ZWF1640W washing machine not working

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unclebob1

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Morning All.

My Zanuzzi washing machine didnt finish its wash cycle yesterday.
Tried to run just a spin cycle and that went from running (10 min remaining) to 0 in a very short time - the pump came on for approx 30 seconds, then off, and then timer finished and door unlocked.

Same for all other cycles.

Going though the diagnostic (holding start/pause + Delay start) and selecting one turn to the right, everything seems to work ok- water fills, drum spins, water empties out.

Error code comes back as E34.

I cleaned out the drain (not much in there), but yet it wont cycle fully.

Left it overnight, and tried a normal wash this morning with an empty drum. that worked fine.

Put cloths in and the machine didn't start ( same as when i tried the spin cycle).

Online suggests the pressure switch? Any other suggestions before I source the switch?
 
Does this model have a pipe between the pressure switch & the pump or is the pressure switch on the back of the drum. If it's the former have you tried removing the pipe from the switch & blowing down it. You should hear the water in the pump bubbling
 
Hi JJ,

Looking at a replacement switch it does indicate that there is a pipe - I've not had a chance to open my machine due to the way its located its difficult to keep accessing the back, so I've ordered a replacement switch and heater as these seem to be the common causes of E35, and will open and test the pipe once I've got the replacement switch.
 
It could also be the control board which will probably make it an uneconomical repair.
 
jj4091 said:
It could also be the control board which will probably make it an uneconomical repair.
Click to expand...
True,
but running through the self test side all the individual functions seem to work fine - water filling, spinning pump etc so hopefully the control board is ok.
 
So it managed to do a cycle this morning with no work done, just doing another one now, but it seems to be constantly adding water from the top spray (not sure if this is normal as I've never sat and watched it!) But I don't see the water at the bottom of the drum when looking in!

Replacement pressure switch is coming tomorrow, is there a specific way to fit it? Can I leave the bottom of the pipe connected and in the water or better to take it out and plug in the new switch?
 
The Zannussi machines have a recirculating pump that constantly moves the water from the bottom of the drum to the top of the washing, so what you see is normal. Not sure what you mean about leaving the bottom of the pipe in the water, as I said it should be connected to the drain pump at the bottom of the machine with the pressure switch at the top. The pipe should just pull off the switch & stay in situ to be reconnected when the new switch is fitted. But don't forget to check that it is clear of obstruction at the pump end by blowing down it while you have the switch off. You also need to check it has not been nipped anywhere along the length of the tube.
 
Thanks jj. I wasn't clear but some of the video's i saw of replacing and checking the pipe etc had like a bell bottom on the pipe which was in the water. I wasn't sure if i should disconnect that end, connect the pressure switch at the top and then reconnect at the bottom to set the pressure in the system.

I will follow as you have described, will disconnect the old switch, blow through and I should hear bubbles from inside the machine? will also check the length to make sure no rubbing has made holes and then put the new switch in.

Just out of interest if i turn the washing machine off mid wash from the plug, can this get things confused and cause this problem?
 
Switching off at the socket mid cycle should not cause a problem, certainly with the pressure switch, but who knows.
 
Hi,

I had the top off over the weekend, took out the old pressure switch (round ball type), blew down the connecting pipe, and there was some resistance but not loads. So I dont think there is a leak in the pipework, and I followed it best I could and found no holes etc. I took out the new switch and found its the wrong one! so back that goes, meanwhile the machine seems to be working...
 
Just to follow up, since my last post, both pressure switches had been changed, and after that everything seem to be ok, until this week when it showed the same issues.

Both times the weather has been very hot when its not been working so not sure if that is part of the problem!

This time, I have managed to figure out how to get the back case off and can now see the full pipes and the vessel they connect to.
16271267976724397067157748741552.jpg
so the questions I have are:
1) should the vessel have any water in it already? if so, how much? and what's the best way to fill it?
2) now that its open I can check resistance of the heating element 28.7 ohms - can someone tell me what the resistance should be?
 
Last edited:
So I had the top and back off again yesterday.

Took the drain off the bottom of the drum (which also links to the water chamber that the pressure switches connect to). Gave it all a good clean, and re fitted. It kind of ran the wash cycle, so I stopped it and put a load of cloths in. it wouldn't run.

More fiddling and it seems that I need to put some water in the drum - needs a fair amount, then it will run. If its dry/not run for a while, then it doesn't want to run.

I took the board off and visually it looks like its fine - no scorch marks etc.

Both pressure switches were changed and blowing through the pipes shows they are clear (and visually I checked in the chamber at the bottom when I removed it to clean...

Any other ideas?
 
Has the tube to the pressure switch been cut or crushed anywhere along it's path ( perhaps by the clips & side of the machine ) between the pump & the switch. The switch needs the water in the drum & pump to operate the switch & start the wash cycle.
 
I had it apart yesterday, and as far as I can see, the tubes are intact - I will remove them both and do a bubble test in water the next time I take it apart.

So when I start a wash, the first thing the program does is pump OUT any water in the drum. At this point after approx. 10-15 seconds the program fails and timer goes to 0, and door unlocks. The program never starts to fill the drum to activate the pressure switches. At the end of a successful wash, I would assume water is pumped out to below the drum level thus there is no water in the chamber for the next cycle.
 
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