This article is about when the washing machine drum does not revolve on any part of the cycle. It won’t spin, but the drum won’t turn on the wash or rinse either.
Also if the washing machine drum is turning but appears to struggle to turn, and maybe makes strange noises whilst struggling, then this article may also be of help.
However, if the drum does rotate on wash and rinses – but it’s just not spinning the clothes at the end then you need this article – washing machine not spinning.
The drum doesn’t turn at all
Open the door and turn the drum by hand. If by any chance the drum is very stiff or has seized up, this is the problem. Either an obstruction has jammed the drum, or the drum bearings or motor have seized up. Take off the drive belt to find out which one it is.
Check the drive belt is still on
If the drum isn’t seized up the next thing to check is the drive belt. Open the door and give it a good spin by hand. If the belt has come off there should be less resistance than usual. It may make a different sound. It should also spin around for longer because there’s less resistance – it’s no longer connected to the motor.
The best person to test this is the one that usually empties the drum at the end of a wash cycle. They are used to the resistance on the drum as they turn it to check for items of clothing stuck to the drum.
The only way to know for sure though is with the washing machine unplugged and the back panel and lid removed. You can then see if the belt has come off or not.
Drive belt off?
If the belt is off there are usually reasons for this. It's rare for a belt to come off for no reason although it can happen. Has the washing machine been very noisy for some time? If so the drum bearings may have collapsed.
If you can’t see anything wrong and the belt looks OK you can try refitting it. If it comes off again after being refitted, there is likely to be a fault. This article describes the causes of the belt coming off – drive belt won’t stay on – keeps coming off.
How tight should a drive belt be?
Quite tight. If you pluck it you should get a nice "ping". It shouldn't be over tight though. You should be able to move it from side to side approximately a quarter of an inch in the middle. Most modern washing machines are designed so you can't adjust a slack belt. You must buy a new one if yours is loose.
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More causes of drum not turning
If the belt is still on, and not overly slack, and the drum isn’t seized up, then the fault must be related to the motor not working. The most common cause for the motor not running is worn carbon brushes (if fitted). However, there are many other possible reasons why a motor isn’t working. There can also be complications regarding carbon brushes if the main part of the motor is also worn, or there is excessive carbon dust built up in the motor.
Crackling or "gratering" noise from motor
Sometimes the drum turns OK without a load in but makes a strange crackling or grating sound and struggles to turn with laundry inside. This could also indicate worn carbon brushes in the motor.
Don’t speculatively replace carbon brushes. Even if you find they are substantially worn down. They may well need replacing, but if worn carbon brushes are the cause of your motor currently not working then at least one of them should be charred, black, sooty – see here – carbon brushes diagnostics & fitting.
Not all motors have carbon brushes fitted
Note that many washing machines these days have brush-less motors. These motors are generally more reliable, and quieter. They are usually totally silent during wash so you only really hear the water being splashed about. If you have a brushless motor and the motor is not running then it obviously can’t be caused by worn brushes so after checking the connections and motor plug you’d be better calling in an appliance engineer
Replacing carbon brushes
If you think the carbon brushes have just worn out and need replacing many people do successfully replace them. But you must be competent to carry out such DIY repairs. I have articles with diagnostic help specifically for the most common Hotpoint & Creda motors.
However, the articles are also relevant for any washing machine motor brushes diagnostics (if carbon brushes are fitted). Check out –
Get Your Appliance Fixed
More causes of motor not running
I’ve covered the most common reasons why the drum isn’t turning on a washing machine. But there are many other possible causes, which are less appropriate for DIY repairs. If none of the above helps then the main thing is to check the wiring and connections on the motor plug and wiring harness. In some washing machines if the tacho coil has fallen off the motor under its cover it can stop working. There is information on the tacho coil here Tacho coil.
Weird anomalies
Then there are unexpected anomalies that make fault finding even harder. Some washing machine brands such as Hotpoint, Creda, Indesit, and Ariston running specific software can even stop the motor from running if the main suppressor filter is open circuit. This will also not result in any error message. Do not mess with the suppressor unless you know exactly what you are doing. They can hold an electric charge after being disconnected from the mains which could give a nasty shock.
Other faults are module faults, connection faults anywhere between the control pcb and the motor, PCB faults, and other motor faults such as open circuit field coil, TOC or armature. It would be unwise to start buying expensive parts speculatively.
Note that many PCB faults are invisible to the eye – and many PCB components can get hot and attract a black soot around them. This is commonly mistaken for burning. The best thing is to get a proper repair engineer Find a washing machine engineer
Be Safe: Don’t risk it
Please take a moment to check out my DIY repair safety advice, which not only covers electrical safety but other things you may be less aware of too.
Don’t get carried away
Even experienced appliance repairmen have been seriously injured or killed
8 things you should never do when repairing a washing machine
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Wyatt Q. Smith says
Hi Andy, your advice is welcome indeed. My US purchased Creda Supaspeed is 17 years old now, and has just shown the symptoms of this article: non functioning drive motor 100%, all other pumping and misc.devices OK. New brushes were installed, no impact. Your complete continuity testing was performed, all correct. I suppose this might suggest the control module, perhaps the triac? You are certainly the expert in this area, not me, so your help would be welcome indeed. I do love my Creda appliances, so I sure hope a solution is possible. Thank you. Wyatt
Whitegoodshelp (Andy Trigg) says
Thanks Wyatt. Did you check the carbon brushes diagnostics photos I linked to in the second paragraph of the “Another possible cause of drum not turning” section? The reason I ask is it makes a difference if your brushes definitely needed replacing or not. In other words was either of them charred as shown in the photos?
