Would greatly appreciate help with this washing machine. I replaced the rotor position sensor after machine stopped working. I forget the error code but it pointed to the RPS and the machine worked OK after the replacement. There were traces of water in the motor (and spin was noisy) so I then had the bearings/seal/shaft replaced. The bearing job was done at a reputable repair shop after I stripped the machine down myself and delivered them the outer bowl (minus motor). I didn't try removing the bearings myself. I have reassembled it all and the problem is the machine won't spin. Fill, water levels, agitate, water pump, clutch engagement all seem fine. Instead of spinning after the water has pumped out, the motor momentarily oscillates the inner bowl to left then right then left etc at 2 second intervals for 2 minutes. All this time the pump is running. After about 5 X 2 minute cycles of this activity I get an error code 40 saying clutch or pressure tube problem. But these seem fine. How likely is it that the motor controller has a problem ? I've already spent $NZ300 !

David, February 2012

Final post: replaced the rotor & stator with mint-condition 2nd hand items from online auction. The old rotor was scored on the inside and produced noise. Machine now works fine when left to run through a cycle from start to finish. If one flips forward to the first or second rinse it can still do a fair number of bowl checks before proceeding.... strangely these can be aborted just by tilting the inner bowl forward or back - I don't understand this. So good result but am left in that annoying position of not knowing exactly what fixed the bowl check problem.

David, March 2012

Thanks for the offer- it may come to that! Am toying with just buying a recond motor controller from F&P and seeing what happens (realising theres a chance the fault lies somewhere else). Is there any danger that a fault somewhere else in the machine could fry the new controller ?

David, March 2012

I am based in West Auckland. If you want me to check it out for you give me a call 838 7906.

Lincoln Appliance NZ, February 2012

Am in Auckland. Connections to the stator and RPS are fine. The pressure tube is connected firmly at each end but will check there are no splits in the tube itself. You obviously haven't come across this before! Do you know any friendly technicians at F&P who could shed light on it??

David, February 2012

Where in NZ are you? Seems strange it worked ok after replacing the RPS but has gone faulty after dismantling it for the bearings. You could also check that the pressure tube is firmly fixed to both the outer bowl and the motor controller. May be there is an air leak.

Lincoln Appliance NZ, February 2012

Check again the wiring on motor stator is correct way around. R-B-Y and that the RPS is plugged in correctly.

Lincoln Appliance NZ, February 2012

Thanks. As far as I can tell the clutch is fine. The agitator sinks when the water is emptied and it engages with the inner bowl so that they turn together. I cleaned the 2 clutch components and there are no broken teeth. The new shaft fitted was a revised model (eg needed a male not a female wingnut to hold agitator) but I presume all other dimensions of the shaft were same as original and this has nothing to do with current problem? On one occasion while the drum was refusing to spin I turned it manually trying to coax it and this worked - one normal spin. But next time it failed again. Make sense?

David, February 2012

Code 40 is saying that the inner bowl is not engaged with the spline when the outer bowl is empty. The inner bowl can move up & down the shaft. When it moves up the toothed part under the drum disengages from the toothed cog on the shaft. Grasp the inner drum with 2 hands & pull it up then slide it down & feel if it drops in to place & engages. If it engages then the outer drum & agitator will turn together. If it does not engage take the inner drum out again & check that the spline driven cog is tooth facing upward & not upside down. Also check that teeth on cog & teeth in bottom of drum are clear and not obstructed. Come back here & let me know how you get on.

Lincoln Appliance NZ, February 2012