HotPoint Washing Machine not spinning

Cameron1590_2

All,

Put a load on this morning and the machine washed and spinned it fine. Put a second lid in shortly afterwards and it fills with water and drains fine but it won’t spin. Just clicks quietly every so often.

Door lock is working, it’s filling and draining fine just won’t spin. The drive belt is intact.

Does this sound like the motor? I had a look and the brushes look okay but other then that I can’t see a fault. I assume unless anyone else has any ideas I will need to test the motor with a multi meter.

Thanks

EssexExile

Is it not turning at all, even during washes? Then yes probably motor, maybe control unit, or anything in between.

CathA

Every Hotpoint I had did this, and every time it was the brushes. They're easy to change (or they were, not had one for years)

poppellerant

Agreed. It's probably just the brushes. Easy enough to fix yourself if you're handy with basic tools. Also very cheap to fix.

One thing to check, is if your machine needs laminated brushes or not. High spin speed machines usually have these.

Laminated Motor Brushes Or Not

This is becoming an increasing problem in recent years with increasing spin speeds and the usual raft of cheap copy carbon brushes flooding the global markets. We see loads of cheap copy carbon brushes that are not laminated as they should be and, that gives us a problem.

Way back in the 1990's Hotpoint introduced what was called the "laminated carbon brushes", these were for the newer, higher spin speed Hotpoint motors and were distinguished from the old non-laminated carbon brushes by having white brush holders, the old carbon brushes had black brush holders. The reason was pretty simple, you needed to use these on higher spin speed motors so that the carbons would last.

The trade was a bit perplexed by this and, after having problems with these carbon brushes many of us just didn't use them.

What we didn't know, but do now, is that the "laminated" carbons have a coating on them that stops them from wearing down as fast in high spin speed machines and that this also helps with heat dissipation. You have to think that, even friction alone from spinning these relatively small bits of black carbon round in excess of 800rpm for three minutes or more is going to generate a fair old bit of heat. That heat has to be dissipated or it will eventually burn out the armature of the motor.

And, this is EXACTLY what we see all too often when cheap carbon brushes are used to replace good brushes in a high spin speed machine, which is basically anything over 1100rpm.

Use them at your peril, a new motor will cost you over £100 probably, is it worth the risk for a few pounds on a set of carbon brushes?

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/spare-parts/252-laundry-spare-parts/2949-washing-machine-a-washer-dryer-carbon-brushes

Cameron1590_2

Just an update, I was convinced the carbon brushes were fine but I was wrong!

Tested the motor with a multimeter and the readings were coming back fine. Took the brushes out and they were shot. I have purchased some new ones from Indesit direct for £8.99 (Indesit Motor fitted despite it being a Hotpoint).

Thanks,

EssexExile

Cameron1590 wrote: »

(Indesit Motor fitted despite it being a Hotpoint).

Thanks,

Indesit own Hotpoint.
Whirlpool own Indesit. It gets so complicated.