Miele W562 Prestige Plus 6: Uneven brush wear

[Mike McG]

Hi , we have an 11 year old Miele Novotronic Premier 520 washing machine and we really love it , its built like a battleship , runs quietly and does a brilliant 30 minute wash . However a couple of years out of warranty the damn thing packed in , we bought a cheap Beko to tide us over until I plucked up the courage to try and mend the thing . After researching how to change the brushes I decided to have a go , it's really quite simple when you know what you are doing . Anyway , only one of the brushes was worn , the other was as new . The worn one was so short it could not reach the commutator - hence the failing motor .
Anyway , I've now just fitted the 4th set of brushes , they last ~ 14 months ands it's the same story , only one is worn . I just contacted Miele UK and they are adamant that there are no hereditary issues with any of their washing machine motors , this contradicts some of the info on this forum . I wonder if anyone can provide more substantial information on the reported issue of the failing bonding of the windings to the commutator . I'd really like to get an admission off Miele that there is an issue - but they clam up and start to read off a script , they are happy to inspect my machine but I'll have to pay for it, blimey the machine is 11 years old and is worth nowt !!!! Anyway , your help would be appreciated , Mike

 

[AlastairE]

In addition to brushes, you need to change the two 0.01uF X Rated caps in the brush carrier. These reduce arcing and wear of the brushes. Miele Motors are built like battleships, rarely give trouble, but the motor-Controllers and brushes/caps do.

 

[Mike McG]

Alastair , will do when I change the brushes next time , do you know the manufacturer of the caps that Miele use , I'd like to keep things as near to normal as possible .
Cheers mike

 

[Finnkai]

OK, so here I am again (see earlier messages). 17 months have elapsed and my 3rd set of brushes (original plus 2 sets of replacements) appear to have failed. Have yet to take machine apart but it will be interesting to see if it is the same brush that has worn down as last time. Anyway this time I plan also to replace the motor capacitors as recommended. Will report on my experience!

 

[Finnkai]

Now dismantled and, sure enough, it's one of the brushes again. Interestingly though, it's the LHS brush viewed from the front not the RHS as mentioned in the earlier post - see pictures. Honestly cannot remember which one failed last time.


Have purchased new capacitors from Maplins. Only snag is leads are 20mm long whereas they really need to be 25mm to fit the holder. They are secured mechanically, not soldered. My plan is to solder and extension to them.

 

[pyromorph]

It's been a while since my last post, I thought an update was in order (since the washing machine failed again last night).

I can now change the brushes in under an hour, I've done it pretty much every 8 months. Miele branded brushes usually last a month or two longer but not worth the extra money. I've been using cheap brushes for a while. I've also replaced the plastic carrier with a new Miele part (comes complete with capacitors and brushes) and that lasted about 8 months. I can only think the issue is with the motor. Always the same side that goes.

To add insult to injury, both shock absorbers look like they've gone. Not sure the washing machine is worth replacing both shocks and the motor as well. Been the most unreliable washing machine we've ever owned. We've got a spare Zanussi that's twice as old (not as good a wash) that we still use when the Miele breaks down.

 

[Finnkai]

Like pyromorth, I thought I should provide an update as my brushes (4th set) failed again a couple of days ago. However, as they were last replaced in March 2017 (plus the capacitor mod I described above) they have at least lasted 20 months. The new ones (like all previous replacements) were obtained on eBay for around £5 to £6. Our Miele has, apart from the brushes issue, proved a very reliable machine and is in my view well built compared to other models I have repaired. By the way I'm not in the trade - just a diy-er. Because I've replaced them before, I can do the job in less than an hour and don't even need to pull the machine out from under the work top. So at just a few quid every year to 18 months, I think we will stay with it until something more costly goes wrong.

 

[pyromorph]

So I've taken a risk with a motor from ebay that's in very good condition. It arrived a week or so ago and I fitted it last weekend. The brushes on it were the originals (or certainly Miele) and with even wear.

However, since I put the thing back together the back of the drum appears to be unbalanced. Any weight at all in the drum and the back of the drum wobbles around like it's drunk.. It's just about safe on 400rpm. Initially I thought I'd over-tightened the belt, so I slackened it off but it's made no difference...

Any ideas?

 

[Finnkai]

Hi pyromorth,
I have never got so far as disconnecting the motor - just replaced the brushes with the motor in place numerous times. The problem you describe sounds as if it could possibly be down to the shock absorbers. If you look at other posts on this site you will see cases where people have decided to replace them as part of dealing with the "rinse light" problem. Anyway, best of luck!

 

[pyromorph]

After a frustrating weekend with this washing machine, I've managed to get it stable.

It wasn't the shock absorbers, I'd already replaced them and I put the originals back just in case.
I adjusted the springs at the back of the drum, put them on the lowest setting on the drum housing (stretched the springs more)

In the end it was the replacement motor that caused the issue. Couple of points:

1. The motor itself look 99.9% identical to the original, except, the pulley was different. The "new" one had a 6 slot V pulley but the old one had a 5 slot V pulley. The belt is a 4-slot V. I attempted to locate the belt on different locations on the 6 slot pulley in case that was causing the issue. It made a little difference but not enough to make it usable.
2. You can adjust the tension of the belt, but that made no difference to the oscillations of the drum.
3. With the "new" motor in, after I adjusted the springs, the --- & rinse light error came up immediately (as if it had the brush problem). It did rotate the drum a little first.
4. Out of desperation I put the old motor back in. That fixed the issue.

Only thing I can assume is the shaft on the "new" motor is bent slightly but you can't tell to the eye. It didn't look like it was "wobbling" when running. The belt didn't look like it was tracking badly when the motor was running. I was tempted to swap the pulley from the old motor to the new but I'd had enough by that point.

The machine is running again with the old brush-faulty motor and I've ordered a Bosch washing machine to replace it. I can't justify £250+ for a new motor for the Miele.

 

[Finnkai]

Sorry to hear this. Can understand your frustration. Good luck with the Bosch - we had one before our Miele and it lasted pretty well.

 

[amorl575]

Now then- Sorry for reviving this old thread, but my w562 prestige plus 6 has the same issue (plus another which is why I am posting)
uneven brush wear, I have just replaced them (to replace the originals if I am correct) however the commutator has a couple of 'pits' on it which cause the brushes to make a ticking sound when the machine is in use. can anyone tell me what has possibly happened with the commutator? Pics attached.
TIA