The short answer
On Finlux the noise you are describing is most often a coin or a small hard object loose in the drum. Ranked that way because the drain pump sits behind a front access flap with its own filter, which puts a user-serviceable part ahead of everything expensive.
What you observe
- A tick or scrape that rises with drum speed — Something hard loose in the drum or against the outer tub.
- A grinding heard only while it drains — The pump side, which is a very short list and mostly owner work.
- NEAR MISS: the noise comes with clothes still soaking wet at the end — Then you have a drainage or spin fault and the noise is a symptom. Read the drainage page first.
Causes, most likely first on Finlux
- A coin, a wire or a button loose in the drum or the pump — First here, because this platform interprets little and shows the fault almost directly. A tick or a scrape that rises with drum speed, or a rattle during drain. Small hard objects work through the drum holes and end up against the outer tub or in the pump, where they make a noise far bigger than their size.
- The drain pump is passing debris, or its filter is blocked — Second, and the cause that most often looks like something worse. A grinding or buzzing heard only while the machine drains. Lint, hair and grit collect in the filter, and the pump complains about them long before it fails.
- The transit bolts were never removed, or feet are missing — Third. A violent noise from a machine that has never been quiet since it was installed.
- The drum bearing has failed — Last, and it is the reason the order above matters. A rumble or aircraft roar that grows with spin speed and gets worse every week, often with play in the drum when you rock it by hand.
Check in this order, and why
- Turn the empty drum by hand and listen, then check the pump filter — It is free, it takes minutes, and it accounts for a large share of sudden new noises.
- Listen for whether the noise happens only during drain — A noise confined to the drain phase is the pump side, which is a very short list.
- Look at the back panel for shipping bolts, and check every foot is fitted — It is the one cause that explains a machine noisy from day one rather than one that became noisy.
What an owner can safely check
- Run a hand round the drum seal and turn the empty drum slowly by hand — Then open the pump filter behind the front flap and check what has collected there.
Tools: torch, shallow tray, towelsAbout 20 min
- Open the pump filter behind the lower flap, clear it and refit it fully — Have a tray and towels ready: the hose holds more water than people expect.
Tools: shallow tray, towelsAbout 20 min
- Check the rear panel for transit bolts and remove any that are still fitted — Stop using the machine until they are out; running with them in damages the suspension.
Tools: spannerAbout 20 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the machine before opening the pump filter or reaching into the drum, and switch off its water supply before moving it. The filter flap holds standing water, so use a tray and towels rather than letting it run across the floor. A washer is far heavier than it looks: get a second person before tilting or walking one out.
When to call a technician
Call when the drum has play in it by hand, when the rumble grows week by week, or when every check above has come back clean. A bearing does not recover and running on one damages the tub around it. Call sooner if the machine moves across the floor on spin despite being level, because that is suspension rather than loading.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers the brand and the washer class, not one family or model line. Where a family-specific or model-specific page exists for your unit, that page is the more specific answer and it takes precedence over this one. Not here: part numbers, wiring colours and component locations, which differ by family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
