The short answer
On the WM family the loudest complaints come from spin, and most of them are either something hard in the outer tub or a load that will not balance. Both are checkable in minutes, which is why they lead this ranking.
What you observe
- Banging and the machine moving across the floor — A balance problem: load distribution, levelling feet, or transit bolts never removed.
- A grinding buzz at the drain step — Debris in the pump rather than anything in the drum.
- A loud rumble or roar during spin only — The classic drum-bearing signature: quiet at wash speed, loud as the drum accelerates.
- Metallic clinking at low drum speed — Coins or a wire between the drum and the outer tub, and they reach the pump filter eventually.
- NEAR MISS - noise with water left in the drum — Read the drainage page as well; a jammed pump makes noise and leaves water.
Causes, most likely first on WM
- Drum bearing wear — Ranked first on the WM family: a bearing on its way out is loud at spin and silent at wash speed, and on this build getting to it means splitting the tub. The table above is one platform, so a weakness in the drain path appears on every code in it. This moves above foreign object in the pump filter or the outer tub, which leads the brand-generic order, because the family spans several sizes on one platform and it is the shared parts that wear.
- Load balance, levelling feet or transit bolts — Second: a front loader spins fast enough that a small imbalance becomes violent, and a machine that has been moved recently is the classic case.
- Foreign object in the pump filter or the outer tub — Third: the hatch filter is the trap the whole machine drains through, so it collects the coins and clips that would otherwise be rattling somewhere expensive.
- Shock absorbers or suspension wear — Fourth: last, and it shows as a machine that bangs on spin while sounding entirely normal at wash speed.
- Drain pump impeller or its bearing — Last: the pump only runs at the drain step, so a noise confined to that step names it without any dismantling.
Check in this order, and why
- Open the pump filter hatch and check it with the machine off — First because it needs no tools and catches the commonest hard object.
- Note which part of the cycle is noisy — Spin-only points at bearings or balance; drain-only points at the pump.
- Check the machine is level and that transit bolts were removed — A recently delivered or moved machine with bolts still fitted will bang at every spin.
- Spin the empty drum by hand and listen — Do this last: roughness you can hear by hand is a bearing, and that decides the repair.
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. Shut both taps before disturbing a supply hose, and expect water behind the filter hatch: put a tray down before opening it.
When to call a technician
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. The filter, the feet and the transit bolts are owner work. A drum bearing on this build is a service job and usually a decision about the machine rather than a repair.
Other WM pages
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Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
