Motor is sparking
This page is about problems encounted after fitting new carbon brushes in a washing machine. If experiencing these issues without having just replaced the brushes though some of this article (and links) may still help.
A small amount of sparking is normal. Small sparks may occur until the carbon brushes bed in properly. Little minute sparks are often present but as long as they are very small should not indicate a problem. However, if there is a lot of sparking, particularly if it is flashing or arcing around the commutator then the repair is no good and you should stop using the washing machine before it blows something.
If brushes are fitted correctly but you still have excessive sparking, especially big flashes, this is caused by poor contact between the brush and the copper segments they run on or a major fault on the armature. It can be simply that the brushes are worn although clearly not if you’ve just fitted them. If the brushes are new, excessive sparking is usually due to wear on the armature’s commutator, or a short circuit somewhere on the armature windings. In most cases now, new armatures can no longer be fitted and a complete new motor would be required. I would be cautious about buying an expensive motor unless you are very confident about the diagnosis and fitting. (Buy washing machine motors and other appliance spares on 4washerhelp)
Motor is making a strange noise
When new brushes are fitted there is a period of bedding in needed, during which time (especially on first running) they can make a loud noise as the motor turns. This noise should diminish within a minute or so and diminish more after several washes. As long as the motor isn’t sparking excessively it should be ok and they should bed in. The noise should be the same when the motor is running as when you turn the drum by hand. It is the noise of new brushes riding over the segments of the commutator on the armature which is always loudest before they bed in.
Motor making clicking noise?
If the noise is alarmingly loud make sure you have fitted them properly. In most cases though this should be pretty hard to do as there is usually only one way to fit them. If they were somehow fitted the wrong way around, only the very tip of the brush would run on the armature making a very loud ratchety noise and probably accompanied by sparking on spin.
If there is a discernible click on each revolution, then one of the copper bars on the commutator which they run on could be loose and slightly raised. This can’t be repaired and a new armature or motor would be required. To test for this remove the motor from the machine and place a fingertip on the commutator (the copper part with small individual sections) and slowly rotate the armature from the end where the belt fits. See if you can feel if one of more of the copper bars is slightly raised or not. If so the motor needs replacing (if it’s economically viable).
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Pls can i reshape the carbon brush before i fit it in?
It should be completely necessary, is it the wrong brush? A certain amount of smooth filing down may be ok but not on the curved bit that runs on the commutator. That needs to be perfectly shaped to make optimum contact or excessive sparking and burning will occur.
I have fitted the carbon brushes and double checked them, they are in contact for sure but are sparking slighly, like a very small sparkler just on one side, its diminished after the first full wash but its still there slightly, could this just be the bedding in?
Probably Andy. As I explain in the article small sparks are normal. When an engineer fits brushes they often help bed them in using a special comm stick but they should settle. If not try removing the brush and lightly cleaning it with fine emery cloth at the point where it’s sparking.
My husband is replacing the brushes on my bosch machine however, the motor is on the underside of the drum, how will I know if it’s sparkng at all?
Hi Karen. The motor should be observed with the back panel off. However, some washing machines no longer have proper back panels, some have no access at the back and others just a small inspection hatch to allow access to the drum pulley.
A motor with newly fitted carbon brushes will often have a harsh high pitched sound for the first several washes until they bed in but if a motor is sparking seriously you should be able to tell from the sound. It will make crackling or grating noises as it turns. On tiled floors you can often also see sparks reflected just under the front of the machine.
I just changed the brushes on my Bosch washing machine and when it’s on a fast spin that’s when I see blue flashes reflecting from the bottom of the machine is this normal? I’m sure I’ve put the brushes in correctly because the machine sounds perfectly normal on slower rotations and there’s no blue flashes!
Hello Andy. It all depends on how big the sparks are. If you can see them reflected it implies they are relatively big. As I describe in my article a certain amount of sparking is normal at first until they bed in. However the sparks I would describe as being nothing to be concerned with are very minute sparks. No more than a millimetre and usually quite even. If there is a problem, the sparking will normally cause noise. In other words it’s unusual for sparking to be bad enough to be a concern without making any new noise.
If the sparks are more like flashing, and there’s a lot of flashing then it implies the brushes are not bedded in properly. If they don’t settle down they could result in burning or in worst case scenario the motor could short out the electrics or even blow the PCB. If the armature itself is worn the brushes will never bed in. The motor would need replacing.
If concerned, remove them and inspect the face that runs on the armature. See if they have bedded in by looking at the surface to see if you can see how they have started to wear down to fit the armature. Sometimes there is evidence that they are starting to bed in but just one corner hasn’t touched the surface of the armature and is clearly still brand-new. If this happens it can create sparks. You could try gently sanding the surface of the brushes with some very fine emery cloth but you have to be very careful not to interfere with the curve that is designed into the brush so as it fits onto the armature itself.
You also need to ensure the brushes not sticking in the holder. If none of this works and you know you fitted the proper brushes it sounds as if the motor is going to need replacing.
