Washing machine fault?

Manxman_in_exile

Not sure if our w/m has developed a fault.


It's a five year old Bosch Exxcel 8 VarioPerfect.


A couple of weeks ago the cycles started to play up. Let's say the displayed duration for a wash programme is normally 90 minutes. The wash part of the cycle would last for about 65 minutes and the remaining 25 minutes would be rinse and spin.


What's happening now is that it washes for all of the 90 minutes (according to the display) stays stuck on one minute of the wash cycle for a few minutes, then the display resets itself to 25 minutes and starts rinsing etc. This is happening on more than one wash programme.


I know the manual seems to say that the clock may reset itself if the w/m detects to much detergent, but it seems to be happening on every wash.


During the wash part of the cycle it has also intermittently started to make a strange and rather noticeable clicking/whirring/buzzing noise which sounds mechanical rather than electrical.


Other than that, it washes ok, it heats up ok, it rinses ok and it spins ok.


Any ideas? Is it on the way out?


(PS - have had drainage problems before which necessitated clearing out the detergent pump in the bottom right front of the m/c. Haven't investigated this yet but will do over the weekend. Have a sneaking suspicion the noise is coming from somewhere around there?).

Browntoa

Pump fault or blocked filter

Manxman_in_exile

Browntoa wrote: »

Pump fault or blocked filter

Will check over weekend.


Also - just remembered - a few weeks ago the fuse that the m/c is linked to on the consumer unit tripped while the m/c (and other appliances) were running. I just reset the fuse and everything seemed ok. Is it possible this could have affected the electronics and the way the cycles work?

Browntoa

Doubtful unless it's a heater element fault

poppellerant

My first thought was the heater element - the machine is trying to heat the water with a faulty heating element and it's waiting for the water to reach your set temperature before advancing to the next stage of the program. But, because the water isn't heating up, it keeps on waiting for the water to reach temperature.

Test this theory out by performing a boil wash. If the glass door doesn't feel warm in about 30 minutes, the heating element is almost certainly gone. In fact it was probably the heater that tripped the fuse when it finally died.

Luckily the elements aren't too expensive to buy. But get to the bottom of the noise issue first before buying one. I suspect coins, hair clips or something is stuck in the pump. Before unscrewing the pump cap, remember to empty the machine into a large pan using the small black hose - oh and keep a towel handy.

Manxman_in_exile

As explained in the OP there is no problem heating up the water so I'm assuming the element is OK. (It had failed a couple of years ago - the water remained cold and it never advanced properly to the rinse and spin cycles. and the clothes remained sopping wet. This is different: the water is heating ok; it washes ok; it rinses ok; it spins ok; and it drains ok.)


The problem (if it is a problem) is that the timings of the different cycles of the different programmes appear to have changed. So, eg, what used to be a 90 minute programme (65 minute wash and 25 minute rinse/spin) is now a 115+ minute programme (90+ minute wash and 25 minute rinse/spin).


It's an inconvenience because it takes longer and it seems odd to notice the timer run down from 90 to 01 throughout the whole of the wash sequence, remain on 01 for several more minutes, then reset itself to 25 and start rinsing. It never used to do this.


The new intermittent noise it has started making is a bit worrying but doesn't seem to affect washing effectiveness. As the noise seems to be coming from the vicinity of the drainage pump I'll check it, but the m/c isn't showing any of the signs that have previously indicated that it needs clearing - eg not spinning and draining properly and leaving clothing wet to saturation.


As I say, it appears to be heating, washing, rinsing, spinning and draining ok - just differently from how it used to do so.


EDIT: just to add that I don't stand in front of the m/c hypnotised watching the clock count down! It's just that the independent engineer who replaced the element a couple of years ago suggested occasionally checking that it was heating up ok and that it advanced through the different cycles ok. So I know how it works usually, it's just now doing it differently.

poppellerant

My error, I missed that part in the first post.

Do you use a lot of detergent? How much suds are being produced? If you have been using too much detergent for too long, it can actually damage the machine - ie: blocking sensors or a build up of detergent residue. If you suspect this might be the case, I recommend a box full of citric acid on a 95c wash - this will also descale the machine, too.

But normally when my own Bosch machines have detected too much detergent, they add time and another rinse or two. This used to happen more when using Lidl biological powder for the the first few times until I became used to it.

getmore4less

We have one of these(might be a different model no.)

Have you played with speed/eco options to see if it makes a difference.

Does it do it on the 15min wash

getmore4less

Mine(April 2014) is the one in this link to doing a reset,

might be of help.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6022968/bosch-washing-machine-reset

Manxman_in_exile

An update in case anyone with a similar problem comes across this thread.


Got an independent engineer out to look at it (he's good - used him before). He couldn't find any electrical or mechanical faults and suspected that the control unit/panel had been fried somehow. I'd already tried a boil wash and it seemed ok to me, but when he tried it he used some kind of infra-red thermometer and said it was not heating up as it should. While we were watching it, the control panel display started playing up and he concluded it was well on the way to failure, and it would be cheaper to get a new machine.


He was right. Next morning it died completely - as dead as the proverbial Norwegian blue. Got a new machine (which he recommended as he'd installed one for someone the previous week) and it's such an improvement over the old one - amazing.


(PS - my independent engineer was here for about an hour and he didn't want to charge me anything because he couldn't fix it. We came to an agreeable compromise. He's very good and I found him on Norfolk County Council's recommended trader site. Not sure I'm allowed to name individuals but he's the one with 200+ reviews and is based in Old Wreningham, with a 01508 landline - but best to use mobile. He always gets back to you and he's always on time)

Tao81

What machine did he recommend and fit for the other customer?