Indesit W123 error code 11

[TheQuaver]

I’ve recently been experiencing what seems to be a very common problem with my Indesit W123, in that the program dial continuously clicks round and round.

For about a week before this I noticed a slight change to the noise the machine makes when draining so I thought the drain pump was on its way out. So first I removed the filter, finding a small nail, safety pin and some lovely gunk, then removed the pipes connected to the pump and cleaned them all. Whilst the pipes were off I tested the pump by putting the machine on a spin and everything seemed to be working fine – I could actually see the pump turning and could feel the air being pushed through! Also the spin finished normally (but without any water obviously). Therefore I thought I had sorted the problem by simply cleaning and removing any blockages. However, once I put it all back together and tried a proper wash, the problem returned.

What actually happens is the machine will fill with some water but then after a few seconds the light momentarily turns off and the dial starts it’s clicking. Then the light flashes 11 times before a pause and then repeats this pattern. I gather this indicates the error code so any ideas what this relates to? Any help appreciated.

[Penguin45]

Re: Indesit W123 error code 11

11 does not mean no drain, it means that the pump cannot be activated, which in turn means that the computer thinks that the pump isn’t there. This would suggest a wiring problem, either in the loom, the pump itself or possibly the computer board. As this is a very old machine by Indesit standards, it’s worth checking out the pump and the loom for continuity, if it looks like the computer board, time is up.

Stay safe, power off.

Penguin45.

[TheQuaver]

Re: Indesit W123 error code 11

Thanks for the quick response Penguin. My machine is now functioning properly again but it turns out it wasn’t the drain pump – something related but not the pump itself!

I nearly gave up on this in favour for a new machine but I’m glad I persisted. I thought I would give it one last look and in doing so found that in my haste and tiredness I forgot to reconnect the pump to the loom!!! D’oh! So plugging this back in sorted the error code 11 and I could start a program once again without the program dial clicking around. However, it still wouldn’t drain when it should have and so I started to think that maybe there was still a blockage of some sort. I rechecked all the pipes and found that there was indeed a large button at the far end of the waste pipe, which must have been acting like a valve! Removing this has completely sorted the problem.

I’ve learnt 3 important lessons from this:

1) That you really need to check all possible causes and double check things like blockages.

2) Not to do DIY when you’re tired!!!

3) That it’s worth persisting with things like this – saved myself some serious cash!

Thanks again Penguin – if it wasn’t for your reply I probably wouldn’t have checked the pump again.

[Penguin45]

Re: Indesit W123 error code 11

Damn, I’m good sometimes….. 😀

Well done. It might not be the greatest washer ever built, but you have shown a responsible attitude towards it. So many people would have just skipped it for what in the end was a trivial problem.

Penguin45.

[kiddo66]

Re: Indesit W123 error code 11

Imagine how bad you would have felt as you plumbed in your new £300 washer and found that button in the pipe. 😳

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