Hotpoint WF541- Flashing Lights!!

[khedara]

I had a similar problem as above.

I'm not saying this fix will definitely be applicable to everyone but I joined the site just to post this.

The problem on my control board was a blown capacitor, they cost £1 for 4 on eBay and with a little patience with a soldering iron you might be able to fix yours and save a lot of money like I did.

Take out the board, it's at the bottom right corner at the back of the machine. To do this remove the 4 screws retaining the plastic cover so you can access the insides. There is also 1 screw holding the control board housing to the washing machine frame so don't forget to remove this too, then slide up the plastic control board housing and it will come away from the frame.

I was able to get the whole housing out through the access panel before removing the 6 plugs that are attached to the board so it was easier to see and replace the plugs when replacing the board afterwards.

Take the board out of the plastic housing, it's only clipped in so easy to do. Be careful not to damage the board.

Look at the capacitors and check for any bulging on the tops of them.

Here's a picture of mine indicating the faulty cap:

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/eeun_2007/fixedboard.jpg

It also shows a picture of the cap once removed showing the bulging at the bottom of it with an image of the one I replaced it with.

I think there are 2 different version boards for this washing machine so make sure you get the right rating for the replacement cap, the details are printed on the side of the caps.

Make sure your soldering is good, the first time I soldered mine on the drum failed to turn at all, I tidied up my soldering and all was fine after.

This worked a treat for me, hopefully you get the same results.

£1 fix

Thanks a bunch, replaced the capacitor and it worked

Untitled

• khedara
• 21 Jul 2013
• 1

 

[ambarry]

i had The same problem with my hotpoint washing machine(flashing lights). first I wanted to change the board but then I came up with a better solution. basically just add the water manually where do you usually add powders. add 1 or 2 litre of water as you turn your program on. i did this and the problem was solved. i havent had the flashing lights even when i dont add water manually. hope this solutions works on yours too.

Read more: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=3210066#3210066#ixzz3F2UXaYAn

 

[windsurfer99]

I had a similar problem as above.

The problem on my control board was a blown capacitor, they cost £1 for 4 on eBay and with a little patience with a soldering iron you might be able to fix yours and save a lot of money like I did.

<BIG SNIP>

Look at the capacitors and check for any bulging on the tops of them.

Here's a picture of mine indicating the faulty cap:

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/eeun_2007/fixedboard.jpg

It also shows a picture of the cap once removed showing the bulging at the bottom of it with an image of the one I replaced it with.

<BIG SNIP>

This worked a treat for me, hopefully you get the same results.

£1 fix

Many thanks to Jacketman.
I had ALL lights Flashing on my Hotpoint WF541.

Just to add a couple of points.
The tell-tale is the bulged end. That means the capacitor has expanded inside and is pushing against the case. Worst case is they explode with a loud pop!
The bulging end means change me quick!

As for this particular instance, I fitted a 680uF 25 Volt one. I could not get a 10 Volt one, and it will not matter if you fit a higher voltage rated one. Just make sure the value is the same, ie in this case 680uF (MicroFarad).
As for the Soldering, it looks to me that the board is soldered with the new lead free solder. It just needs a little more heating to get it to melt.
Just make sure its a good clean soldered joint before putting the board back in the machine.

The electronics is fairly robust, but electrolytic capacitors tend to dry out or expand, and then stop working altogether.

Mine is now fixed.

Again Thanks to JacketMan for pointing me in the right direction.

Viento..

Thanks very much to you all for this. I had the same problem. I was able to buy some 680uF 10V capacitors on ebay, and armed with a 60W soldering iron my 16 year old son was easily able to fix this. It is component C17 (clearly marked on the board), and in case you are unsure, the positive terminal (longer leg) is also clearly marked on the board.

 

[Turret_Monster]

Sorry for the thread resurrection but I'd just like to thank everyone fr their tips on this. I replaced a bulging capacitor on our machine yesterday and it's working perfectly again. It was definitely worth £1.50 and a bit of soldering.

 

[charlie30]

Same here, my WF541 packed up with flashing lights. But a quick check on here, a new capacitor, and some soldering, it is all sorted now. Thanks for the advice.

 

[gymphil]

I had the same problem on a WF541, all lights flashing.

Changed C17 with a new one from RS components (pack of 5 for £2.47). Took me 5 minutes to remove the board and a couple of minutes to solder the new one in place. All working great now, saved me a fortune.

Thanks guys