The short answer
Most dryer noise comes from three places: something in the drum, something the drum turns on, and something the machine stands on. Coins and zips in the drum are the commonest and the cheapest, and a rhythmic squeal or thump that follows drum rotation is the one that points at a real part. Very little of this needs a technician to identify.
What you observe
- A rattle that comes and goes with drum rotation — Something is in the drum, in a pocket or caught in the lint trap housing.
- A squeal or screech that rises as the drum turns — A rising squeal is the earliest audible sign of a real mechanical fault.
- A rattle from the back of the cabinet — Rear noise often belongs to the ducting rather than to anything that turns.
- NEAR MISS — it makes a noise and then stops mid-cycle — That is a cycle fault. The page about a dryer that stops partway is the better one.
The causes in order of likelihood
- Objects in the drum, the pockets or the lint housing — It leads because coins, zips, buttons and hair grips are in every laundry and they make a convincing mechanical noise.
- The machine is not level or is touching something — It ranks high because it is corrected with a wrench and because it explains rattles that seem to come from inside.
- Lint build-up around the drum and the blower — It sits here because it is common in an older machine and because it also harms drying at the same time.
- The motor or the blower wheel — Last, because it is the rarest of the five and because confirming it means the cabinet off and the belt removed.
Check in this order, and why
- First — empty the drum and turn it by hand — Take everything out, then rotate the drum slowly with the machine off. A caught object or a flat spot announces itself.
- Second — check the lint trap and its housing — Pull the filter and look into the slot with a torch. Coins and hair grips end up there and rattle on every turn.
- Third — level the machine and give it clearance — Do this on the floor the machine lives on, with the drum empty.
What an owner can safely check
- Empty the drum and check the pockets — Take everything out and turn the drum slowly by hand with the machine off, listening for anything loose.
About 10 min
- Clean the lint filter and look into its housing — Pull the filter out, wash it if it is coated, and look down the slot with a torch for coins and grips.
Tools: torchAbout 15 min
- Level the cabinet and free the duct — Adjust the feet until it does not rock, then pull the machine forward so the vent duct behind it is not crushed.
Tools: adjustable wrenchAbout 20 min
- STOP HERE if the drum will not turn or the motor only hums — A stalled drum with a live motor is where the owner job ends. Switch it off and book the visit.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Do not run a dryer that hums without turning: a stalled motor gets hot, and lint is the most flammable thing in the room. Clear the lint filter every load, because a restricted dryer runs hotter as well as louder.
When to call a technician
Call when the noise survives an empty drum on a level machine, especially a squeal or a thump that follows rotation, because that points at rollers, glides or a belt. Call at once if the motor hums and the drum does not turn, since running it in that state is the one thing on this page that is genuinely dangerous.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This is the brand-level page for the symptom, so it stops where the models start to differ. It carries no part numbers, no wiring detail and no family-specific disassembly, because none of those is the same across every Black+Decker dryer and a page that pretended otherwise would be worse than useless. Read the family key off the rating plate before ordering anything; where a page exists for that family it goes further than this one for the models it names, and it is the more specific answer. This reference surface carries no family or model page for the Black+Decker dryer yet, so there is nothing below this page to link down to — what is written here is deliberately the whole of what can be said at brand level.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
