I have a Fisher & Paykel SmartDrive L08 Washing machine that will not drain . . and so I tried to restart the spin cycle a few times and now it will not even power up. I cannot afford a repair man can I fix it myself? if so what do i do?

Patricia Bigornia, January 2009

THANK YOU. And God bless the internet.

Tim, August 2009

Reason it wont power up is because this model uses the pump as part of the power supply. If pump is blocked & not turning you will hear a slight buzzing sound which is the pump trying to turn. It will overheat if you try too many times or leave it on too long. Once it overheats it will shut off power until it cools down then power will come back on. Bail as much water out of tub as you can with a small jug. Then tip machine back against wall as far as you can. Look under machine on right front corner you will see drain pump. Try spinning the plastic fan left & right to dislodge rubbish. When it comes free to turn, stand machine up & try it with power by advancing to final spin. If pump now runs ok -good. If still humming then repeat as before. If still no luck then pump will need to be removed completely to remove the obstruction.

Lincoln Appliance NZ, January 2009

Is this a recent question?
Just general advice here - I'm not a repair person, only can offer practical advice:
Switch the machine off, leave for 10 minutes and try again, select the spin cycle and switch on.
If electricity supply to it is ok but it does not drain, switch off again, leave 10 minutes and drain manually.
Very slowly unscrew the filter at the bottom of the machine - watch out, water will come out - lots of it! - you'll have to catch this a bit at a time in a shallow dish, screw back up when you need to empty the dish, and keep going until the machine is empty and the water stops.
Check the filter is clean and free of lint and/or other debris. Screw the filter back in place, select spin again and switch on. Good luck.

Caroline, January 2009