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A LG Signature that has become noisy is usually reporting an imbalance or an object rather than a failure. The ranking below is ordered for this brand; note which part of the cycle is noisy before you touch anything, because that observation does most of the work.
What you are seeing
- Banging and walking during the spin only — An imbalance: the load, the levelling, or the suspension that damps them.
- A grinding or scraping through the whole cycle — Something hard is trapped where the drum turns, or in the pump.
- A rhythmic knock once per drum rotation — Contact between the drum and something fixed, which is different from an imbalance.
- NEAR MISS — the noise came with water on the floor — Deal with the leak first; the leak page ranks those causes and some of them make noise too.
What goes wrong here, in order
- The machine is not level, or the transit bolts are still in — A washer spins fast enough that a few millimetres of rock becomes violent movement. A machine on an uneven floor, on a foot that has wound out, or still carrying its transit bolts will bang, walk and drum against whatever is next to it. This is the one to start with: levelling explains more washer noise than every mechanical fault put together, and it costs nothing to correct. LG Signature is the built-in end of the LG range: the same platform lineage, but installed into cabinetry, which changes what can go wrong and what it takes to get at it.
- Something is trapped in the drum or the pump — Coins, underwire, screws and hairclips work their way between the inner and outer drums or into the pump. They grind through the wash, rattle in the spin, and can cut the drum if they are left there. Second here: it is found at the filter, which is where you would be looking anyway.
- Normal cycle sounds nobody has heard before — Modern machines click as the door locks, whirr as the drum is weighed, pause and re-pause while they balance a load, and hum through the drain. On a machine that is quieter than the last one, every one of those sounds is new. After those two: it is worth eliminating by timing before anything is taken apart.
- The load itself — One heavy item — a rug, a duvet, a pair of jeans — will gather on one side of the drum and stay there. The machine tries to balance it, gives up, and either bangs its way through the spin or refuses to reach speed at all. Next after those: it contributes rather than causes, but it is worth eliminating before anything is opened.
What to check first, second, third
- Push down on each top corner in turn and watch for rock — Any movement means a foot is not carrying its share. While you are back there, check the transit bolts have been removed.
- Turn the drum by hand with the machine unplugged and listen — A rattle or a scrape as the drum turns slowly places the object precisely, and the filter housing is the next place to look.
- Note whether the sound always happens at the same point in the cycle — A short sound at exactly the same moment every time is the machine working, not a fault.
The owner checks, step by step
- Level the machine and check the transit bolts are out — Adjust the feet until it does not rock at any corner, lock them, and make sure nothing is touching the sides or the back.
Tools: spirit level, adjustable spannerAbout 25 min
- Unplug the machine, turn the drum by hand and clear the filter — Have a tray ready for the water in the filter housing. Feel around the impeller for anything hard.
Tools: shallow tray, towels, torchAbout 30 min
- STOP before removing a panel to reach the drum or the belt — Live terminals and a heavy drum sit behind it. Naming the likely cause is the useful end of an owner check.
The part that is not optional
Safety
Unplug the machine or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Shut both taps before disconnecting a hose, and expect water in the machine even when the drum looks empty: a drain filter opened without a tray under it empties onto the floor.
When to call a technician
Call when the machine is level, the load is balanced, nothing is trapped and the noise is still there — especially if it rises with spin speed, which points at the bearing. A machine that has started to walk across the floor should be stopped before it damages itself or the plumbing.
Related pages on this appliance
What is deliberately not here
Generalized information, written for the appliance class. Where a LG Signature family- or model-specific page exists beneath this one, that is the better answer for your machine. Deliberately not here: disassembly sequences, fastener sizes and specifications that change family to family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
