[ukwg]

I finally found the metal to have a go this weekend! I took a look on a well-known Internet search engine for a video to remind me of the process and found a video where the presenter actually removed the sump and fitted it with the sump removed. Since I had the machine mostly in pieces already, I just had to invert the machine and pop the base off. I think I’m glad that I did that. The seal seems to be a little larger than the actual sump and is a bit of a pita to fit. I got it in and refitted the sump and them reassembled the machine. After a couple of test runs, everything seems to be dry underneath! The seal did seem to be OK and I do have to wonder if it was the replacement gasket or just cleaning and refitting the sump that seems to have fixed the issue.

I think I’ll give it a few more test runs before I commit to refitting the sides and lid and sliding it back into position!

[ukwg]

I saw a video the other day that showed both the trimming of the tabs and the feeding/teasing/forcing/cursing of the gasket around the sump. Is there a reason it’s done this way? I’m not a Bosch / Appliance engineer so I have no idea but just from looking it seems that it would be easier to remove the bottom of the machine and then seperate the sump and one should in theory be free to lay in the new gasket? Are people installing it from inside the machine and teasing it around it avoid having to strip down the rest of the machine or is there a reason that removing the sump altogether would be a bad idea?

[ukwg]

Perhaps a little late for that advice, I’m afraid. I had already ordered a replacement gasket. It arrived on Saturday, although I haven’t had a chance to tackle fitting it. Do you have any advice? The video I’ve seen on FaceTube seemed to suggest unscrewing the sump and teasing it into place from the inside. Would it be better to turn the machine upside down, remove the bottom and then remove the sump entirely?

[ukwg]

How long do they last these days? I got the dish washer around 14 years ago and the first pump lasted 8 years, I think I’ve got just under six out of this one. I’ve fitted a replacement pump and the water is now getting hot. Trouble is, it’s also leaking. It looks like it’s coming from the sump seal, which I’ve heard they do tend to fail. I noticed there was a sheen around the exposed rubber and sticking a paper towel to it soaked up some water. It’s left me wondering if the water had dripped onto the heat pump and knackered it. Does one need to buy a new sump, as I’ve heard or is there someone that does replacement seals or knows of any clever workarounds?

[ukwg]

Thanks for the info. I removed the power connector and suck a meter on it. I got around 10 MegaOhms. My initial reaction was that this could be overcome with a really high voltage power supply but they seemed a little pricey, so I opted to purchase a replacement heat pump instead.

[ukwg]

Thanks for the info. How does one go about checking the heating element? Can it be done with the pump in situ or does it need removing? I’ve had a look and I see three connectors. One with two fairly beefy red wires and a CPC, which I assume is power to the unit. One connector to the end with three purple wires (I’m assuming is C&C to the motor (I think Bosch parlance may be D-Bus) and three grey wires next to the assumed power in, which I assume is C&C for the heater. One assumes one needs to dig a little deeper to find the contacts for the heating element?

[ukwg]

Got the board back from QER yesterday and fitted it back in. I’ve done two test washes this morning and so far so good.

Thanks for the tip about QER. I’d never heard of them. They certainly don’t like to communicate but they do seem to get the job done.

[ukwg]

Thanks for the advice. I checked the power out from the cap and it looks good. I can see too that the rotary switch is functioning, so I guess that leaves the main PCB. I’ve had it out but I didn’t fancy my SMT soldering skills, so I’ve sent it off to QER.

[ukwg]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the advice. It does indeed sound like it’s power related. So either the PCBs power supply components or the filtering capacitor before it. I’ll have a go tomorrow at checking if there’s actually power coming from the capacitor module.

I’ve played a little with electronics over the years and can use a multimeter and soldering iron, so I’d certainly have a go at fixing the board. Do you happen to have any tips for troubleshooting the board?

Kind regards,
Mike.

[ukwg]

Indeed, I can confirm that since the last update we’ve been running around one wash per week without incident. The only thing that I have noticed is that since fitting the new board, my clothes have been taking longer to dry, however I suspect this might be due to the changing weather, rather than changing the board. That remains to be confirmed though.

[ukwg]

As an update, I took a punt on a new inverter board and the E57 went away.

[ukwg]

As an update, I measured the PD on the output pins of the motor PCB and got precisely jack. I also put the ‘scope on the D-bus pins and could see a digital signal present until the E57 appeared. Which leads me to suspect that the board is toast.

[ukwg]

Thanks for the info. I had the door lock out and it’s a bit of a pain, as it’s enclosed. I opened it up and released the ping-f***it. It’s as I expected, a solenoid to operate the lock and a sense switch to detect that the lock has indeed engaged. There appears to be some mechanical magic that ensures that it cycles between lock and unlock each time the solenoid is energised.

That perhaps takes us back to the inverter board. I’m slightly uncomfortable at forking out, as previously stated “a finger burning £178.64” when one can’t be sure it’s the board that is at fault. Any tips for testing the board? I see there are three ports on it, power in, UVW out (suggesting it’s a 3-phase Delta wired motor?) and D-Bus. I’m surmising that the D-bus is unidirectional and just tells the inverter board what speed to spin the motor at? Presumably there’s a rotatory counter on the motor that signals back to the main PCB that the motor is indeed rotating? I’m thinking of sticking a multimeter across UVW and seeing if there’s actually a PD across the pins. Also thinking of sticking a scope on the D-bus and seeing if there is any signaling. Is the D-Bus protocol actually documented anywhere?

You did also mention checking the motor field coil. Please could you advise how that is done?

Any other tips would be gratefully received.

Thanks for your reply.

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