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Hello,
I’m keen to extend the life of this lovely old machine.
It was working perfectly subject to tripping the fuse and/or RCD on high spin from time to time, which may have been due to case contact under eccentric load. Also, gunk in the air chamber must have choked it in a recent move and the machine overfilled, dramatically.
I subsequently cleaned out both the air and water chambers (for good measure) as well as insulating obvious case contact points. The pressure switch seems to function well – there is a distinct series of clicks, sucking or blowing down the hose.
However, after a spell of working its motor has now stopped.
Brushes (L type) seem fine – c. 25mm each (changed a few years ago), smooth commutator contact, no obvious shorting or overheating anywhere, no obvious broken wiring, PCB looks good as new. Continuity on motor contacts seems correct.
Timer, filling and pump are operating OK. I don’t use the dryer function and I’m not equipped/qualified to check for insulator faults. Symptoms might be consistent with a capacitor fault, but I can’t see one anywhere… Not even on the schematic…
I would certainly welcome any insights before I consign this to history.
Martin
Re: AEG Lavamat 2040 TYP F500 E-Nr 605 105 906
Martin_H wrote:I’m not equipped/qualified to check for insulator faults.
That’s where we in the trade can get right to the heart of the problem in an instant. Without an insulation tester (you could get away with a good quality 9v multimeter) you are working blind. The finger of suspicion lies with the motor I would say, without hesitation. A meter will confirm. 😀
Martin_H wrote:Symptoms might be consistent with a capacitor fault, but I can’t see one anywhere…
Nope, doesn’t have one, stop looking, another .blind alley there.:wink:
Re: AEG Lavamat 2040 TYP F500 E-Nr 605 105 906
Many thanks for coming back to me so quickly, Martin. I should have refreshed the page earlier!!
Good to know that there is no capacitor and that the motor itself is the prime suspect.
An incipient ground fault somewhere in the immediate vicinity of the motor would, presumably, also be consistent with earlier tripping of breakers on high spin. So, probably a bona fide ground fault as opposed to mechanical case contact. Not something one would want to mess with.
Looks like I had better “get a man in” with a PAT tester unless further scrutiny shows something obvious.
Re: AEG Lavamat 2040 TYP F500 E-Nr 605 105 906
Hello Martin,
Further to my last note, I took the time to bench test the motor over the weekend and it ran perfectly in both directions, with a speed varying voltage off the tachometer leads and no excessive sparking from the brushes.
Of course, that’s not to say that there isn’t a latent insulation flaw in the windings after all these years, which may manifest at higher revs (I didn’t let it run away). However, it does rule it out as the immediate cause of the total lack of motor function in service, whatever other issues it may conceal.
The fill/pump, programmer and motor control board all seem fine. Assuming that the pressure sensor is OK (it seems to be), I wonder if one of the other sensors is the problem. Working down the side of the cylinder, there are three, at roughly one o’clock, three and six (looking from the back). The first seems to me to be open circuit on an analogue and digital multimeter. The second is closed circuit and the third has a resistance almost indistinguishable from closed.
They are probably like hen’s teeth to obtain (parts 645 425 351, 645 424 995, 645 424 932, respecively, I believe) but it would be handy to identify any possible culprit and see if there is a suitable substitute available. Incidentally, the water heater element is showing a resistance in the right range.
Meanwhile, my wife has ordered an AEG L87680FL washer for £500 from JL. It won’t be built like an aero engine, like the old washer dryer, but seems like a good buy and I am a fan of a separate dryer, if one has the space/cash.
So, sadly, the 2040 is a project/back-up/scrap, now.
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