Miele WT945 Dryer Problems - Stage 2 fix

STAGE 2: EASY ROOT CAUSE FIX (1 hour)

The next stage is to attempt a cleanout of the fan box itself. Fortunately you can get to some of what is needed without dismounting the whole box (if you want to bite the bullet on this straight away, go to Stage 3).

Dismount the heater by undoing the two large bolts at the front holding it to the drum, and two Torx bolts at the rear. Although the heater is still attached to the flexible rubber outlet at the front, it will swing up and off to one side just enough to reveal an upward-facing hole at the rear – this is the air outlet from the fan box. Peer down into this hole and you will be astonished at the buildup of mummified fluff and goo – it’s similar to papier mache.

Draw up a comfortable chair, fix up a desk lamp to shine down the hole, and start unpicking the goo with a fine metal hook (a dentist-style hooked probe is ideal – Maplin do a good set). First clean out the hole, then probe deeper to clean out each fan blade. It’s fiddly and quite a long reach down the hole, but by no means impossible. Turn the motor manually to move on to the next blade, and every so often vacuum out the hole with a small nozzle to remove the pile of dislodged goo. Unfortunately the goo is too adherent to come out with the vacuum alone, without unpicking first.

Finally, if you are confident with moving parts and mains electricity, you could finish by using the first few seconds of a dryer cycle to get the fan itself to blow the remaining dislodged goo out of the hole. Have the vacuum going while you do this to avoid a fountain of fluff! Also, be very careful that the heater and its wiring does not obstruct the motor while you are doing this.

With luck this will make a huge difference to the dryer’s performance, not only eliminating the motor seizures but generally restoring the airflow power considerably.

If you’re still having problems, or if you have an uneasy feeling about all the goo you still suspect is in there that you couldn’t see or reach from the hole, read my next tip 'Stage 3/4 fix'.