Solved
Indesit

Indesit Washing Machine W103 Wont Finish Spin. Dial Clicking Round

CUCurious
Asked over 20 years ago 5,715 views
0

My indesit washing machine will sometimes not finish spinning. It is always on the final spin this happens, the program dial just starts clicking round. If it is left for a while you can restart it but you may get one load done then it will do it on the second one again.

There is a fair bit of water left in the pump chamber located at the front of the machine is this normal?

the suspension dampers have oil leaking from them could this cause this? If any parts recommended could you give a price of parts. Cheers.

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.

Indesit W103 aborting on final spin with programme dial clicking round

The problem
The Indesit W103 would sometimes fail on the final 1000rpm spin. The programme dial clicked round continuously and the pump kept running. It could sometimes complete one load after being left overnight, then fail again on later loads. The owner also found water in the pump chamber and later discovered a small leak from the back of the drum dripping towards the motor area.
Likely cause
The accepted advice was that the clicking dial means the programme had aborted. Initial possibilities mentioned were poor draining or an insulation fault on a component. The strongest supported diagnosis in the thread became water leaking from the back of the drum onto or near the motor, probably causing an intermittent earth/insulation-related fault during spin. Leaking suspension dampers were ruled out as the cause of this fault.
What fixed it
The owner reduced the leak by slightly tightening the large band/bolt around the back of the drum seal area. A replacement seal was discussed as the likely proper repair, but fitting instructions and the exact part replacement were not confirmed in the thread. Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
Checks to try
  • Observed the failure happens at the final fast spin stage
  • Noted the pump continues running while the dial clicks round
  • Checked water left in the pump/filter chamber
  • Observed oil leaking from the suspension dampers
  • Found a leak from the back of the drum dripping towards the motor
  • Slightly tightened the large metal band/bolt around the drum seal area
Parts or tools mentioned
  • drum seal
  • insulation test meter

Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.

Cause identifiedGenerated 13 Aug 2026 · AI summaries can make mistakes — read the full thread below.
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8 Answers

Accepted Answer
0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered over 20 years ago

Most modern washing machines have replaced the manual timer with small electronic selector switches or control panels. These then simply start the the main controller unit which is a PCB which runs software similar to a computer. When a fault occurs, or is detected, it triggers an abortion of the program and should give some sort of error code. With these Indesit washing machines, the clicking programme dial is an indicator that the programme has aborted. It should be accompanied by either a flashing light or the illumination of one or more option lights. If there are no option lights then it should be the flashing light. It should flash a certain number of times followed by a pause, then the flashes repeat. ( Related: Program selector knob (dial) clicks round continuously

It's also possible for low insulation on one of the components to trigger the dial clicking. You would need an insulation test meter to check the insulation of various components. Certain components (like the heater) that suffer low insulation readings or go "down to earth" can apparently cause this behaviour.

The suspension can't cause any problems like this, it would cause excessive banging around on spin.

The amount of water left in the filter chamber should only be about 2 - 3 mug full's of water. If there is more, it could be it isn't emptying the water fast enough and this would cause an error like this (check the pump filter - How do I clean my pump filter - where is the pump filter?

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
CU
Curious
Answered over 20 years ago

I have a little more to add. It is ready to go into a fast spin 1000 rpm when it stops and the pump seems to come on and while it is clicking around the pump is still trying to pump water away. Should it even be on during final spin?

Great site by the way!!!

I live in Fife Scotland if you have any telephone numbers for reputable washing machine engineers.

0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered over 20 years ago

Cheers. The pump should be running on the spin program from start to finish. If it does it only when reaching spin, then presumably we can discount the heater being down to earth as that should cause problems virtually straight away. Therefore it may be something involved with the spin procedure at fault.

If you are looking for a reputable washing machine engineer, here's a link to a post code search form where you can search for a washing machine engineer by post code area - Search for a washing machine engineer

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
CU
Curious
Answered over 20 years ago

I have just noticed there seems to be a leak from the back of the drum, it is dripping down on to the motor. It's not a bad leak, but it may be enough to do something to the motor. This is probably why when I leave it overnight the first wash seems to be okay then it struggles from then on. Obviously the motor has had time to dry out. It also started to do it when trying to start programs when I was trying one after the other. Thanks for your help any other suggestions are welcome but I think I may leave this to the experts, or get a new washing machine.

0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered over 20 years ago

It does sound like it's something you need to get an engineer to sort out if you can't see the source of the leak. It could be the motor that's going down to earth. Not enough to short out but enough to send the controller funny. This is one of these faults that only when someone experienced (and honest) examined the washing machine will you know if it's worth having repaired or not. The motor could be OK once dry as long as the leak is stopped.

Unfortunately though, on these cheap washing machines, if you needed a new motor it could easily cost £150 - £170 which is ludicrous.

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
CU
Curious
Answered over 20 years ago

It seems to be leaking from the back of the drum. There is a metal strip that goes right round the drum with a big bolt to tighten it up. Is there a seal inside there that may need replacing? I tightened the screw just slightly and have had four successfull washes, but there is still a little water coming out. This is not enough water to run round the bottom of the drum and drip around motor area but after cycle is finished if you wipe around the metal lip there is a little water seeping out of it. Anymore help would be appreciated.

Thank you again.

0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered over 20 years ago

Before getting too involved in fixing the leak, did the washing machine work OK with the reduced water escaping? In other words are you confident that the leak is the source of the not spinning problem? The seal you require should be available from here - Appliance spare parts (4Washerhelp)

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
CU
Curious
Answered over 20 years ago

I'm certain it is the problem as there has been no more issues since stopping the leak, but I do think it will gradually get worse again unless fixed. Fitting instructions will also be required. Thanks for all your advice it has been very helpful. We have now caught up with the backlog of washing.

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