Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

[evildrome]

Hi All,

I have a 5 year old Whirlpool AWM 6163. It fills OK and then when it should start turning nothing happens & I get a F06 error code. I don’t know what this means for this machine but Googling for “Whirlpool F06 error” brings up the Whirlpool Duet. For that machine F06 indicates a motor/tacho or MCU fault, which sounds about right in my case.

I’m quite handy mechanically. I have full machine shop facilities and basic electrical test equipment (AVO, lab power supply, etc).

Internally everything looks pretty new despite a light dusting of carbon on everything which I assume is from the brushes.

I took some pics:

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/whirlpool{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}20002.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/whirlpool{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}20003.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/whirlpool{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}20004.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/whirlpool{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}20005.jpg

Can I power the motor to test it if the MCU is stuffed? Anything else I can test?

TIA,

Wilson.

[Penguin45]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

F6 means no motor movement detected by the electronics. This machine uses a carbon brush drive motor – the brushes will eventually wear out as they are a consummable item, so that’s the place to start. Next, wiring to the drive motor – I see plenty of these with broken wiring at the motor plug and under the drum – test continuity from the pcb end with the the meter.

Power off first, please!

Penguin45.

[evildrome]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. I want to check the brushes and motor generally so I thought I’d take it out. Belt off, bolts off, no problem. Now I can’t get the plug off. I’m looking for a tang or something to depress and release the plug but I can’t see any likely candidates. Would I be better unplugging it from the MCU end and leaving the plug in the motor alone?

Thanks,

Wilson.

[evildrome]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

Hi All,

Success! I have removed the plug!

I was looking for tangs on the plug but there’s one tang and its located on the *socket*, not the plug. Its right in the middle so its easy enough to get at if the machine is on its side and you’re looking at the motor from below.

The brushes look… OK. One is good but one is chipped up both sides. It still seems to be making contact along its full length so… I dunno.

The guys next to my workshop rewind motors so I’ll take it to them tomorrow and they can test it.

Cheers,

Wilson.

[evildrome]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

OK, the motor runs and the brushes have some life left.

I have identified what I think is the tacho and it doesn’t look very clever (looks like its got very hot at some point). Is it possible to test the tacho?

If its stuffed is it possible to replace it?

Cheers,

Wilson.

[Phidom]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

You can test the tacho coil using a multimeter set to ohms. You can trace the wires from the coil to the multi pin socket. It should read a few hundred ohms. If it has been getting hot you may have a failed rear motor bearing. Fortunately the rear one can be renewed but you may have to drill out rivets and replace with bolts if dismantling the motor.

[evildrome]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

Right, the tacho is stuffed. One side of the coil is no longer connected, its just gone. At some point the coil has blown. How is that even possible? It looks like 240V has been put across it.

Anyway, can the coil be replaced and if not, who’ll sell me a recon/salvaged motor?

Cheers,

Wilson.

[evildrome]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

The tacho coil is riveted in so I guess its not a replacement part.

However, nil desperandum, I machined the tops off the rivets, removed the coil and rewound it. Pictures to follow!

When I checked the original coil it had a resistance of 2 Ohms but thats not unusual as its likely burnt out across the coils.

I wound the new one with the same gauge of wire and number of turns and got a resistance of 9 Ohms. Which is concerningly low given that people on this site have reported tacho coil resistances in the hundreds of Ohms.

Is the tach coil wire some sort of special high resistance wire?

Anyway, I put the whole thing back together and it works… a bit. The motor starts to fire up and then stops. I think I need the correct type of wire for the tacho.

Cheers,

Wilson.

[Penguin45]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

Tacho coil should read approx 69 ohms.

Penguin45.

[evildrome]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

OK, when I wound the tacho there was plenty of room left on the bobbin for more wire. Not quite room for 7 times as much but I’ll see if if can’t get some narrower wire or… I can’t just shove a 60 Ohm resistor in series can I ?

Does the resistance of the wire affect the amplitude of the signal to the MCU?

Lower resistance = higher amplitude? Wouldn’t there be a clipping circuit on the MCU anyway?

Bah! Electronics always gives me a sore head.

Cheers,

Wilson.

[Phidom]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

What make of motor is it? Whirlpool usually have Ceset motors but now I have looked at the photos I realise it is a different sort.

[Penguin45]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

Looks like a Bosch-type one to me. Funny machine – got a Bauknecht tank in it.

ED – post up the 12nc number on the machine – starts with 8.

Penguin45.

[Phidom]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

Yes I was thinking Bosch and I found a scrap motor but the tacho coil only reads about 16 ohms. 😕

[Penguin45]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

Got it – the 01 version uses a Seimens motor – tacho coil resistance 12.5ohms.

Penguin45.

[evildrome]

Re: Whirlpool AWM 6163 motor / tacho fault?

Hi Guys,

Well, I tried it with a 55 Ohm resistor for a total of 64 Ohms.

It does exactly the same as it did with 9 Ohms. It makes about one revolution and then stops.

Anyway, what I think this tells me is its not the motor or the tacho (well initially not the tacho).

I started taking pictures after I’d had it apart so these pictures are of me putting the tacho & motor back together again. Note the way the tacho contact is near melted through in pic 31:

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-021.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-023.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-025.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-026.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-028.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-029.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-031.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-033.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-036.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-040.jpg

http://www.wilsonlogan.com/images/Whirl … 63-044.jpg

I expect that something is wrong with the MCU as it didn’t work with 9 Ohms or 64 Ohms.

Cheers,

Wilson.

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