Washing Machine will not empty - Electrical fault

[caerbryn]

Hotpoint WMA9 Washing Machine.

The machine will fill and wash, but not empty.

The pump runs ok when connected directly to 230V mains. There is no sound from the pump when the machine should be emptying.

There are no hose blockages, because the drum drains quickly under gravity, and the pressure switch clearly stops water entry at the correct level when the machine is filling.

How can I check the pressure switch electrically for both “Full” and “Empty” levels?

How does the Control Unit initiate emptying, and is it possible to check that this is happening?

Please, no talk of blocked hoses or tubes. The problem is electrical. I really want to isolate whether it is the Pressure Switch or the Control Unit.

 

[jj4091]

As far as I know the pressure switch is either actuated or de-actuated & is not involved in the drain cycle. You need to connect your meter to the pump or trace the wires back to the board & monitor the voltage there while running a drain cycle.

 

[caerbryn]

Many thanks jj4091. Your comments confirm what I was thinking.

I took the control panel out, and disconnected all the electrical connectors, to be sure there are no problems doing this if I buy another panel. When I put it back together, the pump now works, so I suspect there was some corrosion on the connector for the pump.

Now that the pump operates, after say a rinse cycle, the water empties, but then the drum will not spin. It simply rotates slowly in each direction for 6 seconds, with 30 second gaps between the oscillations. I suspect this is the Load Balancing Cycle, but it does not progress to spin, and eventually times out to the Program End. Do you hink this could be another corroded connector problem, or can other things cause this?

I am in the middle of a heavy cold - hense the delay in replying to you. Back to be d now.

 

[jj4091]

I presume you are running the cycle with an empty drum rather than an unbalanced load. Does it spin ok on a spin cycle, if not then the first thing to check is the motor brushes.

 

[caerbryn]

jj4091 - Good idea; I hadn't thought of that. I will check the brushes when I have recovered from my cold - probably next Monday or Tuesday. A second-hand Control Panel PCB has arrived now too.