Firstly a huge thanks to the admins and moderators here - I've already learnt a huge amount about my faulty washing machine. Thanks!
I'm hoping I could get some help with my washing machine please.
It's a Fisher & Paykel Smartdrive 708, 7.5kg top-loader. Here's my sorry story
(My apologies for the long post - being in IT tech support, I'd rather customers told me the whole story so I can pick out the important bits myself)
Originally, Last week it started "stuttering" whilst filling. i.e. the fill would start-stop-start-stop for maybe 5secs on, 3secs off until it would eventually stop and beep at me and show some lights. I didn't record the lights at the time as I didn't realise they were fault codes.
I started to trouble-shoot what I thought originally may have been a faulty Overbalance Sensor. I could hear the reed switch clicking freely and there was no gunk or corrosion around it.
So that seemed ok.
I've unplugged the display module from the other orange computer in the top section multiple times + unplugged all cables from the other orange computer multiple times too.
I've also blown down the clear tube (water level sensor?) to try and remove any obstructions. I could hear the air bubbling out the other end so that seems fine.
Then after plugging everything back together the machine and display powered on ok and allowed me to select the cycle I wanted but wouldn't actually start the cycle. It just sat there alternating between it's "ready" state and the flashing "paused" state when I toggled the Start/Pause button.
Short-version is that I shorted out the lid sensor by cutting and joining the wires together. The machine started "working" again, but was still stuttering when filling.
Then I found you guys
and found out how to do the diags on the unit.
Slow+Hold lights lit shows the lights (L->R) 10000011
From my search and research here that appears to indicate an RPS fault?
So I tipped the machine over, pulled the white plastic nut and grey plastic cover-shield off. I removed the 4 bolts holding the large coil unit to the central shaft and then removed the only little circuit board attached to the coil wheel (stator?). Is this the RPS board?
The board was moderately grimey and copper-corroded so I gave the circuit board a good clean with a circuit cleaner then put the whole thing back together and fired it up again.
No go
still stuttering whilst filling. After stuttering a few times it stopped and errored out with (L->R) 01101001 lights.
Diag lights (Hold+Slow) show 10000011 again.
During the course of my troubleshooting, I could force the cold and hot solenoids open and closed on command (Temp Up or Temp Down for those reading and wondering). I could also keep them open for an extended period. In diags mode, the water flower smoothly.
I also tested the pump in diags mode (regular wash button), and it (nearly) emptied the machine completely and correctly.
So, over to brains trust. Do I need a new RPS module and/or is something else likely to be the culprit?
Thanks for any and all assistance.
Tim