Hi my machine is a new innex Indersit, washes ok but when the drum Goes around one way it’s quiet but when it goes the other way it’s making a noise like it’s scraping on something
Engineer came round I explained the problem he said because it’s new after a few washes it will be ok , still no better
Hello Katrina. Assuming the noise is coming from the motor it’s possible for one of the carbon brushes in the motor to be sticking or not bedded in properly which can cause sparking when the motor turns one-way. If it is still doing this after several washes you should get them back to fix it. Just double check that it doesn’t make the noise when you turn the drum by hand, if it doesn’t then the chances are it is when the motor is running that the noise is created.
My partner has just replaced the brushes on my beko wmb61221. I put the machine on a drain/spin just to test see if it worked. There is a high pitched sound which i gather is normal from reading the other comments. After about a minute on full spin i noticed a burning smell at which point i switched the machine off. My partner said there was no sparks. But he took the brushes off and theres a little chip taken out on the back of one of the brushes. When you push the brush all the way in on the spring about 2-3 mm is still outside of the brush casing
Hello Carla. When brand-new brushes have been fitted into a washing machine motor they do tend to make a high pitched ratchety is sound until they have bedded in. You shouldn’t get a smell of burning though. And if there is a chip taken out of the back of one of the brushes it could cause sparking if it has affected the surface that runs on the commutator segments.
It is possible the brush got damaged or cracked before it was fitted and the piece has broken away causing a problem but it there is a raised comm bar on the armature it could have broken the brush and would result in excessive sparking and burning. if you place a finger on the copper segments of the motor and slowly turn it by hand you can detect if any of the segments are raised up. If they are then the motor is no good.
I am not sure what you mean by 2 to 3 mm is still outside of the brush casing but the brushes should be fitted so that all of the curved face fits flush onto the copper segments.
hi just wanted to know if it normal for a few sparks under my washing machine to appear when its in a high speed spin,as ive bought a new machine from a.o .com . and put it on when i went to bed and turned the lights out and noticed the blue sparks. i was worried but thought its nothing to worry about…the spin speed is 1600
Very small sparks aren’t anything to worry about. If new it should hopefully bed in after several wash cycles. If large sparks or accompanied by a sparking or gratering noise then something isn’t right.
I had new brushes fitted yesterday. I did a couple of washes, and the machine seems to be screeching when spinning. Is this normal until the brushes have bedded in, or should I get the chap back.
Hayley. Screeching isn’t normally associated with carbon brushes. A high pitched screeching on spin is more likely to be caused by a motor bearing or even the drive belt. However when new brushes are fitted the motor is often noisier for a few washes until they bed in. If the noise sounds obviously wrong call them back.
WOW Andy thank you, this is really helpful. We just replaced our brushes and noticed some sparking and of course the louder than usual whirring. We will try it for a few loads of laundry and keep an eye on it since it sounds exactly like what you describe. Thanks so much.
Hi Andy
Hotpoint Aquarius wasn’t spinning so checked out pipes which were full of hair clips cleaned it out and it doesnt spin until you give ita shake now it spins but the motor is sparking quite bad.could this be a result of me putting the machine e on its side? Or if water went on the motor when I was cleaning out the pipes would that cause it to spark?
Hello Lee. On a Hotpoint Aquarious the motor always used to be on top of the tub. If so it shouldn’t get water on it. It’s possible the brushes are worn. Check them out using this article Hotpoint and Creda carbon brushes diagnostics
Normally it’s OK to lay a washing machine down on its front or back as long as all the water has been drained out first.
Hi Andy
Took out brushes which were worn right down replaced them and now spinning. Still sparking a lot on fast spin tho? Doesn’t spark on slower spins.Gonna do a few slower washes to try bed in the brushes. If sparking continues what would you recommend ? Thanks
I would put it on a normal wash cycle with no laundry in. If they don’t bed in after a few washes and sparking is big the motor may fail. There’s a possibility the main armature is worn.
Hi,
I replaced the brushes in my Hoover washing machine (Haier motor) – I’m in Australia if it makes any difference.
The brushes I received from the internet are angled the opposite way – but it is still possible to to fit them so they make full contact because there are pin holes and screw threads that accomodate both ways in the housing. eg. /0/ to \0\
My question is, will this make any difference? It does seem to be making a lot of noise still after two full cycles – mainly in the clock ways direction which is the fast spin direction. Also, at full speed spin there is sparking.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Cheers
Hello Charlie. If you had to adjust the way they fit you may have adjusted the angle. Obviously without seeing I can’t judge, but each brush needs to be held at the exact right angle so that the curved part of each brush fits perfectly against the copper commutator. If you have had to adjust where the brushes fit on the motor they may not be running properly. I would imagine that altering the angle that the brush goes in even by a few degrees could have an adverse effect. If the brush isn’t fitted perfectly aligned with the curvature of the commutator then you will get sparks.
Also make sure you have released the brushes. Most carbon brushes now are held captive inside the brush holder and when fitted they need releasing.