Washing machine pump repair

Craftsmen jokingly call the washing machine pump the “heart.” The main task of the pump is to pump out waste liquid from the tank. Sooner or later, the time comes to repair the pump or replace it with a new one, because along with the engine, this unit experiences the greatest loads and is subject to the greatest wear. As part of the article, we will tell you how to check the pump, how to get to it, and how to carry out repairs yourself. We hope this information will be useful to you.

How to understand that the pump is faulty, the reasons for the breakdown?

Before you rush to disassemble the washing machine with your own hands and change the pump, you should accurately determine the cause of the breakdown. It is very possible that the reason is not in the pump at all; this needs to be looked into as thoroughly as possible. Let's proceed as follows.

• First you need to listen to the pump.
• Open and clean the drain filter if necessary.
• Check and clean the drain hose.
• Check the rotation of the pump impeller; it may be jammed.
• Check the sensors and contacts going to the pump.

Some faults can be localized by ear without being a specialist, so go to the washing machine while it is running and listen. Wait until the machine begins to drain or fill water, following the program. If the pump hums, tries to work intensively, but water does not flow into the tank or the pump does not make sounds at all, consider that the malfunction is localized.

After you are convinced that the pump is not working as it should, you should determine exactly whether it needs to be replaced or whether you can repair it yourself. First of all, open the drain filter and clean it of debris with your own hands.

If cleaning the filter does not help, check the drain hose for blockages. To do this, the hose must be dismantled and washed with a stream of hot water. Replace the hose and run a test wash. If the pump continues to act up, then you need to look further.

Next, you need to check the rotation of the washing machine drain pump impeller. You can get to the impeller even without disassembling the machine, through the drain filter, which needs to be unscrewed. To make it more convenient, get a flashlight and shine it into the hole from which you unscrewed the plug.

In the hole you will see the pump impeller. Place your hand in the hole and use your fingers to spin the impeller to see how it works. If the rotation of the impeller is difficult, try to feel for foreign objects that are causing interference (very often these are threads, lint, wire, etc.). If the impeller rotates freely or the cause of the difficult rotation has not been found, you will have to disassemble the washing machine yourself.

Having reached the pump, we check the impeller. If necessary, the drain pump can be dismantled and inspected more thoroughly. If there are no threads and lint, and the impeller still does not spin well, then the reason is in the mechanism and the pump must be disassembled. If the impeller rotates normally, but operates every other time, then the problem is in burnt contacts, a sensor or a control unit.

We select tools and components for repairs

The composition of the necessary tools and components will depend purely on the nature of the problem, so we will describe the option, as they say, to the maximum, if everything is completely bad with the pump. In this case, repairing a washing machine may require the following components:

• Drain pump assembly,
• Impeller,
• Axis,
• Cuff,
• Pad,
• Pulley,
• Drain pump sensor,
• Contacts.

When purchasing a new pump and parts for it, you should be careful. It is best to take the old unit, take it to a retail outlet that sells similar products, and a sales consultant will help you make a choice. The same should be done with components. Bring the disassembled pump to the store and they will give you the necessary part for it.

With tools the situation is simpler. In most cases, you can remove it with a Phillips screwdriver and a pocket knife. However, if there is a need to check the functionality of electrical equipment (sensors, contacts, wiring), you will need to acquire a multimeter.

How to get to the pump?

To get to a faulty drain pump, it is not at all necessary to disassemble the entire washing machine. Repair will depend on the model of equipment and its manufacturer. It is very easy to get to the pump of washing machines of some manufacturers, while with others the situation is more difficult, but first things first.

• The easiest way to get to the pump of washing machines is: Samsung, Candy, Ariston, Ardo, Beko, Whirlpool, LG, Indesit. To do this, you need to turn the washing machine of one of these companies on its side, remove the bottom cover (if there is one) and the pump will be at hand.
• The situation is a little more complicated with washing machines such as Electrolux and Zanussi. To get to their pump, you will need to turn the washing machine around and remove its back wall by unscrewing several screws.
• The most difficult thing to get to is washing machine pumps from manufacturers such as AEG, Bosch, Siemens. In this case, you will have to dismantle the front wall along with the control panel. For information on how best to do this, read the article Replacing the pump in a washing machine.

We fix it with our own hands

As mentioned above, the washing machine pump is quite simple in design and repairing it is not difficult. If there is no visible damage on it, then you need to disassemble it and carefully examine all the elements. One of the most common failures of a washing machine pump is the impeller coming out of alignment. Very often it simply flies off the axis, while the pump itself will turn on, make sounds, but will not pump water. We see a solution to the problem in purchasing a new impeller and installing it in place of the old, broken one.

When disassembling the pump, carefully inspect all rubber gaskets. If even the slightest traces of wear are visible on them, the gaskets need to be replaced. Also inspect all moving parts of the pump, including the pulley, for wear and tear and replace if necessary. Pump parts cost pennies, but if you neglect to replace them, or use non-original spare parts, you can waste time and end up replacing the entire pump.

As a result, we note that it is quite possible to repair a washing machine, or rather its pump, with your own hands, without resorting to the help of a specialist. To do this, you need to study the rules of work and other useful information that we have briefly presented in our article. Good luck!