Motor Tries To Turn But Just Hums

This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.

Washer motor hums and only moves slightly; likely motor or control fault

The problem

The washing machine was leaving clothes very wet. After replacing the motor brushes and then a badly worn drain pump, the fault remained. On a cycle, the machine fills with water, the drum moves only very slightly, then just buzzes and stays stationary. The drum turns freely by hand. On spin, it rotates but does not reach the stated 1200 rpm.

Likely cause

The accepted reply said the most likely causes were a control module fault or a faulty armature in the motor. The exact failed part was not confirmed.

What fixed it

No confirmed repair was given. The accepted advice was not to buy a replacement control module speculatively because it is expensive and non-returnable, and because the motor armature could also be at fault. Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.

Checks to try

• Motor brushes were replaced, although the old brushes were still about 25-30mm long
• Drain pump was examined and replaced because the impeller was virtually hanging off the spindle
• Drum was reported to rotate freely by hand
• Observed that on wash the drum only moved slightly then buzzed
• Observed that on spin it turned but did not reach full speed

Parts or tools mentioned

• Motor brushes
• Drain pump
• Control module
• Motor armature