Zanussi Directa FJ1200

[newwave1]

Hi guys,

Earlier this year I worked for service force the main agent for Electrolux service. Attached to the service centre we had a shop and we used to get a lot of scrap machines in. I got a working Zanussi TD201 vented dryer and a Zanussi Directa fj1200 washer which albeit slightly finicky electronics works perfectly. I’ve had them both about 6 months now but haven’t posted here much so thought I would share.

As you’ll see in the pictures one of my dogs and the cat got involved.

Darren

 

[newwave1]

Cottons wash

 

[newwave1]

Rinse

It has a rinse sensor and the water level can be anything from low to high

 

[newwave1]

Final spin 1200rpm

 

[rolls_rapide]

Zanussi 'Rinse Sensor Injection'

I liked the clean lines of that machine. Is the programmer dial, a standard electro-mechanical timer, or is it an electronic selector switch?

From reading the usual marketing bumf at the time, I got the impression that Zanussi's Rinse Sensor Injection was as follows:

'Injection' simply being the Jetsystem recirculation jet,
'Rinse Sensor' being the standard foam/pressure vessel detection; i.e excess foam activates an extra rinse automatically.

I don't think any machines of this vintage had optical turbidity sensors. I believe the first of these might have been the likes of Siemens/Bosch with their 'Hydrosensor'.

 

[newwave1]

Hey Rolls,

Yeah it’s an electro mechanical timer you can hear and feel the inner dial turning around despite the free moving dial.

I believe the rinse sensor works on the pressure switch. Sudslocks etc trigger different water levels.

It’s a cracking machine. The 1200 is good considering I’m used to 1400rpm plus these days.

I read you’ve a gorenje made Panasonic now? Love the triple jet on those.

Cheers

Darren

 

[rolls_rapide]

"I read you’ve a gorenje made Panasonic now? Love the triple jet on those."

Pftt! Thanks, but it's really very much 'a menace in disguise'. The silly jet(s) get clogged with lint on a regular basis (every couple of months). It is so annoying. Hardly any fluff in the sump filter, it balls up and collects in the common manifold bottleneck instead. It's a daft design.

Zanussi absolutely had the right idea with the single jet outlet... less hassle all round. I never had a blockage with the IZ1600.

And I believe Ingemar's latest modern Gorenje machine is the polished evolution of the earlier ones... apparently only one decent spray outlet.

I think 1200rpm - 1400 rpm is still a decent speed. I know my Panasonic sometimes never reaches the claimed fast speeds, due to imbalance detection.

 

[newwave1]

The triple jet has to be better than the 5 jet ring. They get blocked all the time and we’re probably my most common call out on the midea made machines other than the bearings failing at a spectacular rate!

The IZ I had was bloody brilliant. I had a later model which didn’t do any of the spin rinses etc and I acquired one which had knackered bearings so I swapped the parts over so it was far more entertaining.

I saw some videos of the gorenje wave action jet and it was very strong!

Darren

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Midea made machines..."

Are the Midea machines serviceable in any shape and form? Or is it a case of ditching the whole machine?

Do you know who actually made the various ranges of Panasonics?

I had an uppercrust NA-16VX1 (made in China). The inference was that it 'might' have been made by Hisense.

I gather that the lower/cheaper ranges were possibly made by Vestel of Turkey.

And then of course Gorenje made the upper level machines.

 

[newwave1]

Yeah they are. Front comes off. Tub splits. Parts are available. Despise the door seals so tacky and thin when you apply pressure to fit they fall off. I have a door seal tool which works on most springs but I didn’t have it when I worked for them.

The NA-16VX1 models are made by haier.

Later ranges vestel made the lower end and midea made the high end and as you know the final European models were made by gorenje as part of a huge fan fair of a joint project which lasted all of one range!

I had 8kg 1600rpm midea model it was really good. Loved the drum paddles 3D washing an jets but they forever blocked and made awful noises. You had to take the front of the tub off to access those. I tried many times to clean the nozzles to on avail.

Darren

 

[rolls_rapide]

Ah! Thanks for the info. I had a Haier in disguise? Very interesting.

My VX1 had the plastic hub covering the drum mounting bolts inside the drum. That drum felt quite solid, but I never felt that the laundry was suitably soaked, as it never had the recirculation system, and the paddle-lifters were offset to the rear of the drum. But spinning was good, thanks to the slightly tilted tub.

And now Hisense own Gorenje, and Haier own Hoover-Candy. Gosh, what a change of events.

Frankly, I dunno what Panasonic are playing at. We get four different associate manufacturers in a decade. I wonder if Panasonic's board of management changed as often?

 

[newwave1]

Yeah those covers used to break off and expose the nuts which wrote the drum off! Ridiculous!

They didn’t use too much water and that tilt maybe why things weren’t soaked. They could’ve done with a jet.

Yeah it’s a strange time for appliances with these new takeovers. I am interested to see what the future machines will look like. All I need now is Electrolux to sort themselves out because they are a showeee of sh1t atm!

Darren

 

[rolls_rapide]

I never understood Electrolux's policy of phasing out the 'Electrolux' name on appliances in the UK. They replaced it with the 'AEG' brand, yet the 'Electrolux' name had more respect and was held in high regard.

Frankly, the management should be shot for their incompetence.

 

[newwave1]

Yeah those covers used to break off and expose the nuts which wrote the drum off! Ridiculous!

They didn’t use too much water and that tilt maybe why things weren’t soaked. They could’ve done with a jet.

Yeah it’s a strange time for appliances with these new takeovers. I am interested to see what the future machines will look like. All I need now is Electrolux to sort themselves out because they are a showeee of sh1t atm!

Darren

 

[newwave1]

Feels like they’re trying to implode from the inside! So many cuts to quality.

Darren