The short answer
On a CBM Mart portable top-load washer this complaint is usually a load that has gone to one side rather than the failure owners fear, and where it is not, something loose in the pump takes most of the rest. A portable top-loader is wheeled to the sink, connected with an adapter for the length of a wash and wheeled away again, and most of what goes wrong with one happens at that adapter. That order is what this page is for, because working it the other way round is how an afternoon gets spent on the least likely cause.
What you observe
- Banging during the spin — Almost always the load rather than the machine.
- A rattle only while it empties — Timing is the clue: the pump runs then and only then.
- NEAR MISS - noise with water on the floor — Deal with the water first; the leak page for this machine covers it.
Causes, most likely first on this brand
- A load that has gone to one side — Top of the list here: a small tub turns everything into an imbalance problem: one towel or a wound-up sheet on one side of a light machine will walk it across a floor and bang against the cabinet on every rotation.
- Something loose in the pump — Second here: a coin or a button trapped against the impeller produces a hard rattle exactly during the drain step and silence the rest of the cycle, which is the pattern that identifies it.
- A machine standing unevenly — Third, and worth the two minutes: portables live on castors and on floors that are rarely flat, so a machine that rocks a millimetre at rest hammers the moment the spin gets up to speed.
- A drum or motor bearing — Last, and the reason the order matters: it is last because it is the only cause here that is a real repair, and because it announces itself differently - a rumble or a whine that rises with the spin speed and never changes when you redistribute the load.
Check in this order, and why
- Stop the machine and redistribute the load by hand — The likeliest cause by a wide margin, and it is confirmed or cleared in a minute.
- Note whether the noise happens only while it drains — Timing identifies the pump without opening anything.
- Rock the machine at each corner — Second because it is nearly as common and equally free.
What an owner can safely check
- Stop it, open the lid and spread the load by hand — If the noise goes, you have found it - and you have found it in a minute.
About 10 min
- Open the pump filter and turn the impeller by hand — A coin against the impeller rattles only during the drain step, which is how you recognise it.
Tools: shallow tray, towelsAbout 25 min
- Rock each corner and adjust the feet until it sits solid — A machine that rocks at rest hammers at speed.
Tools: spirit levelAbout 20 min
- STOP HERE if the noise is grinding, metallic or rises with the spin — That is a bearing or something loose inside. Stop using it rather than finding out what it is at speed.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the machine before opening any panel, before reaching into a pump filter and before tipping it to look underneath. This is an appliance that puts mains voltage within inches of standing water, and a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never defeat the lid or door interlock with tape, a magnet or a screwdriver: it exists to stop a tub turning while your hands are in it.
When to call a technician
Call when the load is even, the castors are locked, the machine sits solid and a noise remains that follows the spin speed rather than the load. On a portable that usually means a bearing, and a bearing is where repair stops being worth it on a machine of this size.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers portable top-load washers as a class rather than one model line. Suspension designs, castor types and tub sizes differ by family, and where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit it is linked below. Not here: spin speeds, load capacities and part identifiers.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
