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On a Marathon washing machine, a new noise is most often a machine that is not level, or still on its transit bolts rather than an unbalanced load, not a fault. The installation comes first on a compact machine, because the design assumes a solid square footing that a tight laundry space rarely provides. All three checks below are owner work, and not one of them needs a part.
The symptoms, and the ones that mean something else
- The machine moves across the floor during spin — A machine that walks is a levelling problem before it is anything else.
- A bang at the start of spin that settles once it is up to speed — That pattern belongs to the suspension and to load balance, not to bearings.
- A rattle that happens only while it drains — Tied to the drain phase means the pump and its filter.
- NEAR MISS — noise and water on the floor — Noise with a leak belongs on the water-leak page.
What goes wrong here, in order
- A machine that is not level, or still on its transit bolts — A washer out of level walks under spin load and hammers whatever it reaches. Transit bolts left in after delivery do the same, and they are the single commonest cause of noise in a machine's first weeks. It leads because a light machine on an uneven floor produces this complaint more than any component ever does. The machines are chosen for tight spaces, so they are usually boxed in on at least two sides.
- A coin, a wire or a button trapped where it should not be — Small objects work past the drum seal and sit between the drum and the tub. The noise is a hard scrape or rattle that only appears once the drum is turning at speed. It sits here because the check takes minutes with the machine unplugged and needs no part.
- An unbalanced load, not a fault — A single heavy item, or bedding wound into a rope, throws the drum off balance. The machine bangs, slows, redistributes and tries again, which sounds far worse than it is. It is last because the noise persists with an empty drum, which rules it out.
The order to check in
- Rock the machine from a front corner and check the transit bolts are out — Any rocking at all, or bolts still in the back panel, is the answer. First, because it is the likeliest to end the job.
- Turn the empty drum by hand and listen at the seal — A scrape or a rattle as it turns locates it without a tool. Second, once that is clean.
- Rerun a spin with the load redistributed — If the noise goes, the load was the problem. Third, and by now the answer is usually in hand.
The steps, with tools and times
- Remove any transit bolts and level the machine on its feet — Feet at the front, a spirit level, and a firm floor under all four.
Tools: spanner, spirit levelAbout 25 min
- Unplug it, turn the drum by hand and check the filter and seal — Wear a glove: what you are feeling for is usually sharp.
Tools: glove, torchAbout 25 min
- Redistribute the load and rerun the spin — Wash bedding on its own rather than with small items.
About 20 min
- STOP — note which phase each noise belongs to — A noise placed in the cycle is worth more to a technician than a guess at a part.
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. Close the water supply before opening the pump filter, and put a tray under it: there is always more water inside than expected.
When to call a technician
The line is the front panel. Levelling, the pump filter, the drum seal and the load are yours; the bearings, the dampers and anything needing the tub out are not — and on a machine of this class that is the repair-or-replace conversation. On this brand the brand has a real parts channel behind it, which makes a proper diagnosis worth the effort.
Nearest pages of this class
Generalized information
This page is written for the appliance class, not for one Marathon model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists it is the better answer and it is linked below — go there first if your model is named. Not here: bearing sizes, damper ratings, panel removal order, or part numbers.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
