I cannot repair my washing machine without documentation. I have no idea how to use my multimeter to check the components. There are parts dealers for Beko in my area, but none of them have the service manual.
The parts shops all say go to the website for the manual as a flippant off-the-cuff answer. There are no service manuals on the Beko website -- at least not for my model. The navigation of the Beko website does not even have a path to docs. And worse, my model is treated as non-existent by the website.
What would I do if I were a professional repair service? What is the official channel?
I am open to “piracy¹” but it would be a long shot to scour all the dark web for a manual for a specific washing machine. It’s not the type of content people have a strong interest in spreading/trading.
¹As RMS says, it’s not a just and appropriate term for it (but “sharing” is awkward too).
(update) Added frame from Youtube video t1XaUolbjLY which shows that service manuals exist for at least some Beko models. As we can see in the snapshot, Beko wants to restrict who is servicing their machines. (btw the video covers a very different model than mine).
I probably need to find the test mode for my machine, comparable to YT video cq_uSyghZC0.
new problem
The machine reached a new low. Now there actually is a problem with the water valve, it seems. When running a program, it pauses then the start button just blinks. (It previously started by pumping then at least filled the tub). So I followed this video from the 5m10s position. I do not get 220v on either valve. But certainly I can see that 220V is getting to the control panel. So 220v goes into the control panel, but does not make it out of the control panel leads where the water valve connects.
(edit) The water valves themselves are fine (I connected 220v directly to the water valves and water flows). I guess I should suspect the pump now. The pump was actually the very first task back when the machine worked. So I should not have even been looking at the water valves which only start after the initial pumping ends.
Most appliances just have the main parts available for replacement, rather than the individual components. You would just change the main board rather than replace a resistor, for example.
If you don't know how to find the broken component on a board, that's not something that the service manual would help you with either. There's too much of a risk of someone hurting themselves for the washing machine companies to go to that level of detail.
At that point you would need to figure out which part is broken and either replace the whole thing, or take it to a repair shop, but that would probably cost more than buying the whole part as a replacement.
I’m far from trying to track down the atomic component. I need to get an idea of what is failing. There should be readings I can take with the multimeter to see whether the motor is bad, or the controller for the motor, or something else. I’m not bothered at this point whether I can fix whatever part is broken. I might be fine with replacing a whole part. But I need to get there. I need to know which part is failing.
Ah, I misunderstood. When you were talking about a multimeter, I thought you meant that you wanted to replace individual components.
It might be worth posting on one of the DIY communities and describing the symptoms and any error codes. Even though you're unlikely to find someone with the same model, washing machines are all fairly similar, so you might be able to narrow it down to the likely part 🙂
I wish I had an error code but when it faults out it just gives a non-stop steady blinking LED. No variation that would indicated an error code.
Multimeters can be used to simply find out if a part is working. I recently used it when I lost hot water. By reading the voltage of the flow sensor, it was clear that the flow sensor bad (water running should give voltage X and still water should give voltage Y). I’m not sure how many such opportunities there are with washing machines though.
Sorry, I've been busier than I expected.
I just searched for a blinking light on a Beko, and this was one of the suggested results:
The other suggestions had either error codes or specific buttons flashing.
Assuming that the water supply is ok, that could suggest a problem with the pump, or just the pipe. Double check the tap on the pipe, and that the pipe is not blocked or kinked first, as they are the easy fixes.
I don't know how to test much with a multimeter, but my next step would be to unplug the machine and turn off the water, and check the water flow inside it. Look for any blockages or loose connections, being careful around the electrical components, just in case.
My washing machine has the water feed at the top of the back, and it feeds through the soap drawer, then into the drum. Those pipes are fairly narrow, so would be worth checking too 👍
I really wish I could buy a new model control panel and put it on an old model so I can get useable diagnostics. (maybe I can?) Really hard to accept there is a water supply issue. It fills fine and it knows when to stop filling. The pump is fine, and also clear when I drain it and examine behind the drain plug. Surely if there were a water supply issue it would not fill the tub then decide after filling the tub and making some a few short fast spins that there is a water supply issue. I’ll pull out the water filter and see if anything looks sketchy. But I somewhat suspect the speed controller since the tumble (wash) cycle is way too fast.
It may not be the water supply, that's just what I found based on a flashing light on a Beko. If you search with more specific information it might give you a different answer. Some of the options were for if the start button was flashing, for example.
I still think that your best bet is to post to a DIY community here and give as much information as you can, like which light is flashing and if there's any writing or a symbol near it, what happens before and after you get any problems, like does the machine drain, or is the water trapped.
Any information could help someone to pinpoint the issue, even if they don't have the exact model :)