I believe that the hotpoint part number is 1603290, the price in the UK is about £25 (About $35?). the pump is fairly easy to replace as far as I can see (I don't know the exact machine, but I have looked at the part. The pump is held to the chassis by 2 philips screws. pipes in and out of the pump will be held on by either a screw up clamp or a spring clamp, both of which are easy to remove. Power is via a 2 wire plug in connector. If you are a ressonably practical person, you should have no problems.
A few things before you start:
- TURN THE POWER OFF (And this means pull the plug out of the wall!)
- Drain the machine as best as you can.
- Have towels to mop up when you discover your best wasn't good enough.
- Once you have removed the pump, dry up properly before you start work with the replacement
- Always tip the machine BACKWARDS and away from the control panel so leaks don't wreck your electrics and change a $35 repair into a $200 repair.
- Have a look before you buy the part. Decide if you are happy to go ahead and understand what you are doing.
Finally, just consider the question is it actually the pump? If you can hear the pump running, its probably not the pump. If you can see water coming out of the waste pipe when you put it in the sink, its certainly not the pump. Take a look at the information I wrote for someone else about clearing a blocked pump before you go to replace the pump (I have reprinted the whole article below). I would strongly advise you to carry out the checks below anyway, because they may have contributed to the pump's failure if you have got a dead pump. Doing the following will help preserve the new one.
The empty pump cycle is a timed operation, the fact that there is still water in the drum after the time allowed for the pump to drain it has run out means that the water isn't clearing out fast enough.
In order of probability, the problem is usually caused by:
1. A blocked filter
2. An obstruction in the empty pipe or drain
3. A Faulty pump
1 Blocked Filter: Many machines have a small door in the bottom of the chassis. Behind this door (Usually about 5 inches square) is a filter, which will usually unscrew. In this filter you will find fluff, string, coins, the odd small sock and all sorts of nasty stuff if you haven't had the filter out before. If the filter is blocked then the pump is having to draw water through all that gunk and it will run out of time and leave water in the drum. Clean the filter in the sink, pocket the coins you find and make a note to clean it regularly in the future Most manufactures will suggest you check it every 2 months or so, depends how often you are using the machine of course.
Unfortunately, other machines do not have filters so easily accessible. If there is no door or obvious access to the filter, some manufacturers put a trap in the rubber hose that feeds the pump. The pain here is that the access to these traps is gained by dragging the bachine out of its place under the work surface and tipping it on to its back. Track the waste pipe back to locate the pump. On the other side of the pump will be a thicker (usually black rubber) pipe and built into this pipe is usually a little bucket that stuff can fall into before it gets to the pump. You can usually squeeze the pipe and feel if there is stuff in it. If there is, then depending on the machine again, some of these traps will have a plug in the bottom that is held in place by a spring clip (Pliers to compress the spring to get it off) or a screw clip (Unscrew with a screwdriver). Enev if there is no trap as such, squeeze the rubber delivery pipe and feel for obstructions (Often a sock!), if necessary, disconnect the pipe from the pump to gain access to the blockage. WARNING!: Never tip the machine all the way onto its back, you may cause a water leak inside the machine. ALWAYS tip BACKWARDS, to the control panel for the machine is pointing up to avoid water getting to the control panel. I would recommend butting a chair behind the machine as you tip it, so the top back of the machine comes to rest on the seat and the machine is at about 45 degrees. this will give you access to underneath without a leak and make is a lot easier to tip it back on to its feet again afterwards.
2. An obstruction in the empty pipe or drain: Start at the point that the pipe enters the household drain pipe, pull out the empty pipe and check that water will flow freely into the drain (Stuffing the garden hose down there and turning it on (but not TOO FAST) will usually demonstrate if there is a blockage. If this is free, check the pipe that runs from the pump to the drain (This will need the machine tipping as described above, and possibly the pipe removing from the pump to check it.
3. A Faulty Pump:If you have done everything described so far, then you have checked for obstructions in the pipe leading to the pump, the pipe leading away and you have cleaned out any filters or traps... If you still have a problem, you have a faulty pump. This is highly unlikely. These pumps have induction motors (no brushes to fail) and in my experience, they either work, or they don't. They very seldom "work a bit". If SOME water is being pumped (check by putting the empty hose in the sink and watching) then you really need to double check your work before replacing the pump. Good news is, if you do have to they are usually reasonably priced.