything except turn it off. when you turn it back on, the door lock symbol flashes and still no Start/Pause button. All you can do now is manually release the door, turn it all off and on again and you're back to square one.
The drum never moves on any program now, so maybe therein lies a clue to the problem.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Yes that's the one thing that appears to be not functioning, the motor. The problem is that if the motor is being sent the power, but the software detects that the motor is not turning, it should trigger a specific error code. The software can tell when the motor is running, and exactly what speed it is running at by monitoring a small magnet that turns round with the armature. The part that sends this signal is called a tacho coil.

You could always have a look at the motor, if it has carbon brushes fitted you can check to see if either of them are burned and charred and therefore not making contact. Also, you could check the wires and connections to the motor. But it's possible that this fault is some anomaly, and some strange fault that's not covered by the error detection system.