Indesit 1263W Washing Machine Problems

[fido]

The test for shorted turns can be done with the faulty module, thats why I said to drain the water before you plug in the motor as it will go straight to full speed. The clothes will still be wet though so it will be worked as hard as normal. I don't think there should be a problem with using the 1000 spin board but look carefully at the pcb layouts to make sure they look the same. If in doubt the Ebay board could just be used to provide a replacement triac.

 

[badkarma]

Brill, thanks Fido. I will check the pcb carefully also.

I will try the tomorrow evening with my faulty SCM back in place I would have been itching to try tonight but I left the SCM on my desk at work

If it does spark (I take it that it would be visible if i removed the rear panel and look down at the motor) then I am thinking of buying another Indesit motor off ebay for a few quid (one that matches the WASH and SPIN A's and W's (Amps and Watts?) that I have already) - albeit I may need to rewire so the connections fit - mine is a 2x4 connector - the one I have my eye on on ebay is a 1x8 connector - its a 1000 motor (from an Indesit W143) so should go with the 1000 SCM already on its way - if it matches my sizings as seen on my website http://www.therealeasterbunny.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html

Thanks to everyone so far for all your advice - it is a great adventure so far and am still learning ...

Of course when I test the new motor (if needed) and SCM I will be standing well back and have all other kit unplugged from the house

Cheers one and all xxx

 

[fido]

I don't think that later motor will fit though I may be wrong. Indesit are notorious for changing the design of parts frequently. For example, the later machines have a finer pitch to the belt grooves so you need a different belt. Another difference you are likely to find is the length of the output shaft varies to accomodate different drum bearing designs. The W143 has a stainless outer drum whereas I guess yours is enamel?

 

[badkarma]

You're right just had a chat with the chap who has it for sale on ebay. It is different in size ...

So all thats left is to check my motor - he has suggested a different way to test my motor ... so I'll share this with all as follows:

If you have a Multimeter (I have a Digital MM), try the following ...

Set meter on Ohms 2M or 10M or 20M

Put 1 testing lead on earth (motor chassis)

Then, using the other testing lead, test each spade clip connector and look at the readings ... each connector test read should NOT read LOWER than 1 Meg Ohm ... if it does then there is a prob.

He did state that limit normally should not be less than 1.5Meg Ohm or 2Meg Ohm but given mine is a 10 year old motor then no less than 1 Meg Ohm...

Will try this at lunchtime when I go home and report back

 

[fido]

That is an insulation test and can prove that you have a fault but can't prove that you don't have a fault. The ohms measurement with a multimeter only applies a few volts and the insulation might be fine at that voltage but may be breaking down at mains voltage. For this reason the professionals would do a megger test, basically the same resistance measurement but applying a higher test voltage.

 

[badkarma]

Thanks Fido... OK ... here are the results from the Belgian jury ...

Went home at lunch and found the new module behind the door that I bought off ebay ... (thanks to garyjulia36 on ebay) ... 18 hour posting - must be a record on ebay

So, there i was with new module and possible dodgy motor ... did the tests with multimeter and all seemed OK reading 1 (M) Ohm. Brushes read 4.0 ohms though ... garyjulia36 said no more than 1.5 - can anyone shed more light here ?

Anyway, thanks to fido, stating a REAL megger test, I thought instead of plugging into washing machine with old SCM, I took it down the road to my newly discovered POOLES DOMESTICS warehouse unit (which I never knew existed) behind our local petrol station ...

I showed him the motor saying it might be still dodgy having not done a megger test and asked him if he had any spare working ones ... the chap said he could give it a test for me and performed the following ...

Tried a little device (similar to a Multimeter) on the terminals then did some kind of local loopback connection on the terminal block and plugged it into the mains by this black box. Motor was sat on concrete floor and started to spin up gradually to full speed. Only sparks I could see were small (3mm ish) blue ones where the brushes contact. No other major sparks. He tested it for about 30 seconds and it looked OK and he said it tested out OK.

So, hurried back home, had another look around for any chafed wires or shorts on washing machine casing but could not see any. SCM fitted nicely into old plastic case and all connections fitted snug. Motor also fitted and tensioned up.

Plugged in to mains, set programme 7 for spin (no water) and HEY PRESTO! the drum started to spin up slowly then got faster and faster to top spin!!!! WOOHOOOOO !!!!

But, real proof of the pudding is in the 3 course meal (?!) so had to go back to work at this time (and still need to reconnect outlet hose) so tonight I will perform a full wash test (half load naturally ) and see how it goes ...

Also, last night, spent a bit of time cleaning brushes as they were coated from brush down to motor housing in (carbon?) dust ... could this have caused a short ?

Thanks for your help so far ...

Will report back later after a full test

 

[badkarma]

Hello all,

OK its just been on its first full (well ... half full) wash, and it seems to be running dandy-o!!!

Its now on its second slightly heavier (with bath-pre-soaked clothes ) load and its a third of the way through.

One the first run I noticed a high pitch squealy (not rubber squealy - more of a metally squealy) noise - but this has stopped after the first washes end high spin session ... It does not make this now on the second run so I will put it down to brush realingment / settling in after I took them out for a clean up or some other righting of the unit for all its ins / outs / ups and downs (the washing machine waltz) recently.

Hopefully all should now be OK for a while (touch wood).

Thanks to everyone who has helped me out with this - its very much appreciated. Hopefully others will learn from this post ... here are some things I have learned on my journey...

1) Play safe - even when unplugged, there may still be danger of electric components not discharged.
2) The metal shield on some (all?) Speed Control Modules (SCM) are LIVE !!! The sticker on it with a lightning bolt through a hand means the metal shield is live and not just components!!! So unplug before sticking your hands in !
3) If the SCM has blown (may not be just fuse - but triac (black thing with three legs normally attached to metal shield) and perhaps other components on board also) something else may have caused this - dodgy motor or short somewhere - so check other things before plugging in a new module - or you may find your new investment literally go up in smoke ... I have put my fault (at the moment ) down to carbon dust build up around brushes which may have arcd to the motor therefore blowing my unit.
4) When investigating, clean any dust from motor brushes and surrounding areas with slightly damp cloth - please note I took my motor out of machine before doing this - do not put damp cloths into electrical area of washing machine !!!
5) If you are lucky, you can pick up parts such as modules cheap off ebay - RRP £30-£60 from shops, mine was £2.50 on ebay - if my only option was to buy a £30 or £60 board with still a possibility of it not working, I would have not risked it but bought a new machine - thankfully I got lucky on ebay (again thanks to the ebay seller of this item - much appreciated).
6) If you can take your motor to a domestic appliance shop, they may test it for a few quid - before you shell out on a £40-£60 motor. - or again, £3 +£10 PnP off ebay but make sure its the right model - it may look the same on photo - ratings may be same - but sizes differ !!!
7) If you are not sure about anything - dont do it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Call a pro.
8 ) Meet lots of really GREAT people on forums
9) If you cant find the exact SCM, a lower spin speed one might do as long as connections (pcb layout etc) are the same - for example, mine was an Elmarc EM13SFB 1200 PCB but I bought an Elmarc EM13SFB 1000 off ebay - my guess is it spins the motor at 1000 instead of 1200 - mine works - but I would not advise getting a higher one (eg 1200) to replace a lower one (eg 1000) as the motor may produce "indeterminate results" (overheating / fire / god knows what)

I am not a pro so take all the above with a pinch of salt - apart from number 8 ... but it worked (so far) for me ...

Once again, many thanks to one and all ...