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An engine failure leads to a complete stop of the washer, so it needs to be repaired or replaced. Here the user has two options: contact the workshop, or try to fix the problem yourself.
In this article, you will learn everything about replacing and repairing the motor in an LG washing machine with your own hands.
Causes of malfunction
Modern inverter motors rarely fail. If the machine is equipped with a collector motor, the following breakdowns may occur in it:
- Wear of electric brushes. They can wear out quickly due to overloading the drum during washing or due to constant spinning at high speeds. Also, the cause of the breakdown can be the short circuit of the winding.
- Problems with the stator and rotor windings. As a result of a short circuit, the winding may break, while the engine loses speed or stops altogether. A problematic winding can cause the motor housing to overheat. For protection, a thermal sensor is triggered and stops the engine.
- The lamellas against which the electric brushes rub are worn out. Sections of the lamellas could peel off, which also led to breakage.
How to recognize a motor problem
How to understand that a washing machine motor needs to be repaired:
- When starting, the SM knocks out the switch in the switchboard.
- There is a lot of noise during operation.
- Does not run or start at high or low speed.
- The engine constantly shuts down due to overheating. The work of the SMA stops.
- The car won’t start at all.
So, you have found out that the cause of the problem is in the motor. Next, you need to figure out how to remove the motor from the LG washing machine.
Preparation for repair
Before proceeding with the repair, prepare the washing machine. Disconnect it from the mains and turn off the water supply.
To access the motor, you will need to remove the back wall, so unscrew the inlet hose. Next, drain the water from it.
Now go to the front panel. Below the hatch is a drain filter. Unscrew the filter and drain the remaining water into a container. It remains to move the car away from the wall to access the rear panel.
Step-by-step execution of work
Take a Phillips screwdriver and unscrew the bolts securing the rear wall of the CM. They are located around the perimeter. Below the tank you will see the engine. Now act like this:
- Remove the drive belt. To do this, pull it towards you with one hand, scroll the drum pulley with the other. Set the belt aside.
- Before removing the motor from the washing machine, take a picture of the location of the wires so that everything is connected correctly after.
- Now disconnect all wires and terminals leading to the motor.
- It remains to unscrew the bolts that fix the motor. Armed with a 12 mm head, unscrew the bolts and remove the engine from the bushings, moving forward a little.
The first stage has been completed. You have successfully removed the part – now it’s time to inspect it. We already wrote above what can break in the engine. So start checking and repairing.
Replacing brushes
You can buy new brushes right away. Going to the store, name the brand and model of the ElG washing machine, the seller will give you new parts. Or immediately remove the old electric brushes and take them as an example to the store.
This is a simple motor repair that you can do yourself. The brushes are located on the sides of the motor housing.
- Disconnect the wire with the brush terminal.
- Press down on the contact and pull out the brush by the spring.
Inspect the element for wear. If replacement is necessary, take a new brush and install it in the seat. Lower the contact from above, connect the terminal.
The first time after replacement, the motor can work quite noisily, but this will pass when the brushes are ground.
Winding repair
Winding problems can be expressed in extraneous noise and the smell of burning. In this case, the motor does not work at full strength, its body heats up. You can check the condition of the winding with a multimeter.
Before disassembling the engine from the washing machine, prepare the tester, set it to resistance measurement mode.
Check like this:
- Connect one tester probe to the lamella, the other to the winding. The discrepancy in resistance should be no more than 0,5 ohms. Otherwise, it is an interturn circuit.
- Now connect the multimeter probe to the body and lamellas. With good windings, the tester will show a resistance equal to hundreds of megaohms.
In the event of a malfunction, it is not recommended to repair the winding yourself. Since it is impossible to make it at home. You will have to completely replace the electric motor.
Do-it-yourself lamella repair
After you remove the rotor from the engine, you need to inspect the manifold. In the event of a malfunction, you will find peeling and roughness on the lamellas.
Use a lathe to grind the lamella gaps. After the groove, clean the lamella from chips. The gaps should be perfectly even, without burrs.
In case of severe damage to the lamella, it is impossible to repair the electric motor with your own hands. You will need a complete engine replacement.
You learned the principles of disassembling the electric motor of the LG washing machine. Now you can decide whether it is worth repairing or it is easier to completely replace it.
Video on the topic will help you with the repair: