Zanussi WJS1397 Power Light On, but won't do anything

[John2009]

Zanussi WJS1397 Washer / Dryer.

Usually find my answers after looking through the forum for a couple of hours, but couldn't find anything similar to this.

Was doing a normal load of washing, when it reached the final spin it did sound a bit noisy as though the load wasn't too well balanced and the machine was shaking more than usual. Didn't worry too much but found out it had stopped quite early in the spin cycle, and that the RCD had been tripped in the consumer unit.

Reset the RCD and the power light comes on, but it doesn't do anything else when you turn the dial to drain or spin and switch on. The door doesn't appear to lock either. There is no audible sound of a motor or pump working or trying to work.

No water under the machine, though some leaked out on the right side when I turned it over and laid it on its back. Wondering whether the excessive shaking has caused something (come loose) to short out and blow a board? Tempted to try changing the door lock switch if it isn't too difficult to get to.

 

[cakeman]

door interlock failed

check pcb for burns too

seems like drum overloaded and unbalanced has banged ito the door lock . well from what you describe anyway

 

[John2009]

Thank you for your reply cakeman.

I've since taken the brushes off the motor, and they have loads of life left in them. Had to remove and partly disassemble the motor as well to get it back together!

Wondering if you can offer any help on how to get to the door lock. I took the top cover off, and removed the back half of the steel case, but can't get it. How far do you need to dismantle the machine to get access to remove it?

 

[cakeman]

remove the spring that holds the outer door seal.
remove outer door seal from the cabinet.
on the right where the door clicks in you'll see 2 screws these hold the door interlock, and look on the otherside and you'll see it with 3 wires in it

 

[John2009]

Thank you for the additional help - didn't think of removing the door seal. Have now managed to remove the door lock and taken a look inside it. Little bit of carbon build up, and a small screw fell out when I turned it upside down - photos below. Does the carbon buildup on the plastic seem excessive, and would a failure inside it be sufficient to trip the RCD in the consumer unit, as I'd assume it would'nt have any direct connection to the mains supply and would only be low voltage?

I'm uncertain whether to spend the money on buying a replacement part as not confident that this is what caused the problem - advice appreciated, thank you.

Inside Switch:

Switch Cover:

Very small screw which fell out, only about 4mm long and 3mm diameter:

 

[Leccy758]

Looking at that pic I can say that the door interlock has blown, it can trip RCD's when it goes and if unlucky the PCB,

Usually you can see blown/damaged tracks on the PCB where the door interlock connector block fits on it, (mostly repairable with a bit of solder and wire) if the PCB has been damaged.

Note---Mains voltage goes through the door interlock

 

[John2009]

Thank you for the quick reply - I didn't realise the door switch used mains voltage, though after posting my earlier message I did notice "250 opening, 250 closing" writing on the interlock case!

Will go ahead and order a replacement interlock and hope the PCB is ok. I can only see one side of the PCB, as I don't know if it disconnects from the workings of the "mechanical" rotary program dial/switch. It doesn't look perfect but hopefully isn't blown

 

[cakeman]

looks from the picture that a fault may have occured

replacement parts are cheap enough to warrant having a go

this one will fit
http://www.casaparts.co.uk/products/id-06070904

 

[Leccy758]

the PCB does not need to come off the programmer, it is usually the neutral track from the door interlock on the PCB that goes if any.
Fairly obvious if you look at the back of the PCB where all the tracks are.

 

[John2009]

Took a few photos of the PCB so I could ask whether you think it looks ok, most of the photos came out the same but for some reason one photo showed some strange marks, possibly flux.

Photo Links (used TinyURL as Photobucket links were quite long)
http://tinyurl.com/kpyv4u
http://tinyurl.com/mx22mv
http://tinyurl.com/mjvjg4

Can you replace the PCB by itself, or does it come as part of the program mechanism?

Thank you.

 

[cakeman]

it looks like you may have a scorch mark,

what is on the otherside of the board

PCB can be replaced by itself

 

[Leccy758]

the white line on the PCB is a blown track (the conductor has acted like a fuse).

Generally you can solder a piece of thin wire to replace the blown track (or get someone who can do it) and no damage to the actual componants on the board.

 

[John2009]

I have to admit I thought it was just a painted over track, but closer inspection (and checking with a multimeter) shows you are right - it is a blown track. Traced the two wires from the connector plug - one goes to the door switch, the other goes to the On/Off switch.

Also gave me an opportunity to use my old macro lens to get a closeup photo, though I couldn't hold the camera perfectly still:
http://tinyurl.com/ndwrc4

So my next question is how does one remove the programmer unit from this machine, there's no visible screw or bolts with just the lid off. I don't trust my soldering skills, so would like to take it to a friend who has experience with soldering wires onto circuit boards.

I did pop into a local parts store, and they said the PCB is not sold separately, it is part of the programmer and would cost around £120!

Thank you again for your help cakeman and Leccy758

 

[cakeman]

can be repaired as leccy says
i wouldn't say it is 100% certain to work though
but worth ago defo

 

[John2009]

Fitted an OEM door interlock in the end a few days ago (as this meant I didn't have to mess around with the existing plug on the washing machine, and it also has the holder for the door lock bulb). Managed to get a wire soldered onto the PCB to replace the burnt out track by one of my mates - he did a much better job than I could have done!!...

The result of all this help and repairs, is my washing machine is now working again .
Did a quick empty prewash and spin test first, and then did a normal 40C wash load.

Thanks again to cakeman and Leccy758 for your help, hopefully this thread and my photos will one day be of use to someone else