Help with Bosch Washer WFL2090UC ?

[Dschefl]

TLDR version: Please Help a DIY-er Repairing a Bosch Washer WFL2090UC? 

1) does anyone have a .pdf of the service manual?

2) To replace the brushes, is the best access really via the underside of the machine? 

3) Why is there a fine black powder coating everything? Is that bad? What is it?

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide!
- D

Below is my first draft of this post. As you can see I have a tendency towards verbosity. I am including it in its entirety anyway in case it contains useful details that help in evaluating or diagnosing the above issues:  
 
Hello, I'm a DIY-er trying to repair a Bosch Front Loading Clothes Washer model WFL2090UC/. (I'm not sure if it is /01, /04, or some other version. Believe purchased circa 2008?) Initial issue is the drum will no longer spin. It makes noises like it's trying, and fills with water, and it doesn't seem to be a door latch issue, so I suspect it's either the belt or the brushes. 

1) If anyone could provide digital copies of the service manual, tech specs, fault codes, and schematics, that would be amazing. Bosch Customer Service won't share these with me. 

2) I already ordered replacement brushes but I can't figure out how best to access the motor. This model seems to have a terrible design with kind of a removable porthole on the back so I can see the back of the tub, belt, and drive shaft(?), but which isn't really big enough to provide access? I can't see what I'm doing when trying to access the motor from the front or reach the motor mount bolts, so it seems like the best option is to remove the bottom-side panel. But, I'm doing this solo and not confident I can tip it over and back upright safely by myself, especially since it's on a pedestal in a small utility room w/o much room to work. I'm guessing that the service manual will tell me that access through the underside panel is what's recommended though.     

3) Part of the reason I suspect the brushes is because much of the interior of the machine's cabinet is coated with a fine, black, odorless, soot-like or carbon-like powder. (I didn't try a taste test. Blech.) The greatest concentration of powder seems to be in the bottom rear of the machine. I initially thought this might be mold, but that doesn't make much sense b/c mold doesn't usually grow on metal and plastic w/o access to anything organic, right? Then I thought it might be degraded bits of the belt, but from what my amateur eyes can tell, visually the belt is in good condition. There is resistance when turning it manually and it moves the drum okay. With the quantity of powder dispersed, if it were formerly part of the belt I would expect the belt to be quite obviously chewed up and worn. Plus, the particle size is a lot smaller than I would expect disintegrating rubber to be. I don't have any experience with electrical motors but it occurred to me when the replacement brushes arrived that it may be the old brushes making the mess? The powder itself is flat or matte black though, not the same grey with a slightly reflective sheen like the new brushes have.  

Can anyone identify the black powder material and suggest what it may portend for the future life of the machine? If the original brushes did get ground up to create this powder, is that likely to happen to the replacement brushes as well? If I can get another 15 years of service from this machine after replacing the brushes I'll be thriled, but does anyone have any suggestions as to the possible cause of the powder and how I might prevent it from happening in future?   

Thanks for reading this far. I appreciate any and all contributions to resolving my questions. Cheers! 

Final note: unfortunately I won't have access to the washer again until this weekend, but if photos would be illustrative please let me know what pictures I should take.

[MrApplianceMatt]

Can you spin the basket by hand if you remove the belt? What does the bearing area look like behind the main pulley? I don't have much experience with Bosch front load washers, but I've serviced hundreds of others and I've seen far more rear bearings fail than I have motors fail. Not saying it isn't the motor, but isolating the motor and the tub would yield useful information.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

I've never worked on a Bosch frontload washer but I'm aware of the brushes for these - they use the same motor brushes that some of the older generation Frigidaire frontloaders used that the brushes aren't available separate, (you have to replace the complete motor - that is unless you are aware that these Bosch brushes work on the Frigidaires).

15 years old and what you describe sure sounds like motor brush residue to me - If you get another 15 years with just replacing the brushes you will be doing good.

Generally one of the brushes wear a lot more then the other because of the high speed spin in the same direction there is more load and wear on that one side of the two brush setup.

Like I said, I've never worked on the Bosch so can't give you any guidance on removing the motor - The Frigidaire's that I'm familiar with the complete back panel comes off and there is plenty of room to remove the motor from the back.

 

[Dschefl]

MrApplianceMatt:  Thanks for the reply. I'll take a look next time I'm with the machine this Saturday. I think if it is the bearings, I suspect that is a more complicated repair than I feel competent to address. I'll probably just install the replacement brushes I already ordered and hope that does the trick.

