My Zanussi FL828 washing machine wont wash properly with any more than a couple of items in the drum. If it is nearly empty it will go through the cycles and wash fine. However, when I put several items in to wash, the drum will not turn. I have checked the belt and it is fine. What else can I try??

David Black, December 2005

my zanussi fl828 keep filling with water, and wont start washing. It works on spin, empty and sometimes it start to wash and keep filling with water

Ray, March 2009

it does not spin when i put it on to spin

james, September 2006

I have solved the problem with my Zanussi FL828(B). I replaced the capacitor. Looking from the front of the machine with the top panel off, the capacitor is an aluminium, ('silver' coloured), cylinder (70mm long x 40mm dia) mounted to the right of the mains power input connector beneath a pressed steel cross member. It has two (white) wires leading from it to a connector on the circuit board.

!! BE CAREFUL!! - a capacitor this big (16 micro Farad at 400 volts) must hold a lot of energy I bet it would give a hefty shock - not for those with a weak heart. If the machine has just been running the capacitor may well still be charged even when you've isolated it from the mains.

As I mentioned in my previous post the motor struggled to turn the drum when the load (clothes + water) was heavy which is usually at the final rinse moving into the final spin. I checked the motor's stator windings using a multimeter (measured resistance to earth) to see if any had obviously failed. They appeared ok with no obvious signs of overheating.
The wires from the motor go to the timer and control unit PCB and also from there to a large capacitor. There was evidence of darkening of the two (white) wires leading to the capacitor which I thought may indicate charge leakage. Since the cost of either the PCB or motor is around one hundred GBP and the capacitor is £12 inc VAT I thought I try a new capacitor and if it didn't work I'd buy a new machine since it's 13 years old now.

Anyway after replacing the capacitor it's now running as if it's on steriods.

Jonathan Leak, March 2006

Sorry, I know this isn't an answer!

I have what sounds like the same problem on the FL828.
The motor on mine has no brushes; it looks like an A/C induction motor to me as there are outer stater coils. There are no screws to remove the outer motor casing (fixed with steel locking tabs). Mentioned in this forum elsewhere is something called a 'tacho magnet' - well I can't find anything that goes anywhere near the rotor from the outer casing, all the wires go into the stator windings.

I've changed the belt but although the new belt is a lot tighter the motor still 'stalls' when the load is heavy (rinsing and spinning). The belt (old and new) doesn't slip but when the load in the drum is at the 11 o'clock position the motor appears to lose its torque and stall. If you supply manual assistance it rotates. This happens in both clock and anti clockwise rotation. There is a suspicious smell of 'electrical overheating' (hot phenol /epoxy)
I do not understand how the feedback loop works - if the belt slips you'd not want the motor to keep spinning otherwise it could start a fire. similarly, if the drum got jammed somehow you'd want the control system to reduce/cut the motors torque otherwise it would overheat?

Have you solved your problem ? If so I'd be grateful for a few pointers.

Cheers, Jon

Jonathan Leak, February 2006

i would check the brushes on the motor, if it works fine when its empty i would change them!

peter, December 2005