Washing Machine Motor Fault
I am assuming all washing machine motors are pretty much the same so I was hoping somebody could advise me. My washing machine tries to spin but cuts out after a second or two. It is not the control board as the motor does try to turn but gives up after an initial burst of energy.
I have taken the motor off and tested the 8 pin connector with a multimeter and got the following results. I assume pins 1, 2 & 3 are the motor. There is continuity across all three terminals. Pins 4 and 5 are brushes. Full continuity except when I spin the motor from stationary I get a split second of discontinuity spinning one way but not the other.
Pins 6 and 7 are taco coil no continuity except when I spin the motor from stationary I get a split second of continuity spinning one way but not the other. Pin 8 is earth and none of the terminals show continuity with it. All parts of the motor casing show continuity with it. I cannot see any damage to the taco coil but there is what seems to be a magnet or carbon bush around the end of the armature that is broken. This piece is definitely supposed to be moulded/shaped around the end of the armature and sits tightly inside the taco coil.
What do you think? I think that because the moulding on the end of the armature is broken and I do not get continuity over the taco coil pins then both the motor and taco coil will need replacing. Thanks in advance for your input. Ash
Solution Summary
AI-generated from this discussion
This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.
Motor cuts out after initial spin burst, likely tacho feedback fault
- The problem
- The washing machine motor tries to spin, then stops after a second or two. The motor was removed and checked with a multimeter. The poster reported no proper continuity on the tacho coil pins and found the magnet/moulded piece around the end of the armature broken where it sits inside the tacho coil.
- Likely cause
- The strongest supported diagnosis is loss of motor speed feedback due to a broken magnet on the end of the armature and/or the tacho coil being damaged or displaced. The accepted reply states that if the magnet is broken or the tacho coil has fallen off, the machine cannot read motor speed and may abort the spin or fail to run.
- What fixed it
- Inspect and repair or replace the faulty motor speed sensing components as appropriate: the tacho coil and/or the motor assembly if the end magnet is damaged. The exact repair carried out was not confirmed in the discussion.
- Checks to try
- Motor tries to turn briefly before cutting out
- Continuity tests carried out on the 8-pin motor connector
- No proper continuity reported on pins 6 and 7 identified as the tacho coil
- No continuity from motor terminals to earth; motor casing continuous to earth
- Broken magnet/moulding observed around the end of the armature inside the tacho coil
- Parts or tools mentioned
- Multimeter
- Motor tacho coil
- Motor
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
2 Answers
If the magnet on the end of the armature is broken or the small tacho coil has fallen off the motor then the washing machine can't read the speed of the motor through the tacho coil. This would normally cause an uncontrolled spin or the motor to not run at all depending on design. The machine may abort if it cannot control motor speed because of a broken tacho coil.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
Read this article for more details on the motor tacho coil and problems associated with the motor spinning and then aborting.
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