Zanussi washing machine - screeching noise during fill

[mqw1968]

Just stumbled across this site and wondered if any of the experienced members out there can help

Have a Zanussi FJ1093 (11 years old now) which washes fine in all respects. However, for the last few months it has been making a loud screeching or squealing noise, but only at the beginning of a wash program during the fill cycle.

Have had the top off and checked from underneath and it makes the noise even when the drum is not rotating, so my first thought is that it's not the belt. The noise seems to come from what appear to be pumps (located in the bottom of the unit, below the drum).

As I said, as far as I can tell, the wash programs work normally, apart from this racket.

Any ideas?

 

[tiredengineer]

If it has two pumps, one of them is a recirculating pump. While it's filling this pump should kick in and water should then start running down the inside of the door.
It's likely to be this pump that's causing the noise. If it is, replacement is the cure.


Unplug your appliance before working on it.

 

[mqw1968]

If it has two pumps, one of them is a recirculating pump. While it's filling this pump should kick in and water should then start running down the inside of the door.
It's likely to be this pump that's causing the noise. If it is, replacement is the cure.

Thanks for the tip, tiredengineer

You're right that the noise coincides with the water running down the inside of the door.

What I can see from under the machine looks like a two-pump system joined by a horizontal straight section of plastic tube (1.5 in diam, approx). The one closest to the front of the machine is, I seem to recall, linked to the filter trap, while the one towards the back appears to have a tube running upwards toward the top of the drum (haven't properly traced it through), which would suggest to me that this is the recirculating pump, yes?

The problem in pinpointing the exact source of the noise is that it's a bit tricky to get the machine tilted so that I can see/hear what's going on down below without the fill water spilling out of the dispenser drawer.

Any tips on the easiest way to get the recirculating pump out - the access through the underside is not bad, but if you have any previous experience, I'd appreciate it.

Also, is it easy to get a replacement pump for something as old as this machine?

Many thanks for taking the time to respond.

MarkW.
_____________________________
lynda, edited to correct quote

 

[tiredengineer]

You can split the casing, two hidden screws behind plastic plugs on the sides.
You can get an askoll pump to fit, you keep the body and just change the "motor" part.


Unplug your appliance before working on it

 

[mqw1968]

You can split the casing, two hidden screws behind plastic plugs on the sides.
You can get an askoll pump to fit, you keep the body and just change the "motor" part.

Thanks for the tips. Will have a crack at it this weekend once we've got the laundry basket cleared! Have been quoted over £50 (incl. VAT & del) for an Zanussi replacement. Is this reasonable? How much would the Askoll solution be?

Best regards

MarkW.
__________________________
lynda, edited to correct quote

 

[tiredengineer]

About £16 delivered for the askoll. Have a look at your pump. Is the motor part held to the body by 3 screws? If it is then the askoll should fit. You may have to cut the plug off the wiring and put new spade connectors on.



Unplug your appliance before working on it.

 

[mqw1968]

About £16 delivered for the askoll. Have a look at your pump. Is the motor part held to the body by 3 screws? If it is then the askoll should fit. You may have to cut the plug off the wiring and put new spade connectors on.

I had a good look at the recirc pump and eventually figured that there was no way that it would take an Askoll motor - assuming they're all like the one on the drain pump. I even took the motor part off the drain pump to check. The 3 holes match up with the ones on the recirc pump, but the plastic moulding won't mate together properly.

On top of that, the recirc pump motor and inlet/outlet sections both have intergral moulded parts which locate & clip into the plastic framework in the base of the machine (for stability, presumably), so the Askoll wouldn't satisfy that requirement.

However, as I had the recirc pump out, I decided that I'd just strip it down and clean up the bearings and motor shaft, which seemed to have generated a fair bit of fine black particulate from operational wear & tear.

A wipe with some IPA and a few dabs of Teflon-impregnated bike grease later and, lo and behold, the screeching has stopped!

There is definitely a slight hum/wobble from the pump where the motor shaft has too much play in the bearings (from 11 years of wear), but it's as quiet as a sleeping child compared to what we have had for the last year or so.

So, I learned something about washing machine layout (not as scary as I imagined), and saved myself at least £50 in the process. Will have to replace eventually, but it's nice not to have to take something to the dump for the sake of a pump.

Just wanted to say thanks to "tiredengineer" for pointing me in the right direction - got there in the end

Cheers

MarkW.

PS Just got to sort out the heater on my 10-year-old Primera now!