If your washing machine is noisy and you want find out why then this article will help. It contains all possible explanations for excessive noise, by an engineer with over 40 years experience.
If your washing machine is noisy do not ignore it
It's very tempting to ignore noises while the washing machine is still otherwise working. Some can be ignored as they will not develop into serious faults. Others, if left, will cause extensive damage and can end up costing considerably more than if tackled early. Some noises can be fixed, but if left will result in a complete writing off of the washing machine. If you aren’t an engineer you may not be able to tell which of the categories a noise falls into – so ignore noises at your own risk.
Here’s a general guide to noisy washing machine causes –
Washing machine rumbling, and very noisy on spin
One of the most common causes of a noisy washing machine on spin is worn drum bearings. The first thing any engineer would do when troubleshooting a noise is open the door and spin the drum hard by hand. If it makes the noise when spun by hand the main suspect would be drum bearings but to truly check this you need to take off the drive belt and spin the drum by hand because otherwise you are spinning the motor too. If the drum rumbles when spun then the bearings have probably gone. There should be a constant rumble all the time the drum is revolving – what do noisy drum bearings sound like?
Big Job
I wouldn't tackle replacing washing machine drum bearings as a DIY job these days unless a seasoned and determined DIYer. It's a big job. For many years now most washing machines have plastic outer tub with the bearings recessed into them requiring special extraction tools.
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Sadly, in recent years most washing machines have started to be produced with completely sealed outer drums and are not repairable. Some current washing machines even have sealed casings where only the lid comes off meaning a very heavy tub has to come out through the lid. If you want to have a bash, or maybe have an older washer with more easily replaceable bearings you may be interested in this link to buy drum bearings – Buy drum bearings.
Excessive play in drum
Another drum bearing failure symptom is excessive up and down play in the drum, which can be checked for by lifting the drum up from inside. Take hold of the drum at the top lip (behind the door seal). Normally this should not have any play in it if you try to lift it up, or may just only move a fraction, (don’t mistake movement of the entire tub which is on springs for play). If you can lift the drum up and it drops back down there is excessive play then the bearings and or drum shaft are probably worn. If this is the case the play should be present all around the drum, if you can only feel the drum move at one specific point there could be a cracked or broken drum spider (see below).
Brown patch underneath washing machine
A further symptom of failed drum bearings can be a brown rust patch underneath the washing machine and down the back of the outer drum underneath the drum pulley (where the belt goes) – although this patch is not always present. There are usually two small holes at the back of the drum bearings where water that has got past the drum bearing seal trickles out, and it's usually stained with grease and rust if water has got into the bearings. Also bear in mind many washing machines now have a base plate fitted underneath so take off the back panel and check the inside of the base plate if one is fitted.
Damaged drum or drum spider
Loud noises when turning the drum by hand can also be caused if the drum itself splits, or the spider at the back of the drum has come away from the drum, is corroded, or one of the three arms has broken. This would normally cause a loud noise on each revolution of the drum whereas the noise when drum bearings have gone is constant all the time the drum is turning. However, a cracked drum spider may only cause noise on fast spin or with a heavy load in the drum when it catches on the inside of the outer drum. So lifting the drum and checking for excessive play but turning it all the way around and checking in different spots can often reveal a broken or loose drum spider, which sometimes only occurs at certain points round the drum (the spider has three arms and is bolted to the drum at three points). The photo to the left shows an extreme case of a drum spider which is severely corroded and broken.
More noise explanations
Coins or other obstructions trapped between the outer tub and inner drum can make horrendous noises as they get tossed about on spin. They usually don't make the noise unless laundry is in though. If you suspect a coin or other object is being thrown around inside on spin this is very serious because as most washing machines now have just plastic tubs the object can punch through it and completely ruin the machine.
Look out for obvious dints and creases in the drum itself as evidence of a coin or similar stuck inside although be aware that it only shows there's been an obstruction in at some point and the coin could have fallen into the sump hose or filter and not actually be the cause of the noise at this time. You may be able to hear a coin or other obstruction if you drain the machine and tip it back and forth or side to side. Objects can slide about and you can detect their presence. It may be possible to manipulate the object to fall into the hole in the bottom of the tub into the sump hose where it can be easily retrieved.
Noisy when draining water
Other obstructions such as buttons, smaller plastic objects, hair grips and underwires from bras can also get into the washer and cause noise, usually when the washing machine is emptying the water. If the noise only occurs when the washing machine is draining the water check the pump filter and pump for obstructions. (Troubleshooting washing machine pumps and cleaning the filter). The pump itself can become noisy if bearings fail but it’s far less common than something stuck inside it.
Noise when washing
Noises from recirculation pump: Some washing machines have a separate pump that pumps the wash water around and back into the drum during wash. If you get a strange noise whilst on wash which isn’t present on rinses it could be coming from a re circulation pump that’s got worn bearings or something inside it. A clue that this might be the case is if the noise is continuous even when the drum stops revolving. If the noise only occurs as the drum is turning it will be related to the drum or motor.
