The electric motor failure in the washing machine is quite possible, especially if the machine has worked for several years. The main cause of the malfunction is worn carbon brushes. Their replacement will solve the problem of failure, and the machine will work again, as before.
Preparatory stage
At the first stage it is necessary to prepare the washing machine for partial disassembly. It must be disconnected from all communications and pushed to a free space in the room, providing access to the back cover. Without partial disassembly, it is impossible to say with 100% probability that the brushes cause any malfunctions. With such a malfunction, of course, there are typical symptoms:
- firstly, the drum is spinning at a slower speed than it shall;
- secondly, a typical noise appears, but it is difficult to understand from the noise that the brushes are faulty;
- Thirdly, the F21 error appears on the Bosch washing machine display. These errors are related to the motor, but it has not been proved yet that this is the reason for the failure of the brushes.
- fourthly, it happens so, rarely but it still happens, that the motor sparks, there is a smell of burning.
So, to expressly establish the damage, you need to remove the motor from the body of the Bosch washing machine, to do this you will need to do the following:
- unscrew the back panel of the body with a screwdriver;
- remove the drive belt from pulleys;
- disconnect the wiring harness from the motor;
- unscrew the bolts holding the motor;
- remove the motor, if necessary, rocking it to the side.
Note! In some models of Bosch washing machines, replacing brushes can be done without removing the motor.
Changing brushes in the Bosch washing machine
First you need to find the motor brushes. Some people absolutely do not understand anything in the device of the collector motor and have no desire to disassemble it.
Fortunately, for this work we only need to pull out the brushes. Carbon brushes of the electric motor of the Bosch brand washing machine are located on the sides of the body. Brushes have a wire, which provides power supply, and a spring, which forces them out and presses to the rotating commutator segments. The brushes are quite recognizable; you can’t confuse them with anything.
To make the replacement of the electric motor brushes of the Bosch washing machine successful, it is necessary to remove the old worn carbon elements correctly. How do you do it?
- Take a flat screwdriver or round-nosed pliers and pull off the supply wire by carefully hooking its terminal.
- Now take the contact of the motor brush of the Bosch washing machine and shift it away from the wire.
- Pull the contact very gently upwards, after which the spring-loaded brush itself pops up and can be pulled out. When pulling out the brush, remember which side was it connected, then put a new brush of the electric motor in the same way.
- Examine the old motor brushes of the Bosch washing machine, determine how worn they are and decide whether to change them or not.
If replacement is required, unpack the new carbon brushes. Put them in the traverse of the motor in the same way as the old brushes. Push the spring into the traverse. It is inconvenient to do this, since the spring is long and you will have to press it all over so that it fully enters the traverse. Next, insert the terminal into the clips of the upper part of the traverse. Move them towards the supply wire, thus fixing the electric motor’s carbon brush.
Now put the connector with the wire on the terminal of the carbon brush and you can replace the second brush. Experts advise to always change the brushes in a pair, even if the second brush is intact. This prolongs the working life of the motor. Replacement of the second brush is made in the same way. Then the reliability of all contacts is checked and the motor can be considered ready for installation in a washing machine.
What do you do after the replacement
Replacement of the brushes does not guarantee that the Bosch washing machine motor will work steadily after the repair. New brushes should sit in. That is why put the motor in place, connect it, assemble the washing machine, put it in place and make a test run. At this stage, do not spare the motor, turn on the longest possible spinning cycle at maximum speed. The more intensively the motor will work for the first time, the better. The brushes will quicker sit in and the motor will start to work stably.
Do not be surprised if the motor will run noisy at first, the noise will disappear soon.
In conclusion, let us note: if your Bosch brand washing machine needs a simple repair, like to replace the electric motor brushes, you do not have to rush to call the expert. In such a situation you can easily save a couple of dollars and do everything yourself. The main thing is to be attentive and have a desire to work a little.