Washing machine problems, and what usually causes them

What usually causes it

Usually the lid switch or door lock has failed, the drive belt has stretched or snapped, or the machine is refusing to spin because it never finished draining. On direct-drive models a worn shifter or a bad motor-control board is the next place to look.

Check this first

Run a spin-only cycle with the drum half empty. If it spins empty but not loaded, the machine is failing to balance rather than failing to spin, which points at suspension rather than the motor.

Safe to keep using?

Safe to run, but stop if you hear grinding. A failed bearing that keeps turning can take the outer tub with it.

What usually causes it

Most often a sock, coin or wire has reached the drain pump and jammed the impeller. After that it is a clogged drain hose, a failed pump motor, or a pressure switch that never tells the board the tub is still full.

Check this first

Check the drain filter behind the kick panel at the bottom front. Put a towel and a shallow tray down first, because there is usually a litre or two still in there.

Safe to keep using?

Stop using it. Water sitting in the tub will start to smell within a day, and a jammed pump can overheat.

What usually causes it

Front loaders usually leak at the door boot once it tears or fills with debris. Top loaders more often leak at the inlet hose, the tub seal or a cracked outer tub. Where the puddle starts tells us most of it.

Check this first

Dry the floor, run a short cycle, and watch where the first drop appears. Front, back, or under the door tells us three different things.

Safe to keep using?

Stop using it. A slow leak under a machine reaches the subfloor long before it reaches where you can see it.

What usually causes it

Often the door or lid lock, which most machines will not run without. Beyond that it is the start switch, the user-interface board, or a supply problem such as a tripped breaker feeding only half the circuit.

Check this first

Check the breaker, and on an electric dryer check both halves of it. A dryer can tumble without heat when only one leg of the circuit is live.

Safe to keep using?

Safe.

What usually causes it

A rumble or grind that rises with the spin is usually the tub bearing or the drive pulley. A rattle at one point in the cycle is more often something hard trapped between the drum and the tub.

Check this first

Listen for whether the noise follows the drum or the motor: a thump once per drum turn is a roller, a constant whine is usually the blower.

Safe to keep using?

Safe for now, but a thump becomes a scrape and then a seizure.

What usually causes it

Worn suspension rods or damper pads on a top loader, or failed shock absorbers and spring assemblies on a front loader. An unlevel floor and an overloaded drum make all of it worse but rarely cause it alone.

Check this first

Check the machine is level and all four feet are on the floor, then run a load that is half the usual size.

Safe to keep using?

Stop using it. A drum that walks will damage its own suspension, and it can pull the drain hose out.

What usually causes it

The door lock assembly has usually failed mechanically, or the board is holding it shut because the machine still reads water in the tub. Either way we can get it open without damaging the door.

Check this first

Give it ten minutes. Most front loaders hold the door for a few minutes after a cycle, and longer if they still read water in the tub.

Safe to keep using?

Safe, but do not force the door. The lock is cheap; the door and its hinge are not.

What usually causes it

The lid-lock striker, the lock assembly itself or its wiring harness. On several top-load platforms this is also the single most common reason a machine fills and then stops dead.

Check this first

Look for anything caught under the lid or the striker, and check the striker itself is not bent or missing.

Safe to keep using?

Safe. The machine will simply refuse to run.

What usually causes it

Start at the taps and the inlet screens, which clog with sediment. After that it is the water inlet valve, the pressure switch or its hose, or a board that never energises the valve.

Check this first

Check both taps are fully open, then close them and clean the small screens inside the inlet hose fittings. They block with sediment.

Safe to keep using?

Safe. A machine that never fills will usually time out on its own.