A light scraping or ratchety noise when the drum is turned by hand is commonly a bra wire trapped between the tub and drum. They can often be removed from underneath with the sump hose taken off. It’s always worth checking that the wire isn’t poking through one of the holes in the drum which can be pulled back out from inside the door. It’s rare, but I’ve retrieved 3 or 4 this way over the years. Otherwise it can be tricky to remove one. I’ve also got many out through the sump hose, or by removing the dispenser hose and slowly turning the drum. If lucky, the trapped under wire may come within reach. If not a full strip down may be needed. It may be best to leave it in as they aren’t strong enough to normally do much damage but they could rip clothing, and eventually cause a pump blockage if it works its way eventually over to the pump. how to remove something stuck in washing machine
More causes of a noisy washing machine
This article continues 
in Part two which explores the following noises –
- High pitched squealing or harsh noise
- Knocking noise from a loose drum (tub) weight
- Rattling tapping and grinding noises
- Clicking sound
- A light metallic scraping noise each time the drum revolves
- A crackling or grating noise when the motor turns
See part 2 – More causes of a noisy washing machine
Just had our Hoover DYNS 7144 repaired (under warranty). It was making an odd noise when washing, sounded like a pound coin in the drum. The engineer diagnosed the fault immediately as the pulley on the rear of the drum being loose. He tightened it up and sure enough now as good as new. (If you want to check this for yourself be aware that the securing nut is the same thread as the drum rotation, in our case it was left hand as the drum rotated anti-clockwise when viewed from the rear.). Hopes this helps to save someone an engineer call out fee.
Hi, the bearings have gone in my machine to which I have an engineer coming out to fix, I was just wondering if there is any way to prevent this from happening again in the future as the machine is only 3 years old and I cant keep up this repair business every 3 years?
Hello Emma, sadly there is nothing you can do other than not overloading the machine. Drum bearing failure is usually caused by water getting into them when the seal protecting them fails. In my opinion, it’s poor design and build quality to blame. In the old days drum bearings did not used to fail like they do today. It would be highly unusual for a three year old washing machine to have drum bearing failure. Sadly these days with some machines it’s relatively common and combined with the fact that they are often designed to be unrepairable without replacing the whole outer drum (or the back half) many washing machines gets scrapped when the bearings fail.
Hi Andy,
Thanks for your quick response. That’s a shame to hear, thankfully I have taken out extended warranty which is covering the repair this time but I think I shall look into a new machine next time. Which brand would you recommend for future reference?
I have looked at my washing machine after it was making a noise when it was running, I have also looked at faults in the book and I think that the drum / spider at the back has broken or come away, any idea how to check this as I can’t see how thanks
Hi Dave, I mention this in the article, “Lifting the drum checking for excessive play but turning it all the way around and checking in different spots can often reveal a broken or loose drum spider, which sometimes only occurs at certain points round the drum (the spider has three arms and is bolted to the drum at three points)”. Other than that you’d have to strip it completely down. Many washing machines have sealed tubs these days so you can’t strip them down or the drum spider is not available as a spare. Check on 4washerhelp spares to see what spares are available for your washing machine.
Thank you Andy…. I have fixed my machine by virtue of your clear instructions…
Thank you Sarah. I try to cover all possibilities, which can make some of my articles quite long. The problem these days is most of us rarely sit and carefully read articles, particularly on the Internet. So many of my articles are not going to help unless you read them properly, which is hopefully what you did. :)
Hi Andy-
I ended up here just wondering if there was anything I could do about the noise levels of my brand new Whirlpool WWDC7440. It’s all firmly seated on the floor and doesn’t move around when in use, the packing bolts were removed etc, and so it seems to just be a noisy machine.
It makes quite a racket when the water fills, but the main problem is the constant ‘chugging’ noise – esp when it’s getting ready to spin, which in itself is pretty piercing. A few reviewers of this machine have said that it has a noisy pump, although, oddly, most reviewers have said that the machine is very quiet! Go figure.
I’m guessing I’m just going to have to live with it until I can save for a new – and hopefully quieter – machine?
Hello Liz. Whirlpool tend to be a budget washing machine. In the UK they are not particularly sturdily built. Your problem is trying to decide if there is an actual fault, or it’s just a noisy machine. The water pump on all washing machines tends to be relatively noisy, but of course the cheaper machines are likely to be the worst. Ironically as motors have quietened down the water pump noise is much clearer. This effect is most noticeable on really high build washing machines where the main motor is almost silent so all you can hear is the pump. Pumps do not need to be noisy, they could be built much better, but in most machines they are cheap and noisy especially when pumping air.
In other words whilst ever water is rushing through the pump it isn’t so bad but as soon as most of the water has gone pumps can make a horrible chugging and slurping noise.
When you say it makes a racket when the water fills the only thing happening when it’s filling is water going into the machine so it shouldn’t make any noise other than the noise of the water rushing in. If you have high water pressure you can try turning the pressure down a bit by adjusting the washing machine tap. It may be possible to drastically reduce the noise this way. The reviewers that say the machine is very quiet may be speaking relatively. In other words if their old washing machine was extremely noisy and worn out compared to the old one it may very well be pretty quiet. :-)