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If the washing machine has stopped working, the cause may be a malfunction of the engine. Before buying a new part, you need to check the CMA motor and determine the cause of its failure. In most cases, it can be repaired.
In the article, we will consider what types of engines are and what is the peculiarity of checking them with your own hands.
How does a washing machine engine work: varieties
Before diagnosing, you must understand what type of motor is in your washing machine and how it works. There are three main types: asynchronous, collector and inverter centrifuge motor of a washing machine-automatic and semi-automatic.
- Asynchronous is installed in washing machines Bosch, Siemens, Mille, Ardo and Kandy. A cheap and quiet motor has a simple design: a stator and a rotor. Large dimensions and low performance left the asynchronous motor in the past. Therefore, it was used in the early models of the above machines.
- The collector motor is actively used today in the CMA brands Indesit (Indesit), Ariston, Zanussi, Electrolux, Samsung, Veko. The belt type motor has compact dimensions and sufficient power. Transmits speed with a belt to the drum pulley. Its design is a little more complicated than the previous type: a stator, a rotor, two brushes and a tachometer that controls its speed.
- The direct drive (inverter) modern motor has just begun to conquer the user. It is installed on LG, Samsung models. The motor does not have a belt, but is directly attached to the drum, transferring speed to it. Its structure is similar to an asynchronous motor, but direct drive is compact, powerful and rarely fails.
How to check the health of the engine with your own hands
Since today only collector and inverter motors are used, we will consider the diagnostic paths using their example.
direct drive type
It is difficult to check its serviceability at home. You can use system testing if it is provided for in your washing machine model. Also, self-diagnosis can issue a fault code on the machine display. Having deciphered the code, you will understand what the problem is and whether it is worth contacting the workshop.
If you do decide to remove the engine, do it the right way:
- Unplug the washing machine.
- Remove the back cover by unscrewing the screws around the perimeter.
- Under the motor rotor are screws that secure the wiring. They need to be unscrewed.
- Remove the center bolt holding the rotor. To do this, use the head on 16 (for the LG model).
- When unscrewing the bolt, hold the rotor with your other hand so that it does not rotate.
- Remove the rotor assembly.
- Behind it is the stator assembly, which is held by 6 bolts.
- To unscrew them, take the head for 10.
- Disconnect the wiring connectors from the stator.
You can start the inspection and check the performance of the engine.
collector type
There are several ways to check the collector motor. But first, remove the motor from the housing:
- Remove the back cover of the CMA.
- Disconnect the wires from the engine.
- Unscrew the bolts and pull the motor out of the housing.
Start diagnosing. Connect the stator and rotor winding wires as shown in the diagram below. Then connect the winding to 220 volt electricity. If the rotor starts to rotate, it is considered that the device is working.
This method has disadvantages. First, you won’t be able to accurately confirm the functionality of the engine, especially how it will perform in different modes. Secondly, a direct connection threatens to ruin the motor if it closes.
Based on the foregoing, this scheme can include ballast, which serves as protection. As a ballast, you can use a heating element from a washing machine. Connection according to the diagram:
In this case, when closed, the element will begin to heat up, protecting the engine from combustion.
Since the collector motor consists of several elements, they all need to be checked.
Electric brushes
There are two brushes on the sides of the motor housing. Since they are made of soft material, they wear out over time. Remove the brushes from the housing and, if they are worn, install new parts.
You can find out that there is a problem with the brushes when you connect the engine. If you connected its wiring to the network, and during rotation it began to spark, then the matter is in the electric brushes.
You can buy new items in the store by showing the old brushes or by naming the model of the machine.
Problem with lamellas
Electricity is transmitted through the lamellas by means of brushes to the rotor. Since the lamellas are glued to the shaft, they can peel off when the motor is jammed. Small delaminations can be dealt with with a lathe by turning the manifolds. The shavings are carefully cleaned with a fine sandpaper.
When inspecting the lamellas, pay attention to delamination and burrs, which indicate a malfunction.
Rotor and stator windings
If there are problems with the winding, the CMA motor becomes less powerful, or stops working altogether. This happens because a short circuit occurs in the windings, the motor overheats and the thermistor is triggered, which turns it off for safety.
You can check the windings with a multimeter. Set it to resistance measurement mode. Attach the multimeter probes to the lamella, as shown in the picture. Normally, the indicators should be from 20 to 200 ohms. If the resistance is less, it is a short circuit. If more – breakage of the winding.
To check the stator, turn on the buzzer mode on the multimeter and apply the probes to the ends of the wiring in turn. If the device is silent, without emitting a signal, then everything is in order.
To find the short circuit, connect one multimeter probe to the wiring, the other to the case. Normally, there should be no sounds.
If you find a breakdown, do not attempt to repair it yourself. To do this, you need to re-create the winding. In this case, it is easier to replace the electric motor.
As you can see, it is not difficult to check the engine with your own hands. In some cases, you can repair the engine yourself or contact a service center.