The short answer
This is a belt-driven machine, and the belt and what it drives are the parts that have been wearing longest. Ranked first on this platform: The drive belt or the transmission. The checks below follow that ranking, and the first of them need no tools and no panel removed.
What you observe
- A squeal on the spin, or a clunk each time the drum changes direction — A noise at the reversal is drive rather than balance.
- Thumping only on the spin, and only on some loads — A noise that depends on what is in the drum belongs to what is in the drum.
- It walks across the floor or bangs hard on the spin, and it is a recent installation — A new machine that hammers is almost always bolts or levelling.
- NEAR MISS — a rattle from something in a pocket — Coins and keys in the drum, the filter or the door seal account for a surprising share of new noises.
Causes, most likely first on this platform
- The drive belt or the transmission — On a belt-driven machine the belt is a consumable and the transmission beneath it is not. It ranks first on this platform because a glazed belt squeals on the spin and a worn transmission clunks at every change of drum direction, and on a machine of this age both are consumables that have usually never been replaced.
- An out-of-balance load — One heavy item, or a load that has balled up on one side, makes the drum run eccentric. It ranks second here because the controls are mechanical — a bulb thermostat, a timer motor, a lid or door switch — and mechanical controls fail in ways you can hear, see and test without a board reader.
- The machine not standing level, or still on its transit bolts — A washer that rocks will move and bang on every spin. It comes third in the order — a genuine cause here, behind the ones above it on frequency alone.
- The drain pump — The pump runs during the drain and the spin. It ranks fourth rather than higher: real on this platform, and less common than the causes above it.
Check in this order, and why
- Note whether the noise happens at the direction change or at speed — They are different parts, and the timing separates them. It leads because it tests the top-ranked cause.
- Stop the machine, redistribute the load by hand and restart the spin — One minute, and it eliminates the most common cause. Tests the second-ranked cause.
- Push the top corners diagonally, and look at the back panel for transit bolts — Both checks are free and both are frequently the whole answer. Tests the third-ranked cause.
What an owner can safely check
- Open the door, spread the load evenly round the drum and restart the spin — Wash single heavy items with a few lighter ones for company.
About 15 min
- Remove any transit bolts from the back panel and level the machine on its feet — Lock the feet once set; a foot that unwinds undoes the work.
Tools: spanner, spirit levelAbout 25 min
- STOP here if the next step needs a meter on live terminals or a sealed panel off — That is where an owner check ends. Write down what each check showed and hand it to the technician.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the machine or switch off its breaker before removing any panel, and close both water valves before disturbing any hose.
When to call a technician
Call when the noise is a rumble or a grinding that appears on the spin and rises with the drum speed, because that is a bearing or a suspension component and both are strip-downs.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the Moffat washer as a class, not for one family or one model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit, that page is the more specific answer and the one to read first. Deliberately not here: part numbers, wiring colours and disassembly order, 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.
