Whirpool AWZ 412 trips, sparks, then 'dies'
I have a Whirpool AWZ 412 front-loading washer which 3 days ago has tripped the switch board (I wasn't there when this 1st happened). I came from work, found the wet clothing wet inside, and re-started it again. It tripped after filling, but (I believe) before tumbling -- there was a bright spark, and the thing was left locked and filled with water. Removed the cover and looked underneath -- there was a bit of black dusting on the motor wires, but not clear if this is the charring or worn belt dust, i.e. no obvious suspects. I then tried to watch it trip in real-time, to see where the spark would come from, but now it won't do anything: no filling, and no relays switching, except for locking the door and showing the Active LED.
I've previously replaced the drain pump, it worked fine for a few months with the new pump. Also, found a broken thermostat connector which I soldered back together and tested. Don't think it's the thermostat though, as we never use the drying function. Another odd thing (but could be irrelevant) is this loose red wire next to the water pressure sensor. It's not properly terminated, but does not appear charred either (pic)
Solution Summary
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This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.
Whirpool AWZ 412 tripped electrics with spark, then became non-starting
- The problem
- A Whirpool AWZ 412 front-loading washer tripped the electrics during a cycle, leaving wet laundry inside. On a restart it tripped again after filling, apparently before tumbling, with a bright spark. After that it would only lock the door and show the Active LED, with no filling or relay activity.
- Likely cause
- A major insulation fault was considered the most likely issue. The accepted reply said a big flash is often caused by the motor, but not necessarily, and that tracing a fuse/trip fault requires an insulation test meter. The poster also suspected the motor may have caused the surge and damaged the PCB, but this was not confirmed.
- What fixed it
- No repair was confirmed. The accepted advice was that this type of tripping fault needs proper insulation testing to identify the faulty component. A later reply advised that, given the uncertainty and likely parts cost, the machine was probably not worth pursuing.
- Checks to try
- Observed black dusting on motor wires under the machine
- Machine locked the door and showed the Active LED but did not fill or switch relays
- Plug fuse was checked and found fine
- Loose red wire near the pressure sensor was inspected and did not appear to match a broken double-tag connection
- Parts or tools mentioned
- insulation test meter
- motor
- PCB
- plug fuse
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
3 Answers
Fusing or tripping the electrics needs an insulation test meter to trace. A big flash is often caused by the motor but not necessarily. Could the red wire be off the pressure switch? It could be a double tag like one already on?
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Thank you for your response. I did check the red double tag plastic housing, it does not seem to have the remainder of the 'cut' wire.
Would the pressure sensor prevent the thing from starting to fill?
My theory now is that the motor caused the surge and then fried the PCB, which is why it now would not start doing anything at all (except for locking the door). The main fuse in the plug is fine. As the motor costs 120 (!), I am not sure if this is worth repairing. The pump I replaced before was 14 quid, and the problem was easy to identify. Here, I am not sure if replacing the motor would solve it at all. This is a rental flat, so... not worth it?
I would say it's not worth pursuing. The expense of the parts in question plus the uncertainty on a budget washing machine is just not worth it.
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