This is another form of fault indication on less sophisticated washing machines. Older Indesit and Hoover washing machines used to do it. If the selector knob is clicking round all on its own then the washing machine has probably aborted the programme due to a fault.
You can get a clue as to where the fault could lie if you know where on the program the clicking starts. If it washes OK, but then starts clicking round during the rinses it could be a problem with draining the water (check the pump filter). If it starts clicking round after several minutes it could be because it’s not heating up the water.
Unfortunately though, there are so many causes for the timer selector knob clicking round that even engineers can sometimes have problems tracing the cause. Even a low insulation reading on the heater or motor can cause it – as can a faulty PCB control module, or a fault on the thermistor (thermostat) or even just a faulty connection somewhere.
Light’s flashing
If your washing machine selector knob (dial) clicks round continuously and you can see some of the lights flashing, or one or more option lights have lit up, then make a note of which lights are flashing and which option lights are lit as described here – washing machine lights flashing.
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I have many articles on appliance error codes, which give further insight into why error codes aren’t readily available as well as explaining why many aren’t much use to you anyway. I’ve put up the meanings of some of the more common error codes too – White goods error codes
Resetting an Indesit washing machine
Some older Indesit washing machines have a bizarre procedure to reset the program once it is started. Most modern washing machines have a cancel button that you press for a few seconds and the washing machine will abort. With some earlier Indesit washing machines, if you move the selector knob after the program has started it will just click all the way round to try and find the original program and continue with it.
So to reset one of these Indesit washing machines with a selector knob (but no cancel button) you need to do the following –
- Turn the washing machine off with the on off button.
- Turn the selector knob to a dot, or any off position
- Turn the washing machine back on and watch for rapid flashing on the neon light
- Turn the washing machine off and select the new program (or maybe spin)
- Turn it back on and the new program should start
NOTE: Resetting the timer selector knob as shown may stop the clicking round, but if your washing machine dial keeps turning and clicking after it’s been reset then it needs investigating. Unfortunately this type of error detection is extremely crude and gives no indication what it could be other than “something” is wrong.
Juan says
Washing machine knob spins around and doesn’t work with clothes on it,
but works properly without clothes.
Andy Trigg says
Unusual, but maybe a motor fault which only happens when it tries to turn a load, or a poor or loose connection somewhere which gets disturbed when the washing causes the drum to move around, or even a small leak which only happens when washing is in and the drum shakes around on spin. It depends exactly when it happens on the cycle as to which one (if any) to suspect.
kev says
Thank you!!!! Indesit washing machine program dial was just spinning around clicking, very glad I found this website! I followed the steps given to reset, and that sorted out the problem! Thanks again!
Karl says
Thanks, the reset fixed the problem of the dial rotating continuously. The machine was 30 minutes from landing on the dump!
Kamp says
Andy thank you so much, the reset worked! Really appreciate it âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸
Mel says
Thank you so much for this article, your tip for the restart worked perfectly on my old Indesit.
Kirsty says
I have a old indesit w135 dial was clicking last night and stuck with clothes in. Managed your reset and got clothes out. Tried to do a spin as clothes were water logged and it started clicking again. Does this mean something wrong with spin cycle.
Thank you
(So I tried a economy wash cycle 8 it washed it drained but when it came to spin started clicking)
Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp) says
Yes Kirsty, if the clicking continues it’s detecting an error. Unfortunately this is a very crude error detection system and gives little clue what the error is apart from when it actually gets triggered. If it is draining the water ok (apart from spinning them) then it could be a motor fault (possibly worn carbon brushes) or even a pressure system fault. If it’s only partially draining the water it could be a partial blockage in the pump, pump filter or somewhere else. You are probably going to need an engineer to work out which.