What E17 actually means
The machine can't get a reliable speed reading from the motor, so it stops rather than risk spinning out of control.
Hoover machines use a small sensor on the motor, the tachometric dynamo (tacho), to tell the control board how fast the drum is turning. When the board receives a signal it doesn't trust \u2014 or none at all \u2014 it flags E17 and halts, usually as the drum tries to pick up speed or go into spin. You'll often see the wash fill and then sit there, or a cycle that refuses to spin and leaves the load soaking.
What usually causes it
- Faulty tacho coil on the back of the motor
- Damaged or loose wiring between motor and control board
- Worn motor brushes on brush-type motors, giving an erratic speed signal
- Control board misreading the speed signal
- A drum jammed or heavily obstructed so the speed never matches what the board expects
What you can safely check yourself
Work through these in order. Anything beyond this — panels off, testing parts, anything to do with the wiring — is an engineer's job, and not one to attempt with the machine plugged in.
- Turn the machine off at the wall for a minute, then back on and restart a short cycle \u2014 an occasional one-off glitch will clear.
- Open the door and check nothing solid (coin, underwire, stray sock wedged at the drum edge) is stopping the drum turning freely by hand.
- Make sure the load isn't a single heavy item bunched on one side, and try again with it redistributed.
When to call someone
This one usually needs an engineer once you have tried the checks above. We cover Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, and it's £66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it — £84 in total if it's repaired on the visit with no parts needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.
Outside our area? The explanation above still stands — take it to a local engineer and tell them the code. Knowing it saves them time and you money.
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