Hoover New Wave Auto-Washer 1300 'dot On Display' Fault

Hi,

This is my first post, so please bear with me when I try to explain the fault!

The first thing I have to say is that the above fault has been happening over the years. Under normal operation, this dot appears in place of the numbers when the door is open and the machine is on.

I have solved this fault in the past by 'wiggling' the on/off switch or by wedging a matchstick in the on/off switch to hold the button in place. If the matchstick was removed then the dot would reappear.

Today, the matchstick method didn't help either, so I decided to open up the machine and take a look. I took the switch apart, cleaned the components and put it back in, but that didn't help. I even bypassed the switch by briefly directly connecting up the wires, but the same fault appeared. I cleaned out the clear pipes and the sludge from the bottle at the bottom. That didn't do anything either.

As I was about to call it a day, I gently pressed the door release button and hurrah!! The '0' appeared on the display (even when the door was open, because the switch was bypassed). Then after a short time it disappeared again and the dot reappeared.

So now I am at a lost as to what the fault it. It can't be the switch - but why did the matchstick method work? Why did the '0' appear for a short time then go again? I checked the contacts elsewhere and they all seem sound. Is it the door mechanism? Doesn't the machine recognise that the door is closed (again, why would wiggling the on/off switch have an effect)???

Any help and advice would be appreciated as this is baffling and confusing me!!

Thanks,

Richard.