Electrolux EWF10843 - Cannot Open Door

[murphyc]

Hello, all.  I live in the States, but have in-laws in Malaysia, whom I am now visiting for several weeks.  My wife's friend has kindly allowed us to stay at her apartment.  On arrival, I've learned the washing machines hasn't been working.  I'm above-average handy, and have done a few modest appliance repairs, some with your help, so I'd like to resolve this, if possible.  I'll offer what I know and have tried so far:

• The door is locked and won't open.  This model does not have a 'lever' in the handle.  I assume there's some kind of magnetic (?) lock, or the like, which the machine releases when it thinks the cycle is done and the water has drained.  Viewed through the glass window, the unit does not appear to have water in it.  There may well be water at some level I can't see, of course, but for the record the only thing the owner of the unit left in there, after a very recent wash, is a single, large towel (which is probably going to start to reek soon).  The owner mentioned she's had this problem before, but that the door released after a while.  I'm skeptical of the comprehensiveness of that information.
• If I power off the machine, then power it back on (i.e., using the unit's power button, not the switch at the wall common on outlets in many countries like Malaysia), the unit makes five clicks, two fast, then three slow.  (I imagine it's a pump sound or a door lock release attempt sound?)  If I then click Start, it makes the identical clicking pattern, then the Start light simply flashes (i.e., I assume, "something is wrong I can't proceed") and things go quiet.  During that period, the Door Lock light flashes, as well, but it doesn't continue to flash once things go quiet.  If I press Start again, the same behavior repeats.  The door never releases, even if I hold even pressure on it during this process.
• Based on online manual and other reading, I tried unplugging the machine for a long time to see whether the door releases.  Even after 30+ minutes or more, nothing changes.  This model, by the way, does not have any little access panel on the front.  In my case, too, for what it's worth, it has a dryer stacked on top of it, in case I ever need to access the unit from the top.  The dryer doesn't seem too heavy, if that becomes essential, as I have moved both around to see what troubleshooting promise the rear of the washing unit might have.
• Based on the same noted online reading, I also tried to run a Spin and Drain and a just Drain cycle, with the same clicking and stopping result.
• On my own, I did wonder as to the state of the drain hose.  I pulled it out of the pipe in which it normally inserts, which pipe comes straight up out of the floor.  I believe the end of the drain hose was below water (which seems bad to me for various reasons - siphoning, lack of drainage, getting plugged).  There was, of course, some water in the drain hose, presumably that below the level of whatever water is in the pipe / trap.  I set the drain hose out on the tile floor and tried the unit again (e.g., drain cycle, but the above-mentioned results were the same.

Apologies for length, but I did want to share all that I know.  Does anyone, please, have any thoughts on a fix OR a workaround for this situation?  I am happy to try anything further, get the tools I need, etc.  

Thank you for your consideration.

[Vance R]

Googled your model number model number and a youtube video shows up by Blags ni Budang. The  video is for replacing the door lock, in the video the lock looks like it has a manual release. Usually you can take the top off to manually actuate the release. Make sure to unplug the washer first. Once open try plugging back in to see if the washer will come on

[murphyc]

Hi, Vance.  Thank you for the reply.  I am unsure why my search didn't produce that video originally - perhaps because I was VPNed - so I apologize you had to find it for me.

This looks helpful, though I wonder if my description of the problem is indeed indicative of a problem with the door lock itself.  It may well be, but my starting point is a little different insofar as my door is stuck shut, not that the unit fails to lock it and therefore the unit won't run.  I can imagine that either scenario is indicative of a problem with the lock, though.

If I can manage to get the door open, I may well just replace the lock as my next trial.  I will open the unit from the top to see whether there is a manual release.  I may also try using a nylon line to trick open the latch, as I've seen in other videos.

Other input still most welcome, nevertheless thank you very much for this.

[murphyc]

I've now also found this -->  

I'll be able to try this later and will provide an update here.

[murphyc]

That works, though it's a little touch-and-go, requiring lots of patience and retries.  It will eventually open the door though, in my experience.