repair

Repairing a Washing Machine

Lukasz

• 2 min read
Repairing a Washing Machine

Washing machine in my flat started to emit worrying sounds and didn't wash properly, time to buy a new one? Maybe not yet...

It's a BLUESKY BLF518 (possibly a Carrefour home appliance brand), it's part of the flat and it's does a good job.

BLUESKY washing machine, partially disassembled
Washing machine information plaque

Given that the inside was dirty from a black soot it would point to a worn DC motor brushes which are usually made out of carbon.

Carbon soot from worn DC motor brushes

Since the washing machine is pretty heavy (it has a heavy concrete counterbalance) it was tilted and secured. DC motor responsible for rotating the drum is clearliy visible and quite well accessible.

Lifted washing machine (one brush is already disassembled)
DC motor and carbon brushes pointed by red arrows

After removing the brushes the cause of the fault was confirmed - the brushes are all worn out. The contact is not good enough and the motor doesn't have enough power to rotate and skips - this explains skreeching/skipping sounds.

Worn out DC motor brush

It was easy to find a new replacement part by googling the part number (54S5009-02) and the cost, including shipping, was around 12 EUR.

Comparison between new brushes (top) and worn ones (bottom)
Closeup of a new and worn DC motor brush
New brush was filed to match the angle of the old one (better contact with DC motor contacts)
New brush not yet installed...
New brush secured, it was slightly filed so it aligns well with motor contacts
Both new brushes installed
Final test - all good