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My old (1992) Zanussi FJ1040 front loading washing machine would only start if I firmly thumped the door handle, sometimes more than once. This suggested that the fault lay in the door-lock also called the interlock. For safety reasons the door-lock physically stops the door being opened if the machine has been operating within the last minute or so, to prevent hands going into a spinning machine.
This time delay can be adjusted on my door lock using the adjustment screw. This screw also allows the lock to be turned on, and if it is not locked the machine won't start. This was my problem, so I adjusted the screw to make it work. I guess due to many years wear, the screw needed resetting.
There are hundreds of different door locks for different machines, not all may have an adjusting screw. My door lock is also used on some AEG, Electrolux, Tricity and Bendix machines. A new door lock of my type (current part number1240348209) would have cost me £20-£30, but all it needed was an adjustment. I couldn't find this fix anywhere else on the internet, thus I wrote this guide.
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door lock pulled out of washing machine.
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adjustment screw in middle of grey casing
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Instructions and videos for removing door lock widely available on internet. Basically remove band around grey rubber seal, pull rubber seal away from door lock area, undo two screws and pull out the door lock as shown
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Turn screw about half a turn in (clockwise). This reduces the distance the bimetallic spring has to move turn the lock on and shortens the time the lock takes to turn off as the heater cools down
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On my door lock, the lock now always turns on (so the machine can start) and the time delay to unlock was a satisfactory 30 seconds or so.
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Shows the inside working of the lock. It was fairly easy to disassemble (4 plastic clips and 5 screws). It is not necessary to do this, but gives an understanding of what is happening.
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The adjusting screw is directly below the heater so is not shown.
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The power line heats up the heater which in turn heats and bends the bimetallic spring. This pushes up the pivoted lever which pushes down the flip flop switch. If there is too much slack in the system, the lever wont push the switch down quite enough to trigger it. (Thumping the machine probably gave it enough movement to trigger the switch).
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Slack in the system was decreased by moving the heater assembly up using the adjustment screw.
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When the switch is triggered, the electrical contacts close, sending a message to the rest of the machine that it is safe to turn on. Triggering the switch also moves the black timer lock which physically restrains a slider mechanism. ( the silver water lock also restrains this slider but this was working fine and not altered)
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The washing machine now turns on without thumping it!
The washing machine now turns on without thumping it!
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