Do I need to change washing machine carbon brushes?
Carbon brushes are one of the most commonly worn parts in a washing machine motor. This guide covers how to diagnose whether carbon brushes need replacing, how to identify brushes that are still serviceable, and what complications to watch for before starting a repair.
Do not fit new carbon brushes speculatively. Worn brushes are common, but a motor that has stopped running can have many other causes. Remove the brushes first and inspect them. A shiny, smooth tip means the brush is still making good contact. A charred, sooty, or damaged tip indicates a problem – but the underlying cause still needs to be identified before replacing.
How to Tell If Carbon Brushes Need Replacing
The most reliable way is to remove the brushes from the motor and inspect them. Do not fit new brushes without first confirming the fault is actually caused by worn or damaged brushes. A motor that has stopped running can be caused by many other faults – fitting new brushes speculatively wastes time and money if the brushes are not the cause.
Heavy sparking from inside the motor can indicate worn brushes, but very small sparks during normal operation are common and not necessarily a fault. If sparking is excessive – particularly with flashing or arcing – the motor should be stopped and investigated before further use.
Worn Carbon Brushes – Identifying Good and Faulty
Left brush: good contact – smooth and shiny tip. Right brush: faulty – charred and sooty tip with evidence of burning.
Both brushes shown above are approximately 80% worn. The brush on the left is still making good contact with the armature – its tip is smooth and shiny, with no evidence of sparking. The brush on the right is faulty – the tip is charred and sooty with a charcoal-like appearance indicating burning.
If both brushes are smooth and shiny, they are still making good contact and are unlikely to be causing the fault – even if they are heavily worn and will soon need replacing. In this case, the cause of any motor problem lies elsewhere.
A Brush That Is Still Serviceable
Approximately 20% worn – smooth, shiny tip with no evidence of burning. This brush is still serviceable.
This brush is around 20% worn. The tip is shiny and smooth with no evidence of burning – it is making good contact with the armature and does not need replacing.
A brush can stick inside its spring-loaded holder even when not significantly worn. If this happens, the brush surface wears normally but the brush stops advancing to maintain contact with the armature. The result is a charred tip despite the brush not being heavily used – which can look similar to a heavily worn and failing brush. Always check that each brush moves freely in its holder.
Serious Brush Damage – Complications
Approximately 50% worn but with severe arcing damage to the brass holder – this indicates a more serious motor fault.
This brush is around 50% worn but shows serious arcing damage to the brass holder caused by excessive sparking inside the motor. This level of damage indicates problems beyond worn brushes.
- Chunk broken from the brush tip – this often indicates a raised commutator bar on the armature. A raised or loose bar can be felt by placing a finger on the copper segments and slowly turning the armature. This type of fault requires a new motor.
- Machine has also blown a fuse – this indicates electrical shorting inside the motor. Diagnosing this requires an insulation test meter and electrical knowledge. Simply fitting new brushes will not resolve the fault.
- Damage to the brass holder combined with a blown fuse – the TOC (thermal overload cut-out) inside the motor may also have blown. This is no longer a straightforward brush replacement job and requires further investigation before proceeding.
When to Call an Engineer Instead
Fitting new carbon brushes in a motor is physically straightforward. However, without proper test equipment and experience working with motors, there is a real risk of misdiagnosis – and fitting new brushes into a motor with a more serious underlying fault will not solve the problem. If the brushes show signs of serious damage, or if the machine has also fused or blown components, a qualified repair engineer should assess the motor before any parts are ordered.
Fitted new brushes but motor still doesn’t work – Motor sparking after fitting brushes – How to fit Hotpoint/Creda carbon brushes – Motor not running – main diagnostic guide – DIY safety guide
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my washing machine carbon brushes need replacing?
Remove the brushes and inspect the tips. A shiny, smooth tip means the brush is still making good contact and may not be causing the fault. A charred, sooty, or damaged tip indicates the brush has been arcing. However, worn brushes alone do not confirm they are the cause of a motor fault – other causes should be ruled out first before replacing them.
Can I just fit new carbon brushes if the motor isn’t running?
Not without first confirming the brushes are the cause. A motor can stop running due to many other faults – a blown TOC, wiring fault, faulty winding, or armature damage. If brushes are fitted speculatively and are not the cause, the motor will still not run and money has been wasted. Inspect the brushes first and check for other causes. See: motor not running – main diagnostic guide.
What does it mean if the carbon brush holder is also damaged?
Arcing damage to the brass brush holder indicates excessive sparking inside the motor, which points to a more serious fault than worn brushes. If the machine has also blown a fuse, this suggests electrical shorting inside the motor. The TOC may also have blown. This is not a straightforward brush replacement job – further diagnosis with proper test equipment is needed before proceeding.
Hello Stephen. I have 2 other articles which might help –
Fitted new carbon brushes but the motor still doesn’t work
Fitted brushes now motor sparking a lot
my drum wasnt spinning at all, i changed the carbon brushes an the machine starts spinning an keeps cutting out after aprrox 5 seconds, what could this be?
Hello Debbie. If the clicking noises present when you turn the drum by hand it could be more serious than worn carbon brushes. One carbon brushes don’t normally cause burning smells and clicking noises. More often than not they just quietly stop making contact and people are puzzled as to why their washing machine drum has stopped turning. It is possible for brushes to carry on working when making only partial contact if the contact is strong enough. In such cases the motor may continue to run but flash and spark excessively and this can cause a burning smell. In such cases it could indicate that the main armature is also worn.
If you take off the drive belt and turn the motor by hand and it clicks once per revolution there could be a raised com bar which is described in my article above. This is serious and would require a new motor. Other than that the motor would need to be removed and the brushes checked as described in my article to see if they are badly charred.
Hi my machine is currently making a clicking noise when drum turns and giving off a burning smell when on spin does that mean the brushes need replacing.
Thanks.
Hello Sarah. Carbon brushes could cause this, so the article above would be helpful in checking the brushes out. However other faults could also cause it so if the brushes are okay check out this article washing machine drum not turning
I’ve have 3 year old candy grando. Whilst my washing was on I noticed it had stopped spinning and the lights on the programme was randomly flashing. I drained and check filter and some coins came out. Now my washer fills and empties but wont spin at all. I’ve just tried another wash and it’s trying to spin but only managed 1/4 or a turn and stops and I’ve just noticed small sparks coming underneath the washing machine. Not sure what it could be
Thanks.
Yes bizarrely, some Hotpoint and Indesit washing machines can go completely dead with lights on and door locked if the motor or some other parts go open circuit. If fitting the brushes got it running again make sure they aren’t excessively sparking – problems after fitting carbon brushes
My hotpoint washing machine stopped working ,display said door,and the door switch clicked in out continuosly for quite a few attempts,i googled this problem and being an electrician,i have a little knowledge of fixing them but someone said it was an open circuit due to the brushes.i checked the brushes and they were worn right down and had no more left to spring out.i orderednew brushes to suit the model and have just fitted the new ones,it washes and rinses perfectly but as soon as it goes into a high spin in any mode it stops and the door display comes back on,any ideas please
Hi Andy,
Yes you are Correct it is not Front Loading machine but Top Loading, Thanks you very much for the response received quickly rom your end, i have called the Tech guy let me see what he tells