In article ,
(Fray Bentos) wrote:


"Fray Bentos" wrote in message
k...
hello all. My washer tries to spin but doesn't.
I took the top off and saw / heard arcing coming from the motor.
Is it the brushes? how easy / costly are they to replace?


thanks



I have since removed one of the brushes to discover the connection to
the
brush holder is
black and charred to the point where I can't easily remove the spade
connector.
The brush holder is also yellowed/brown down the length of the body.
Will the arcing of the brush have caused the connector to burn? or is it
something more sinister ?
p.s. its a hotpoint about 5 yr old, its had its brushes replaced before
but
I want to DIY.



I have a Creda (which I believe is the same company as Hotpoint) that is
also around 5 years old. I've changed the brushes several times as this
seems to be a weakness with the machine. I've also had to change the
armature (or it may have been the complete motor, I can't remember now) as
the armature had burnt out.

It's easy to replace the brushes (I count the actual brush and
incorporated holder as the brush), albeit a bit fiddly - the motor on my
machine is at the top rear right hand corner - and the right hand brush is
a bit awkward to get at.

The brush holders have moulded tabs on them that lock into place when the
holder is inserted and this tab will need to be depressed when removing
the old brush. If you decide you want to remove a brush you've just put
in, for whatever reason, you have to be careful that you don't break the
tab off as the brush will be useless then.

Change both brushes, regardless if one looks better than the other, it
will save having to replace the other one a few weeks later! Remember that
the brushes are "handed" - i.e. they are not the same way round and one
goes to the right, one to the left. When you remove the old brush, mark it
"left" or "right" as appropriate. Check the angle of the carbon at the end
and replace it with the angle of the new brush facing the same way. Also,
mark the new brush "left" or "right" to make it easier when you have to
change them again.

I made up a set of instructions, together with labelled photos if it's of
any use to you - it's in PDF format, about 1.6Mb. E-mail me if you would
like me to send it to you.

Normally it is the arcing that causes the holder etc. to burn. One of mine
was burnt quite badly. I can't remember if I replaced the holder in the
end (if so, it was probably a pig to do) or if I ended up with a new set
when I changed the armature.

I've bought the brushes at a local repair shop that sells part, or
SparesRus also does them mail order:

http://www.sparesrus.co.uk/srushop/carbons.htm

If buying locally, you will need to take the machine model number with you
(usually located on a small sticker inside the door) as the general info.
on the front of the machine is meaningless. E.g. my machine says "Creda
1200 Superspeed" of the front. The actual model no. details are "Creda
17087".

It would also help to take one of the brushes along with you, or at least
compare it when you get back home before you open the packet, to make sure
you've got the right one. I've had arguments at my local store in the past
when they've tried to tell me that Creda isn't Hotpoint and they don't
stock the Creda brushes. When I've shown them the brush it's "Oh yes,
we've got that, but it's for Hotpoint machines!".

Roger
(my reader sometimes loses mail/newsgroup messages
- if you think you should have had a reply/comment,
please e-mail me again. Ta!)