How to Diagnose Dispenser Drawer Problems in a Washing Machine (Bosch)

• Screwdriver
• Dispenser Drawer Housing (If Required)

Safety First! Please make sure that you have switched your appliance off at the mains before starting your repair.

What’s Wrong? - Conditioner Is Not Syphoning Away From Conditioner Compartment

This is actually the most common problem that people face when it comes to the soap drawer on their washing machine.

Over a period of time old conditioner that has remained can become clogged up in the hole, and this then means that the conditioner has nowhere to go. You will be pleased to know that this is actually quite easy to fix.

All you have to do is remove the soap drawer from the housing, separate the syphon and give this a good wash and scrub in the sink. A way to test it is when you've got it all cleaned, fill the conditioner compartment right up to the top with water, this should then syphon away naturally.

If you have tried the above, and are finding that this does not syphon away naturally, it could mean that you have a problem with the jets in the top of the dispenser drawer housing.

In this video now we’ll use a new dispenser drawer housing top just to help demonstrate. On here we can see the jets that feed the various compartments - the main wash compartment, pre-wash compartment and the conditioner compartment.

Both valves that feed the compartment water need to be on together for the conditioner compartment gets fed any water - this is easily blocked as it has less water pressure to the jets than the other compartments.

A good way to clean the top of the dispenser drawer housing is to grab a brush and give it a good scrub inside the machine. However, if that doesn't work, then it's likely that you're going to have to replace the top of the dispenser drawer housing.

We’ll now show you in this video how to do this.

What’s Wrong? - Need To Replace The Dispenser Drawer Housing

To gain access to it you need to remove the top of the machine by undoing the screws at the back.

Next thing is you need to remove the control panel by undoing the screws that are holding it into position, and once you have done this you can let the control panel just drop down at the front.

Now you need to remove the front top bracket by undoing the two screws at either end. With the bracket now free, you will still not yet be able to remove the dispenser drawer housing, as it will still be connected by two lugs.

Even with these brackets now removed, you still won’t be able to remove the dispenser drawer housing because it's connected to a hose at the bottom - and it also has a locating lug at the top. What you need to proceed to do is remove the two fill hoses by removing these two clips, and also remove the hose support bracket at the back.

Move the top bracket by unscrewing three of the screws and just loosening the fourth (so that you are able to move it back a bit). This will give you access to the dispenser drawer housing and help to remove the lug from its bracket.

You might be wondering why you have only loosened the last screw, well the reason is that this bracket takes the weight of the drum - so it can be a little difficult to move. With the bracket moved you can now gain access to remove the dispenser drawer housing.

Ok here goes then…all you need to do to replace the part is undo these clips, use a flat-headed screwdriver if necessary (and don't worry about breaking them as they come with the replacement on the new part). There we can see the dirt and the blockages on the old one, now I can put the new one in its position and put it back together.

All the hard work is now done, and you have successfully replaced the dispenser drawer housing. To finish off you now need to reattach it to the rear bracket and reattach the front bracket.

With these brackets on, you now need to reattach the two hoses. With the hoses back in place, you can now reattach the control panel and put the top on the machine back in place.

Need To Locate The Spares For Your Washing Machine?

Hopefully, by looking at this video you have been able to identify exactly what is causing your dispenser drawer issues. If you need a new dispenser drawer, or any other washing machine related spare, you can also see our full range of Washing Machine spare parts on our website.