On Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:05:25 -0700 (PDT), NT
wrote:

On Jun 13, 6:10*pm, Hugo Nebula wrote:
...Well, not quite. It's playing up. But before I go prodding around
in something I know nothing about, does anyone have any possible
pointers?

The machine is a Zanussi condenser, about six years old. A couple of
nights ago, I put in a load to dry. I heard a different beeping sound;
five beeps in succession. The washing was still damp and hot - it
hadn't been through the cool down cycle.

I emptied the washing & turned it on again, and I heard a noise like a
motor not turning. When I opened the drum I could smell a slight
burning smell, similar to that of a stuck motor. Next thing I tried
was turning the drum manually - it turned as normal. So I turned it on
again and the drum, etc, turned OK. Phew, I thought. Maybe it had just
caught on something and it's freed it. So I put the washing back in
and tried again (keeping a careful ear out for any problems). This
wash dried OK. I tried another wash, and the same thing happened
again.

If I rotate the drum it works about half the time. The other half I
get a burning smell. Any idea on the possible cause? A belt? A motor?
Something else?

sounds like a bad winding on the motor, typically a partial short. If
the machine turns continusouly in one direction, such faults are easy
to bodge-repair.
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...repair#Dropper


NT

That's a poor wiki compared to some that get mentioned here. No
detail. Dodgy advice about earth leaks and no mention about nuisance
RCD trips which is how this manifests itself in many cases.
I don't recognise their definition of a Variac, aren't they talking
about laminated carbon brushes?

--
Graham.
%Profound_observation%