Fault 8 is a Phase 1 display start-up failure. The manual suggests a five-second power-off before replacing anything.
Model compatibility: Fisher & Paykel reuses codes across series and model years, so 8 may mean something different on another appliance or generation. Confirm this against your model’s documentation and record your full model number before acting.
Plain language
What this code means
Phase 1: the Display micro could not start up correctly.
An early-generation code
Section 19 of the service manual files 8 under the earliest washers, as a Phase 1 display fault, and its definition is short: the processor on the display board never completed its start-up. That processor, called the micro, drives the controls.
The restart the manual allows
Only one thing is asked of the owner, and it precedes any parts. Cut the power at the wall, restore it after 5 seconds and see what happens. A washer that is still faulty afterwards needs a replacement Display module.
Turn the washer off at the wall.
Leave it for about five seconds.
Power it back up and see whether the code comes back.
If it does, fit a new Display module, as the manual directs.
Which machines
The manual lists the Phase 1 models as GW500, GW600, GW700, GW050, GW060, GW070 and GW650, and gives this code for Phase 1 only.
Other early display and sequence faults
Fault 5: trouble in communication from the Display to the Motor Controller; it too has a power-off step
Fault 7: a memory fault in the Display; no restart step is given
Phase 1 washer service in Los Angeles
Still seeing 8 after the five-second restart? Phone (310) 872-1939 and mention the model number and that the restart was tried. Our washer repair page has more on Los Angeles visits.
Important safety warning. Do not attempt repairs involving electrical components, gas, water lines, refrigerant or sealed systems. Unplug the appliance if it is safe to reach the outlet, and leave internal diagnostics to a qualified technician.
Seeing this code on your Fisher & Paykel appliance?
Book a specialist visit for a clear estimate and approval before any repair.
