John Lewis JLWM1200 pnc 91490446602 loose paddles & noi

Re: John Lewis JLWM1200 pnc 91490446602 loose paddles &

Yes, I agree, I’d be surprised if it was bearings.

But
1. It did not make the noise when the m/c was delivered and I installed it. I did not check the paddles.
2. It SOUNDS just like a bad case of tub bearings – not a rattle caused by something loose.
3. With an empty tub on full spin I would expect the paddles to pe pressed onto the inside of the drum by centrifugal force.
4. Spinning the drum by hand indicates no play in the bearings and the action is completely smooth.
5. It’s difficult to be definate, but the noise seems to be from below the drum – hence my suspicion of the motor, although the sound doesn’t seem quite right for that.

Last time we were down it was for a birthday meal and I could not easily get at the machine to investigate – we’re going again soon and I’ll drag the m/c out and have a closer look.

Considering the above, one thing which crossed my mind was could this be a motor control fault? If so I’d suspect that the motor might well get hot. I ran the machine through a full spin and it was still noisy at maximum spin. Am I right in assuming that the motor is being fed full wave ac at this point?

I know it’s down to JL and I can’t play with it – and with an extended 5 year warranty I don’t want to – but I’d like to have some idea of what’s going on before I phone them. Besides, my curiosity is aroused.

Re: John Lewis JLWM1200 pnc 91490446602 loose paddles &

Thanks for the info Chris.

Visited them on Thursday. Ran up the machine on max spin and was surprised to find it MUCH quieter. A couple of spins and I had to listen hard for the rumble.

As before the drum felt totally smooth when spun by hand. I dragged it out and tipped it to 45 degrees and got my daughter to spin the drum while I listened to the tub and motor bearings with a mechanic’s stethescope. All sounded ok. I think I’ve heared enough dodgy bearings in my lifetime to pick ’em up at an early stage.

No signs of leaks or other nasties. Then I remembered what you’d said, and began to connect. It’s often very humid at the inlaws and I know it was the last time we came. We have had a few days of dry mild weather, and the house felt much drier. I think it could be the belt absorbing moisture and squawking on the pulleys – like a car fan belt does in damp weather.

I killed the pump by removing a lead (quite noisy on this m/c) and ran the spin one more time – seems fine.
Time will tell…..

My only worry now is the loose paddles. One will accept a 0.5 mm feeler gauge under one end, the other loose one about 0.3 mm. Doesn’t seem much but it gives a significant rock. I’m concerned that it might damage the clothes or more seriously if one broke out during the cycle it could lead to clothes getting between the drums on spin leading to the Candy effect. (The outer drum’s the old bolted 2 part job by the way. That’s one thing I tried to check before ordering.)

Can anyone advise me if slightly loose paddles are normal with Electrolux / Zanussi?