Bosch WFK2200GB/11 – Violent spin to begin with followed by Error 4.

[Rhothgar]

Hi All,

First post here…hope you can help. Found the forum whilst googling for motor issues and saw post by Unbeliever here:-

https://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/forums/forum/public-support-forums/help-and-support/washing-machine-help-forum/871193-bosch-wfk-2200-stopping-mid-cycle

Purchased the machine back in 1996. It’s been an excellent machine. Have only ever replaced the filler valves and the carbon brushes recently on the motor.

Recently it has developed a fault.

Every time it goes onto spin cycle, it stops with an Error 4 Code.

I’ve checked the drainage and the pump and it still spins if a little noisy!

So observing what was happening, I noticed that the drum when it first rotates on a spin cycle moves so violently that it nearly hits the tank below the filler valves. So I thought “Change the dampers!”. I did that. One of them was definitely shot and the other was OK but when the new ones arrived they were almost exponentially stiffer.

Fitted them. Still the movement was quite violent. I could hear a relay ticking so took the cover off the PCB.

R30 and R31 resistors have blown but nowhere is there a schematic for the boards from what I can see. Order a new board and without thinking plugged it straight in. POP! Same two resistors have blown.

Tracing the wiring back, it goes to the motor.

So is there a short circuit, failed diode or transistor in the motor? I am sure there will be someone on here that has had one of those motors apart as they will be common to a lot of machines.

I am assuming that those resistors are blowing because it is a problem inside the motor and not in the controller panel. When I get a minute, I will carefully check the wiring along its length to see if it has shorted somewhere. Couldn’t feel anything last night but it was late. I think it is a circuitry issue.

I would be immensely grateful if someone could advise.

Luckily I managed to switch it off before R31 totally blew and have photos of the new board so do know what value those resistors are and I can replace those.

I am very keen to get a few more years out of this machine.

Thanks in advance.

[electrofix]

are you saying the motor accelerates to full speed from a standing start even on wash

Dave

[Rhothgar]

electrofix wrote:are you saying the motor accelerates to full speed from a standing start even on wash

Dave

Thank you for the prompt
response.

I’d have to put old board back in and do a wash to confirm that.

I don’t recall so no. Only spin does it try to spin up and immediately stops. It’s too old to have any kind of sophisticated motion sensor for sure because I consider that.

It washes as normal.

[electrofix]

my thinking was a broken tacho magnet but if that was the case it would accelerate on wash to full speed as well. since you say it washes ok then it cant be that

Dave

[Rhothgar]

Hi Dave

Forgive me but I don’t do a huge amount of washing and do not necessarily take a huge amount of notice of these things.

I’ll put an old board back in tonight and do a wash.

I never thought washing machines did full speed on wash? I thought they just rotate fairly steadily all the time until perhaps the rinse cycle or the spin cycle in particular.

I was doing to reading up and I think these old machines are triode controlled motors? Would that sound right for this age and model?

I have also sussed out some of the wiring. I am probably going to do a schematic when I get the time of where each wire goes. It doesn’t look that complex.

Funnily enough, I stumbled across another post on a forum with this exact same issue. The reply on there was check the pressure switch?

But seeing as the part of the circuit board that has blown feeds the motor, it must be the motor where the issue lies. The circuit board looks very well designed and built. I suppose that’s why it has lasted so long.

Furthermore, I’ve just tried to search for a motor just in case and cannot find one anywhere.

There are two motor options though in the Bosch spares catalogue one is motor and one is Motor type FHP? Not sure what that is presently but I suppose there is hope.

[electrofix]

inside the motor is a little electric generator (Tacho). it consists of a circular magent and a coil. the voltage output from this is proportional to the motor speed. it allows the module to control the motor speed irrespective of load. if the magnet breaks the module thinks the motor is stationary and accelerates it. When there is a load in this can mean abnormal currents flow and damage the board
run on wash with no clothes in. your looking for a gentle drum turn in each direction

Dave

[Rhothgar]

Rhothgar wrote:Hi Dave

Forgive me but I don’t do a huge amount of washing and do not necessarily take a huge amount of notice of these things.

