As I turned the machine on the 5 lights indicating the steps in the wash cycle began flashing on and off at intervals of around 1/2 a second. My first instinct was a problem in the power supply. The control panel in most washing machines has a few components to regulate the supply. Capacitors, thyristors etc...
My first step was to remove the control panel from its housing at the back of the washing machine. This particular model has a metal panel at the rear of the machine at the base. Make sure to unattach the water supply, the electric plug from the wall and keep the waste pipe high. Now take out the screws from the panel and keep them safe. As you look at the rear of the washing machine the control panel is on the far left of the unit. It is housed in a white plastic container with cables attached. The best thing to do before stripping the plastic box down is photograph the box with the cables attached so that you know how to re-attach them later.
Once open I started to scan the circuit board for solder that had cracked, corrosion and the general appearance of the components. It was soon obvious what was causing the incorrect operation. You'll notice in the next picture the 4 cyclinder shaped capacitors. Can you see that the second largest capacitor (the brown one) seems to be dome shaped on the top? That is a failing capacitor.
This particular capacitor is a dielectric 680 micro Farad 10 volt. They are quite difficult to buy so I used a 1000 micro Farad 16 volt capacitor instead. Make sure you get the capacitor the right way round. All dielectric capacitors have a negative side that is displayed as a white or silver bar running down the side. Once I had finished reconnecting the control panel, replaced the metal panel and attached the water and electricity the moment of truth!
Everything worked beautifully. Trust me I'm an electronic engineer.
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