Pump does not kick in!

[askomiele]

Hi out there!

Feels a bit strange to post my 'help questions' around here but I have a problem.

Last night when I was doing laundry, at the end of the rinsecycle the pump form my Miele didn't kick in. After a minute or 2, I stopped her and let her 'rest'. Afterwards I started the 'drain' program but no sign of live on form the pump. I did empty the tub manually, open the pump with a clean filter, and spun the impeller by hand. After closing her up she spun and proceeded to the last rinse. Yet again the problem re-occured.

Sometimes, the machine gives the command to start the pump and the pumpmotor kicks in only after seconds and not immediatly like it used to do.

I had similair problems with my olympia, but that problem solved itself.

Is it possible that the cold weather is causing some extra trouble? It's not freezing and yet againg I used my Miele is a much colder environment without any trouble.

Suggetions?

 

[whirlpolf]

I had that too..

As long as it is just a pump thing (and not in the programme electronics)
you can get it back working quite easily:

It depends whether it is a classic pump with fixed split pole motor (Type A) or a modern plastic pump with detachable field coils and magnetic armature floating in the suds (Type B).

For Type A just clean the rubber seal and the shaft (soak residues, lime and threads wound around it)
and give the brass bushings of the motor some grease or sewing machine oil.

For Type B take out the entire pump impeller and clean out its cavity. (there might be all kinds of stuff in there...). Make sure it can freely float in the water (perhaps the ball bearing at the end might like a blob of grease.

Found out that this can save you €, often the pump does not have to be replaced.
I will attach some small graphics.
Cheers

 

[whirlpolf]

Type A

 

[whirlpolf]

Type B

 

[Pingmeep]

@whirlpolf Wow that was awesome.
I've been trying to explain this to my aunt for a dogs age.
Did you do those diagrams yourself or is there some source for them on the web?

 

[whirlpolf]

myself

hi pingmeep,

thanks, glad you like them. Why not show them to your aunt?

I made the diagrams myself, it was a snap, it took me less than 20 mins. AppleWorks (the older office suite of Macintosh) - now there's iWorks, same thing with new looks basically (so nothing really new or special).

But the pics are from internet searches, I copied and pasted them in my diagrams for additional "realness".

If you have a Windows computer you could do the same thing in Office (Word or PowerPoint) I guess (or try one of the many freeware programs available).

Was this helpful?

 

[Pingmeep]

Yes very hopeful although I was hoping there was a treasure trove of diagrams just waiting to be found. ;-) Thank you though. I printed, scanned, photoshoped and faxed (she doesn`t have email) her the diagrams. She is using her stat holiday tomorrow to finally get her old machine working.

Thanks again.

 

[whirlpolf]

keeping my fingers crossed

Good, I hope she can get them running again. There are some very good repair videos on several American washer types on youtube. She might want to see those, too.

Btw. "pumps"
On quite a lot of frontloader machines (at least here), you don't even have to disassemble them, many impellers of the type B pumps can just be chucked out like this giving them a sharp tug or using some pliers (through the filter opening, once the base or the kickplate has been removed) (saves you lots of elbow grease unmounting the pump).

To do a test whether it is the pump or the electronics:
Get the machine hooked up, take off the outer pump housing and look into the pump so you can see the impeller. Put the machine in pumping mode (any cycle). Watch the impeller: If it is vibrating or wiggling "forward" (like it intends to rotate but like it cannot) THEN it is definitely the shaft (and can be restored like this here).
Using a screwdriver (NOT your index finger) give the impeller a kick in the right direction. Does it spin now?
No new pump needed. Use the tricks above.

But: No vibration? No wiggling? No slow motion by the millimetre? (Put your ear to the machines's casing: No humming sounds like 50 Hz or 60 Hz respectively?
This could be the coil (replace dead stator coil) or the wiring (check with ohm-meter from program box down to pump, machine must be off - if so, remake the contact shoes or the wiring) or the electronics themselves (are there cycles when it DOES pump and are there others that simply "refuse" to pump?) This would mean a new PCB for the cycles or a new timer (on older machines).
Older machines: Disassemble the timer, are there blackish or burnt contacts? Soot? "Electric" smells somewhere? Before exchanging the timer, try to get the contacts shiny again with 1000 grain sandpaper.
Only if this fails, get a new timer.

Ooph, that was about it ;-)
Joe

 

[askomiele]

Thx

I'm off this week but on friday i'll check everything. These diagrams are very usefull! I'm impressed by the drawings and the text!