The short answer
A new noise from a Alliance washer is usually either something loose in the drum or something worn in what carries it. On a commercial-duty washer running far more cycles a week than a household machine, where seals, bearings and pumps are scheduled wear items, coins and wires in the filter, worn suspension and drum bearings account for nearly all of it, and the spin cycle is where they announce themselves.
What you are actually seeing
- A rumble or growl that rises with spin speed — Drum bearings. It continues as the machine coasts down, which distinguishes it from motor noise.
- Banging and walking during the spin — Unbalanced load, tired dampers or an unlevel machine. Check all three before opening anything.
- Metallic tinkling during the wash — A coin or a wire loose in the outer drum or the filter housing.
- A grinding that starts when draining — The pump, usually with something in the impeller.
- A violent noise on the first spin of a new machine — Transit bolts. They must come out before the machine is ever run.
- Not this fault: a hum during fill — That is the inlet valve, and it is normal.
Causes, most likely first on this machine
- An unbalanced load, or a machine that is not level — First, because it is free, it is common, and it produces the most alarming noise on the list without anything being wrong.
- Something loose in the drum or the filter housing — Second: coins, bra wires and buttons. Often recoverable through the pump filter without any dismantling.
- Worn suspension dampers or springs — Third: the drum swings further than it should, hits the cabinet and bangs. It develops gradually and is often blamed on the load.
- Drum bearings — Fourth: the growl that rises and falls with spin speed. It is progressive, and on many machines it is the repair that decides the machine's future.
- Something in the pump impeller — Fifth: a grinding confined to draining, and usually cleared by hand once the filter is out.
- Transit bolts left fitted — Last in likelihood but first in urgency on a newly installed machine, because running with them in damages the suspension.
Check in this order, and why
- Run the machine empty on a spin — It separates the load from the machine in one cycle and often ends the investigation.
- Check level and that all four feet bear weight — Free, and the cause of a great many banging complaints.
- Open the pump filter and look for hardware — Coins and wires collect there, and finding one explains the tinkling immediately.
- Listen to what the noise does as the spin winds down — A bearing keeps growling as the drum coasts; a motor noise stops with the motor.
- On a new machine, check the transit bolts are out — Before anything else, because running with them fitted causes the damage you are trying to diagnose.
What an owner can safely check
- Run an empty spin and listen — No load at all. Note whether the noise survives, and what it does as the drum speeds up and slows down.
About 20 min
- Level the machine and load every foot — Adjust a quarter turn at a time until it does not rock, then lock the feet if the design allows.
Tools: spirit level, adjustable spannerAbout 25 min
- Open the pump filter and inspect — Breaker off, tray ready. Look for coins and wires, and turn the impeller by hand to feel for anything caught.
Tools: tray, glovesAbout 25 min
- Spin the drum by hand with the power off — Grinding or roughness you can feel through the drum is a bearing; smooth and quiet by hand points elsewhere.
About 10 min
- Stop here if the cabinet must come apart — Bearings, dampers and the outer drum are all technician work, and the drum is heavy enough to injure someone.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before opening the filter or any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never reach into a drum that is still turning, and give a machine time to stop completely before opening it. Leave the door interlock and its wiring exactly as you found them. A washing machine is a heavy-appliance move: get help before pulling one out, and mind both the floor and the hoses behind it.
When to call a technician
Call when the noise is a rumble that rises with spin speed and continues as the machine coasts down, because that is the bearing and it does not improve. Call as well when banging survives an empty spin on a level machine, which points at the dampers. Ask for a view on whether the repair is worth doing before it is started — on an older machine a bearing job can approach the cost of replacement, and that is a decision worth making with the number in front of you.
Sources
Documented- 29 CFR 1910.147 — The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout) — osha.gov, fetched 2026-09-12
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — product safety and recall notices — cpsc.gov, fetched 2026-09-12
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers the appliance class under this nameplate rather than one family or model. Bearing sizes, damper types, suspension layouts and part numbers differ by platform and belong on the model-specific page linked below where one exists. Floor construction and installation acoustics are outside it.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