I’ll put an old board back in tonight and do a wash.

I never thought washing machines did full speed on wash? I thought they just rotate fairly steadily all the time until perhaps the rinse cycle or the spin cycle in particular.

I was doing to reading up and I think these old machines are triode controlled motors? Would that sound right for this age and model?

I have also sussed out some of the wiring. I am probably going to do a schematic when I get the time of where each wire goes. It doesn’t look that complex.

Funnily enough, I stumbled across another post on a forum with this exact same issue. The reply on there was check the pressure switch?

But seeing as the part of the circuit board that has blown feeds the motor, it must be the motor where the issue lies. The circuit board looks very well designed and built. I suppose that’s why it has lasted so long.

Furthermore, I’ve just tried to search for a motor just in case and cannot find one anywhere.

There are two motor options though in the Bosch spares catalogue one is motor and one is Motor type FHP? Not sure what that is presently but I suppose there is hope.

OK.

I have just put a 60 degree cotton wash on.

It fills fine, and then goes into main wash cycle. A relay clicks and you can hear the heater element warming then it clicks again but remains stationary for 5 seconds then it spins up for 3 seconds and then nothing for 10 seconds and the cycle repeats so it is not even spinning the drum at slow speeds. This is the crux of why it spins so violently.

I am videoing it washing to I will be able to refer back to it. I switched between different programmes but it appears to be the same on every cycle. I didn’t leave the wool and delicates cycles on too long as they were just allowing more water into the drum so no idea if they wash normally. I imagine not.

These tacho magnets presumably are not replaceable?

[electrofix]

sounds like a tacho magnet and no you cant replace them

if you take the motor to bits you should find the circular magnet in 2 halves. did manage to swop one from a scrap motor a while ago but it means using a puller to remove the rear bearing

you may find a secondhand motor on ebay but double check the motor has had it first

Dave

[Rhothgar]

electrofix wrote:sounds like a tacho magnet and no you cant replace them

if you take the motor to bits you should find the circular magnet in 2 halves. did manage to swop one from a scrap motor a while ago but it means using a puller to remove the rear bearing

you may find a secondhand motor on ebay but double check the motor has had it first

Dave

Do you know any company that makes a suitable compatible replacement motor?

[electrofix]

there will be no compatible motor for this its too old even the gen one is probably obsolete

but before you jump into anything you must confirm the fault

find the magnet and see if its broken. check wires to the motor from the board

also dont forget this is a feedback fault so the fault can be the motor not sending the feedback or the board not recieving it or reading it correctly

which is why you have to confirm the fault

if I did it i would use a multimeter on a low ac volt scale and find the tacho output pins on the motor and see if i could measure it as i revolve the motor

Dave

[Rhothgar]

electrofix wrote:
if I did it i would use a multimeter on a low ac volt scale and find the tacho output pins on the motor and see if i could measure it as i revolve the motor
Dave

Hopefully, I’ll get to strip it out either today or tomorrow. Just getting some washing done so it can be out of action for a few days if necessary.

Presumably not looking for any particular reading but just a reading. If it has a suitable fastener on the spindle, I can always spin it up with a cordless drill.

[electrofix]

spinning by hand is enough

Dave

[Rhothgar]

electrofix wrote:spinning by hand is enough

Dave

well. The good news is it does give a reading.

the actual wires are not wires. It is all solid copper tracks. Incredible quality really. No wonder they last so long.

I noticed this earth wire was disconnected. But it is only to the heater element.

Will try and upload the photos when on a PC as it doesn’t seem to want to add from iPhone.

[Rhothgar]

It’s a quota issue on the photos so cannot resolve.

the wiring between tacho and power board is also OK as it shows continuity and I forgot to mention.

[electrofix]

you have to host photo’s off site and post public link. Its all down to server cost as we are a free site

as for the tacho if there is not output on a low ac volt scale then thats not good

Dave

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