We will fix it!

[ciphergoth]

The washing machine works! I fixed it!

It was the pump. I fitted the new pump, put the whole thing back together, poured water into the drum with a jug and got it to pump it out into a bowl to check it worked. I've just taken some towels out of the machine that have gone through a complete cycle quite happily. God knows what was wrong with the old pump but I don't think I can be bothered to be curious.

Unfortunately in order to do that I had to disconnect the water supply from the dishwasher because the Y adapter I got for the cold water doesn't seal properly; I think it's because the pipes connecting to it come in at a funny angle. I need a nice bit of pipe to go from the cold water to the Y shaped thing - something shaped a bit like a cane, with a long bit and a U-shaped bit, so that the prongs of the Y can point backwards towards where the other two pipes are coming from. I'll pop over to the pipe shop later this week.

I'm sorry to keep posting about this. But bloody hell, I just fixed a washing machine. I'm quite pleased with myself!

Comments

[lovingboth]

Yay!

The main surprise is the bit about not finding out what was wrong with the old one :)

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

It made noise but failed to move water. The blades appeared to be able to turn, I could move them with my hands; it felt a bit like a stepper motor, in that there were two positions they wanted to be in. I don't know of a way an electric motor can fail that would cause that behaviour.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

Broken gearing inside?
Anyway, well done for repairing it :)

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

That would account for it rather well actually, it did make a nasty grinding noise as it failed to pump the water. I might just open it up and find out :-)

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Nope, there is no gearing inside there at all. It looks like it's a shaded-pole motor.

[hughe.livejournal.com]

could it possibly be hair trapped round the barings of the rotor? (like it does on an an upright vacuum cleaner rotating brush)

might have been too much friction to start rotating, and would just have a electromagnetic vibrating noise as it tried to get it started.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Nope, no hair!