Indesit Washing Machine W103 Wont Finish Spin. Dial Clicking Round

[Curious]

My indesit washing machine will sometimes not finish spinning. It is always on the final spin this happens, the program dial just starts clicking round. If it is left for a while you can restart it but you may get one load done then it will do it on the second one again.

There is a fair bit of water left in the pump chamber located at the front of the machine is this normal?

the suspension dampers have oil leaking from them could this cause this? If any parts recommended could you give a price of parts. Cheers.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Most modern washing machines have replaced the manual timer with small electronic selector switches or control panels. These then simply start the the main controller unit which is a PCB which runs software similar to a computer. When a fault occurs, or is detected, it triggers an abortion of the program and should give some sort of error code. With these Indesit washing machines, the clicking programme dial is an indicator that the programme has aborted. It should be accompanied by either a flashing light or the illumination of one or more option lights. If there are no option lights then it should be the flashing light. It should flash a certain number of times followed by a pause, then the flashes repeat. ( Related: Program selector knob (dial) clicks round continuously

It's also possible for low insulation on one of the components to trigger the dial clicking. You would need an insulation test meter to check the insulation of various components. Certain components (like the heater) that suffer low insulation readings or go "down to earth" can apparently cause this behaviour.

The suspension can't cause any problems like this, it would cause excessive banging around on spin.

The amount of water left in the filter chamber should only be about 2 - 3 mug full's of water. If there is more, it could be it isn't emptying the water fast enough and this would cause an error like this (check the pump filter - How do I clean my pump filter - where is the pump filter?

[Curious]

I have a little more to add. It is ready to go into a fast spin 1000 rpm when it stops and the pump seems to come on and while it is clicking around the pump is still trying to pump water away. Should it even be on during final spin?

Great site by the way!!!

I live in Fife Scotland if you have any telephone numbers for reputable washing machine engineers.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Cheers. The pump should be running on the spin program from start to finish. If it does it only when reaching spin, then presumably we can discount the heater being down to earth as that should cause problems virtually straight away. Therefore it may be something involved with the spin procedure at fault.

If you are looking for a reputable washing machine engineer, here's a link to a post code search form where you can search for a washing machine engineer by post code area - Search for a washing machine engineer

[Curious]

I have just noticed there seems to be a leak from the back of the drum, it is dripping down on to the motor. It's not a bad leak, but it may be enough to do something to the motor. This is probably why when I leave it overnight the first wash seems to be okay then it struggles from then on. Obviously the motor has had time to dry out. It also started to do it when trying to start programs when I was trying one after the other. Thanks for your help any other suggestions are welcome but I think I may leave this to the experts, or get a new washing machine.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

It does sound like it's something you need to get an engineer to sort out if you can't see the source of the leak. It could be the motor that's going down to earth. Not enough to short out but enough to send the controller funny. This is one of these faults that only when someone experienced (and honest) examined the washing machine will you know if it's worth having repaired or not. The motor could be OK once dry as long as the leak is stopped.

Unfortunately though, on these cheap washing machines, if you needed a new motor it could easily cost £150 - £170 which is ludicrous.

[Curious]

It seems to be leaking from the back of the drum. There is a metal strip that goes right round the drum with a big bolt to tighten it up. Is there a seal inside there that may need replacing? I tightened the screw just slightly and have had four successfull washes, but there is still a little water coming out. This is not enough water to run round the bottom of the drum and drip around motor area but after cycle is finished if you wipe around the metal lip there is a little water seeping out of it. Anymore help would be appreciated.

Thank you again.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Before getting too involved in fixing the leak, did the washing machine work OK with the reduced water escaping? In other words are you confident that the leak is the source of the not spinning problem? The seal you require should be available from here - Appliance spare parts (4Washerhelp)

[Curious]

I'm certain it is the problem as there has been no more issues since stopping the leak, but I do think it will gradually get worse again unless fixed. Fitting instructions will also be required. Thanks for all your advice it has been very helpful. We have now caught up with the backlog of washing.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

You will probably need to take off the top tub weight. Then undo the large bolt holding the tub clamp band. (make a note of how tight it is - in other words, how far the nut goes down the bolt, so you don't overtighten it on reassembly)

When taking off wires to thermostats etc, never rely on remembering where they go. Even if it seems very simple, you never know if there is going to be a delay in reassembling. I've had people who had to reassemble a week or so later due to unforseen circumstances and they completely forgot the wiring. Write the wires positions down or draw a diagram. If wires are the same colour, tag them with tape.

TIP: If you have a digital camera, use it to take several photos of the machine before stripping down. Make sure the photos are not too out of focus that you can't see proper detail though.

I usually lay the washing machine on its front before taking off the backplate. Before removing the old tub seal, make sure you examine how it fits. There are two sides to the seal, one with a sort of lip, and if you just rip the old seal away you may have difficulty working out how the new one fits.