The drum in my Bosch washing machine won't spin.

Has your washing machine stopped dead after filling with water? This means one thing: you need to urgently investigate why the drum isn't spinning. There's no need to call a technician; you can try to fix the problem yourself, and we'll show you where to look for the problem and what to do.

Description of the failure, possible causes

Let's define this breakdown more precisely in order to limit the range of possible malfunctions. In this article, we will be considering those cases when the washing machine, having filled with water, does not start washing, and the drum does not spin. The pump drains water and operates normally. However, if you listen closely, you can hear a cracking sound. This is the sound of the motor either rotating without transmitting power to the drum, or not rotating at all.

The reasons for this may be the following:

• the drive belt has come off the pulley or broken;
• the motor brushes and lamellas are worn out;
• the tachometer sensor or engine burned out;
• A foreign object got into the drum and jammed its rotation.

Important! If the drum spins but spins poorly, there may be more than one cause.

Engine problems

The drum in a Bosch washing machine may stop spinning if the motor isn't turning it. This seems logical, but in practice, you still need to figure out what's wrong with the motor itself and why it's not turning the drum. Here it is very important to find out whether the engine does not turn under load or not at all.If the motor is running and turning the shaft, but as soon as you attach the belt to it, it stops turning, then the problem is with the brushes and they need to be replaced. What should we do?

1. We remove the service hatch of the Bosch machine, which is located at the rear.
2. We remove the drive belt.
3. We disconnect the wires from the engine.
4. We unscrew the mounting bolts and remove the motor.
5. We check how the motor shaft rotates, then unscrew the small bolts holding the brushes.
6. We take out and check the brushes.
7. If they are worn out, we replace them; if the brushes are intact, we continue to look for the cause.

Motor brushes are not replaced individually. Either they should not be replaced at all if they are intact, or they should be replaced in pairs.

If the brushes are intact, then there's another reason why your Bosch washing machine's drum isn't spinning. It's highly likely that the tacho sensor, which is attached to the motor housing, is to blame. This is the same component from which you previously removed the wires when removing the motor.

We take a multimeter, set it to check resistance, and check the tachometer. If the tachometer is working properly, we continue to look for the reason why the washing machine isn't spinning its drum. At this stage, you will have to disassemble the engine body and inspect the lamellas, or as they are also called, the collector plates.

If the fins are intact and look like the one shown in the picture above, the motor winding may be damaged. This can be checked as follows:

• switch the multimeter to ohmmeter mode;
• We place one probe on one of the lamellas, and the second probe on the second;
• look at the display indicators (should show 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 Ohm);
• We check the values ​​on all pairs of lamellas; if everything is normal everywhere, then the problem is not in the winding.

Replacing the drive belt

You can tell if the belt in your washing machine has broken by turning the drum by hand. If there is no resistance when rotating and the drum rotates easily, then the belt has either come off because it has stretched, or it has broken.

Replacing the drive belt in an automatic transmission is easy. To do this, remove the rear housing using a hex screwdriver. Then, remove the drive belt by pulling it toward you with one hand and turning the pulley with the other. Now, slide the new belt onto the engine pulley, then onto the drum pulley, turning the pulley with one hand. This job requires some skill, so don't despair if you don't get the belt on the first try—try again.

Important! When purchasing a Bosch washing machine drive belt, use the serial number located on the belt itself.

Foreign objects

If the drum can't be turned by hand when the washing machine is turned off, it's usually caused by a foreign object lodged between the drum and the tub. You can try removing the foreign object from the tub through the opening under the heating element. Here's what to do:

1. Unscrew the back cover, thereby providing access to the heating element.
2. Disconnect the terminals from the heating element.
3. Loosen the nut on the central bolt that holds the heating element in the socket.
4. Using rocking movements, pull the heating element towards you and put it aside.
5. Look into the nest under the heating element, shining a flashlight.
6. If the foreign object is visible, try to remove it with something.
7. Assemble the machine in reverse order.

If you cannot remove the item using the method described above, then the only option left is to disassemble the washing machine. Bosch and remove the tank. Then remove the drum from the tank. Detailed instructions on this topic are available in the article. How to disassemble a Bosch washing machine.

To avoid having to take anything out of the machine, carefully check the pockets of your clothes before washing, and don't forget to look in the drum and detergent drawer to see if there's anything there that shouldn't be.

So, almost all problems that cause the drum in a Bosch washing machine to stop completely before washing can be fixed yourself. The only exception is when you need to disassemble the drum. This requires skill, space, and time. This type of malfunction is rare. Happy repairing!

   

6 reader comments

1. April 15, 2017 at 6:53 PM

   Valentin:

   A pretty detailed description. My washing machine fills with water but doesn't wash. Bosch Maxx WFH 1660 OE. I'll try replacing the brushes.

   Answer
2. January 29, 2018 at 9:36 PM

   Rustem:

   Thanks for the tip about the belt. I took the machine out of the closet and found the belt underneath. I put it back and everything works.

   Answer
3. December 28, 2018 at 8:57 PM

   Teddy bear:

   But when I have little laundry, the drum spins, but when I have a lot, it doesn’t spin 🙁

   Answer
   • April 30, 2020 at 1:15 PM

     Maksut:

     Brushes

     Answer
4. June 23, 2020 at 6:42 PM

   Alexander:

   The engine is working, the tachometer is too, the belt is intact, there are no foreign objects, but it still doesn’t turn.

   Answer
   • July 8, 2020 at 9:14 PM

     Sergey:

     Same thing... did you find the reason?

     Answer