If one was charred then it means it was definitely the fault, and if it still doesn’t work either they haven’t fitted right, there’s a faulty connection somewhere on the motor or the motor plug, or when they became charred because of sparking something blew. Motors have a thermal overload cut out built into the filed coil windings and they can also blow something on the main control board.
If the brushes weren’t charred (albeit they might have been ready for replacement) then it could be anything I just mentioned plus other things. Unfortunately this kind of fault isn’t something that can be talked through step by step, or something I encourage without proper test meters or training. Unless you can find a faulty connection, or something like a pin pushed back in the motor plug, if just replacing brushes (which is relatively easy) doesn’t get the motor up and running I have to advise getting an engineer in.
Wyatt Q. Smith says
Hi Andy, thank you for your Ferrari fast reply; a rare event these days! The brushes removed certainly did qualify for being charred, most of the remaining shank decent but charcoal on the tips. I realize that you have to recommend outside help for potentially dangerous testing, liability and all of that, but I am reasonably qualified for this type of activity, career in the space program; just no experience with appliances little tricks. So, I have taken it upon myself to do a little testing, not from your idea, just looking for your experienced comments. The plug supplying power to the motor, 7 pin, so potential voltage to pins 2 and 3, has voltage only at 2. The black triac, held to the metal heatsink with a metal clip, is surrounded by a small stream of white goo. These guys have a direct connection, both questionable, so I am suspicious. Your opinion would be welcome indeed. Please don’t write me off, just be aware I have retired to a small village on the Oregon coast, engineering is unavailable, and I am the only rocket scientist around. So, it is me or nobody. Have a great day. Wyatt
Whitegoodshelp (Andy Trigg) says
Hi Wyatt: Thanks, you are right in that I am very reluctant to get drawn into giving anything other than basic general advice. I’m aware that some people are more than qualified, and have better knowledge and experience than most domestic appliance engineers, which is an argument I put forward when debating why I think Miele are wrong for refusing to help people fix their own appliances like all the other manufacturers do. But of course for every one who’s really proficient with repairs and electricity there are many who aren’t safe messing around. I do get nervous when people talk about testing voltage on live appliances though, which is something I would never do. I always fault-find with a continuity test meter with machine unplugged.
If your carbon brushes were charred but replacements haven’t got the motor running and you know they were fitted right and no motor plug problems maybe they blew something in the pcb (are they like the ones in my photos btw, which need the little brass tab lifting away to release them after fitting?)
To test the motor you need an insulation tester (500 v DC) to make sure there’s no low insulation which can damage something in the pcb. Also a continuity tester to test continuity across the armature (and brushes), the field coil and the tacho coil, the latter should have a very high resistance.
rachell says
Hi, please bear with this newbee, I have a hotpoint washing machine that is washing and emptying fine when it tries to spin however i can hear a small click around the selector dial and it stops, i understand an engineer is probably my best option but this is not my main machine and i am trying to gain a little knowledge about what problems can be diyed and what cant.
Whitegoodshelp (Andy Trigg) says
Hello Rachell. Your problem is described in the right column of this article, where it talks about the second symptom of not spinning when it washes and rises ok but won’t do the fast spin. I’ve just added a few more paragraphs to make it better.
Kevin says
I don’t understand why no suggestion has as yet been made to knock the end of the motor sharply a few times. My friend worked out via Google that his brushes were faulty and was wondering where he might get replacements. I directed him to a supply source, but also suggested tapping the motor sharply. He did so, and rendered his machine fully functional again. Now he has mucho brownie points and plenty time to get replacement brushes. The “repair” will last anything from a few washes to months, and was so easy!!
Whitegoodshelp (Andy Trigg) says
Hi Kevin. Knocking the end of the motor and getting it to run again successfully for even one wash would be highly unlikely to work, though clearly it can as you report. It’s the same principle of bashing a TV to try and get it working or kicking an old boiler :)
It might work once in a blue moon but mostly it won’t. If there’s a dodgy connection somewhere it could reset it for a while, or if a brush is stuck and it hasn’t got charred it might help, but if the brushes have stopped making contact because one or both are charred and burned and or worn then it’s not going to help and frankly even if it did, it could backfire. A brush not making good contact may be jump started into running but could arc, and spark, sometimes badly, which can blow a pcb. If you do manage to get one up and running but it’s making any crackling or grating noises stop using it and get it fixed properly.
demelza says
Hello can you help? my washing machine is a zanussi jetsystem excel 1250, it isnt spinning, brushes are fine , belt is fine any ideas please ?
Whitegoodshelp (Andy Trigg) says
Hello demelza: All my ideas went into this article. If you’ve read both columns and nothing helps I have to advise you get an engineer in.