Tumble dryer not turning common faults, plus motor change on a White Knight

by Paul Charmbury / Tuesday, 13 February 2018 / Published in Motors & Capacitors, Tumble Dryers

If you tumble dryer is not turning then you normally have one of four faults:

Belt has snapped or come off (you will hear the motor running):
Capacitor fault (You hear a faint humming noise but drum not turning)
Something jammed on one of the fan blades:
The motor is faulty possible bearing or windings:
This video will show you how to replace the tumble dryer motor on White Knight plus some models from & some Bosch, Caple, Crosslee, Electrolux, Kenwood, Tricity, Tricity Bendix,

if you are still having trouble please contact us using your full model number including the product number for help from Paul

Changing your Motor can keep your tumble dryer running at peak efficiency and drying correctly, plus reduce the noise if the bearings are worn in the motor.

Safety first! Unplug the machine from the electrical supply and make sure the machine has been idle long enough so that the heater has cooled down.

Tumble Dryer not turning correctly or not turning at all on White Knight & some others

if you'll tumble dryer is not rotating at all then you may have a problem with one of the following items.

Belt has snapped or come off (you will hear the motor running) common fault normally due to overloading or worn bearings,
Capacitor fault (You hear a faint humming noise but drum not turning) normally due to age.
Something jammed on one of the fan blades: this could be due to poor maintenance and the Machine may just need a good service and clean,
The motor is faulty possible bearing or windings this video will show you how to replace it.

Stip down prosses

first, take the lid off
You will need to remove the lower panel which covers the vent hose,
to remove the drum you will need to remove the wiring from the back panel make sure you take some photographs as this will help you reassemble it.
After that, you will be able to remove the back panel and then extract the old tumble motor out of the machine,
you can then fit the new one.
You will then be able to rebuild the machine lining the belt up on the drum correctly.
I have also included a load of tumble dryer videos below to assist you in other repairs in the future.

Once a year vacuum the inside taking special care on the wiring, it is very important to clean all the vent tubes on a regular basis. Clean the heat exchanger (condenser dryers only)

We hope this tutorial helped you get your tumble dryer working again!

Tagged under: motor, noisy dryer, not turning, Tumble Dryer

8 Responses to “Tumble dryer not turning common faults, plus motor change on a White Knight”

Rayman says : Reply

October 14, 2019 at 2:46 am

I’ve got a white knight 38AW and i toke panel off and the motor fans is stopping me to take whole panels off.How do I take the fan off before I can get inside?
paul mottershaw says : Reply

August 12, 2020 at 6:56 pm

my white knight dryer makes a buzzing noise when door shut when timer set or not had a clean out but still nothing
Steve says : Reply

September 7, 2020 at 3:31 pm

Hi Paul

Firstly this is a brilliant site to help repair white appliances.

I have a Bosch WTE863B2GB/46 and using your instructions I have confirmed that the belt needs to be replaced; However I cannot see how to get the belt off the Motor Drive shaft as it seems to be a bar connected at both ends with the belt inbetween.
Any help would be greately appreciated.

Regards
Steve
Paul says : Reply

October 4, 2021 at 12:44 pm

My white knight tumble dryer will run for a few minutes then cuts out. The lights go out and it stops working, this problem is intermittent before it stops. If you switch it off and leave it for a while it will start again but the problem persists. The power supply, fuse, plug etc are fine. There are no other problems with the machine.
Stuart Russell says : Reply

October 30, 2021 at 11:41 am

I’ve got a white knight C372WV and I need to replace the capacitor. Took rear panel off, but it doesn’t allow access to motor (& capacitor) at all. The motor fan is stopping me taking the access panel off, it seems to be held in with a star washer, these usually break when removing (In my experience) and its in a deep recess .
How do I take the fan off before I can get inside – or is there a different way to access the capacitor?
PS a link to buy the part would be handy, your website seems to go round in circles and as I’ve had the help from your tutorial, I reckon you deserve the custom
Regards
Stuart Russell
David Paterson says : Reply

April 6, 2022 at 4:14 pm

My tumble dryer will not rotate , model C43AW. 0312 432 1500F. , could it be the capacitor. Where is it on this machine please .? and do you know where I can purchase . They reset button is not working
Stephanie kirby says : Reply

August 3, 2022 at 12:04 pm

My tumble dryer starts and spins if I turn the drum first before closing the door but after a few minutes will stop and make loud motor noises. The belt is still tightly in place but I don’t want to touch anything else and risk breaking it further
Thomas says : Reply

March 24, 2023 at 2:35 pm

White knight 427wv problem with machine is when I turn it on makes a buzzing noise and will not turn took top off machine gave drum little push from top and starts ok but have to do this each time to start have you any clue