I've been trying to get this washing machine working off and on for a few too many weeks now around work commitments (gas/plumbing) and I've stumbled across your forum in the process and thinking this might be the right place to pick some brains.

The issue has been that it will not, have done all the obvious stuff to start with e.g. blockages in waste pipe, clogged pump... and quickly come to realise that the drain pump isn't kicking in. I've whipped off the connector checked it with the multimeter while I've got it on a drain cycle and hear a click and have 240v when you would expect the pump to kick in. At this point I think I've solved it and it must be a dead pump.

Order a new pump (stupidly without actually testing the original one with the multimeter but I was in a rush...) fit the new pump and have exactly the same issue the pump doesnt even try to start but when the plug is disconnected from the pump I've got 240v when I would expect it to.

Went down a bit of a rabbit hole with the water level/pressure switch today but I'm starting to think that's a red herring. I've also tried checking the voltage while the plug is connected to the pump and when it is connected I'm no longer getting the 240v reading on the multimeter. I presume this is clue of some sorts but I'm at the limits of the electrical knowledge here. Any ideas?

 

It appears that the reading you were getting disconnected was electrical leakage.
That is the issue with hi-impedance meters.
Do you have a schematic for the washer?
It is probably the device/switch that operates the pump.
What make/model?

 

Thanks for the reply! Thing is I'd get 0v at the start then hear a click/switch noise which is when the pump would normally kick in for a couple of min, then it drops off to 30-40v (presume that is electrical leakage?) when the pump would usually switch off while it turns the drum slowly a couple of times and then back up to 240v again when the drum spin stops and it should be doing the next pumping cycle.

Agree though that whatever switches it off/on is the most likely culprit which must be on the pcb/washing machine control module (£245 so this is looking beyond economic repair) that's mounted to the side of the machine (the two wires for the pump come from a plug with 3 other wires that's connected to that pcb).

I sadly don't have a schematic for it, tried searching for one without any joy, It's an indesit ewd 81482.

 

If the source is a PCB with a relay soldered to it, I have found it is either the relay or the copper foil going to the contact pins that are flimsy, I repair the foil with copper dry-wick or copper braid for desoldering.
It also pays to replace the relay, if that is the problem