Willie: thank you for the reply as well. I've discovered several videos on YouTube which seemed to indicate that failure due to brush wear is fairly common on this line of Bosch washers and that replacing the brushes is inexpensive and pretty simple (if a bit fiddly) IF you can access the motor and see what you're doing. Unfortunately, the models used for online demonstration have a different cabinet design from mine...with those, like with your old Fridgidaire's, you can just pop off the back panel. It is almost like Bosch intentionally redesigned my model's cabinet to be difficult to work on. Planned obsolescence? Or maybe I'm just being cynical and the design engineers were trying to address some other problem with the change.    

Hoping I can enlist a helper this weekend so I can try to access the motor from that bottom panel. Will report back with the results.  

Additional online sleuthing supports my suspicion and Willie's concurrence that the ubiquitous black powder is likely to be motor brush residue.

Follow-up questions for Matt, Willie, or other helpful experts: Is it worthwhile to spend time cleaning up the brush residue? Is it still conductive and thus capable of causing a short, or, likely to interfere with mechanical component operation? If I don't need to I'd really rather not. Putting your hands into the cabinet to work is a bit like rummaging around in a bagful of charcoal looking for a diamond -- the stuff doesn't wipe up easily and I worry that with the small particle size the mess will just become airborne if I use a shop-vac, and contaminate the small apartment's living space. 

I'm also still hoping to get at least a peek at the Service Manual for this unit. Or at least confirm the underside panel is the recommended access point for brush replacement? The manual *seems* to be available for download on the Appliantology website, but DIY guests don't have download permissions. I've submitted a request to the Samurai(s) for access but if they're not feeling benevolent or don't have time to get to it, would someone else mind taking a look? (But please don't get into trouble on my behalf if this request violates site rules or the TOS; I don't have time to look them up right now.)

Thanks for your time and your help!

 

 

 

[Dschefl]

I think this is the fabled Service Manual which I am unable to access....

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Thanks Bosch - What a crappy change you have made to your machines just to make the job more miserable.

@Dschefl Only one page in the manual on removing the motor.

Bosch has obviously changed there design at sometime as they show two procedures to remove the motor, one for the big rear panel, (like the Frigidaire's I spook of - the motor is removed from the back).

And on fortunately for you the small rear panel, (wear gloves to protect from sharp edges on rear opening).  

 Here's the info from the manual -

Quote

6.4 Motor disassembly big rear panel 6.5 Motor disassembly small rear panel
1. Remove the rear panel.
Sharp edges:
Wear protective gloves.
2. Remove the self-tensioning belt
3. Remove the two bolts A for attaching the motor.
4. Pull out the motor towards the rear.

For machines of 600 rpm the motor have 3 supports in the outer tub,
the other motors have 4 supports. The spare part tub have always 4
supports.
Disassembly:
1. Remove the rear cover
2. Remove the self-tensioning belt
3. Remove the two bolts A
4. Remove the front panel
5. Pull out the motor towards the rear

Only thing different on the small opening - you also have to remove the front panel to get the motor out the front of the machine - both when they say to "Pull out the motor towards the rear", just means that you pull the motor towards the rear to slide it off the tub mounting tabs after removing the belt and two retainer bolts.

[Dschefl]

@Budget Appliance Repair Willie, thanks so much for providing that terrible news. Sounds like they want me to try to operate through the porthole rather than the underside? I will take another look this weekend but I don't think even a small child could get their limbs in through there to do any work! (I was admittedly viewing things upside down while hanging over the top of the machine. Perhaps it will seem more manageable when I can actually get set up behind it.)

I think your helpful responses combined probably qualify as "The Solution" but I am still hoping to get people to weigh in on the need for cleaning out the brush powder residue? so will hold off marking it as such for now. (Not sure if marking solved changes how a post appears on the forum or just awards bragging rights for helpful experts.) 

So, anyone have thoughts on residue clean-up? Is it a safety concern due to conductivity? Could it cause a short and blow up the machine? Lead to early mechanical failure? Start getting into laundry loads? Please let me know if I should care enough to go through the hassle of cleaning it -- assuming I can get the machine up and running again. Thanks!

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Sorry, forgot to mention regarding the dust clean up - it's no concern if you don't want to clean it up - it's can be pretty messy, but not really a safety concern as far as conductivity is concerned.  Just a damp rag and wipe the majority of it up would probably be best but not required, (no since in not just at least a damp rag wipe down if you have to open the front to the motor out anyway.

Even with your small opening back panel you shouldn't have any problem getting the belt off and the two bolts that hold the motor to the tub - just looks like there is absolutely no way to get the motor out the back with the small opening and no room to really get you arms in there to do any type of cleaning up of the brush dust.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Here's what yours should look like with the back off: