Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

[swellybro]

Hi all,

I originally purchased my zanussi washing machine (zwf 1221) in 2006, it has been a brilliant unit. However unfortunately this morning I overloaded the poor thing. It was nearly at the end of the cycle and suddenly I heard a bit of a bang or scraping noise and then looked in the kitchen to see smoke coming out of the unit.

I switched the unit off and left it and smoke continued to come out with a slight smell. After while I put the unit onto a drain mode and it was able to drain the machine and I have taken the washing out.

This leaves me in a quandary, is this a serious fault or something that can be repaired? I’d happily pay a reasonable amount to repair but with the machine being 11 years old it makes me wonder whether it might be practical to buy a new machine. Any ideas what the fault might be? The drum appears to rotate with very little resistance. Has the belt snapped?

Thank you again for your help,

Richard

[kwatt]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Possibly the belt but I’d suggest opening it up to see if anything is obviously wrong before doing much of anything.

K.

[swellybro]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Yes the belt has snapped!

Is this easy to replace?

[kwatt]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Yup, should be and the cheap version of it is this one:

http://shop.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/zn0803-a … drive-belt

K.

[swellybro]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Thank you for your help. Never taken a washing machine apart, looks interesting!

I’ve attached the belt looks like it’s burnt out in one place gone round and round. See picture attached, is something stuck?

[kwatt]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

If the drum was moving okay it may just have been ready to go.

When you overload the belt will slip (common enough) giving a flat spot, overload again and it’ll often catch the same spot again or stop on it but the motor still runs. A few times of that and you get what you’ve got there as the motor pulley effectively slices through the belt.

K.

[swellybro]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Thank you again for all your help I’ve ordered a replacement belt and will have a go at fitting during the week.

I will let you know how it goes.

Thank you
Richard

[Martin]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Overloaded? Then my guess is a sock or something has slipped between the outer tub and inner drum and the drum has seized as a result. Check to see if that is so before fitting a new belt.

In cases where the belt burns out as severely as in the photo it could also mean the motor could also burn out. Although if the latter were the case the trip or fuse would go.

[swellybro]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

When I first opened and got the washing out the drum wouldn’t shift as if it were seized. I gave it a good yank and it did free and now it is spinning freely enough like before.
I’ve got a 5 year old son and his items were in the wash and there are a few odd socks on the washing line. I wonder if something has got stuck. To access the drum will I need to take the whole thing apart? The pulley is straight forward but accessing the drum sounds more involved.

[Martin]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Yes with a sock stuck in there you’ve got problems. The drum access extremely limited as it is a welded drum. If the sock is visable through the holes you may get chance to remove a drum baffle/lifter and extract it that way. Or removing the sump hose and fishing it out using wire from a coat hanger. 💡

Best of luck!

[swellybro]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Thank you for your help.

I had a good look last night and can’t see anything in there. Took the filter out and gave that a clean. Drum is spinning freely enough, I’ll give the belt a go and if all fails it’s a new machine 🙁

[swellybro]

Re: Zanussi ZWF1221 smoking

Just wanted to say a big thank you for all your help.

I fitted the new belt, although it was tight but moved it on nicely by hand in the end. I had a good look inside the drum but couldn’t see anything but if it is my son’s sock then that will be hard to see. The machine has been through a few test spins and seems to be working ok. It did its first full load today and all went well although my wife said it sounded like Chewbacca!

Hopefully get a bit more life out of it yet, but as the guy in the shop said that sold me the belt that 5 years is about average for a washing machine these days and my Zanussi has done 11 so feeling chuffed.

Thanks again all

[Author]

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