Loose inner drum

Hello gen0313 - From what you are describing it sounds like the unit could possibly have a broken shock/bearing or damaged tub. A certified technician will need to accurately diagnosis the bearing and pulling system behind the drum for repairs.

if the drum bangs all around and is noisy when it's spinning the spider gear is broke.usually it breaks from using to much detergent,in a front load washer you use less water so you need less detergent,you should be using 1/4 cup of h.e. detergent,any more than that damages the spider gear,the metal that it's made out of is like a metal stud that you would use when framing a wall,the extra detergent gets in there and it's like sand paper it eats at the metal and it breaks and the drum feels loose.unfortunetly it's time for a new washer,the gear costs around 4 to 5 hundred dollars not including the time.you can check to see if one or both shocks are broken or check the springs on the top sides under the top panel but it sounds like the spider gear to me.

when the bowl is empty check that the drum is not loose that is the inner and outer concentric drums bist be solid in relation to each other. the whole unit will move around though If the inner is loose then you cant use the washer until the bearings and spider are renewed cheers www.appliances.cjb.net

Move the drum around by hand and listen carefully. There should be no loose bits or rattling, if there are it is possible that something has slipped in between the drums. It sounds as if the drum bearing may be failing. Grip the inner drum and move it up and down at the front while feeling for play relative to the outer drum. i.e hold outer drum and lift inner drum relative to where you are holding. There should be virtually no play.

Could be Drum bearings, try Grabbing the inner drum and moving it front to back ,should have little or NO Play, assuming this is okay then check the counter weight, Concrete Slab on top of machine outer drum loose

Hi,
This is difficult to work out as there are so many different symptoms. Here are my thoughts -

Dust from carbon rushes is black. Grey dust usually comes from a loose concrete weight. Loose tub weights are rare on this model but they cause a loud knocking noise which is often worse when the washing machine is revving up to spin and dying down from a spin (suspension problems are also often worse at this stage too). It's not normally a metallic sound though.

If the noise is coming from the motor banging against the sides of the machine then it will make the machine move when it happens. The whole machine may jump or move to one side. The motor often thumps the side of the washing machine on Hotpoint washers where the motor is fitted at the top of the tub and over to the right hand side. This is a daft place to fit a motor and only Hotpoint / Credo did it. I think they've eventually stopped now though.

It is normal to be able to push the drum to the side so that the motor hits the casing. If the suspension has gone, the tub should be twisted and leaning to one side more than the other or it just could be very loose. It's difficult to check suspension if you don't know how it should feel.

If the noise is coming from the inner drum hitting the heating element or throwing an object like a £1 coin (trapped between the inner drum and the outer tub) around, then the washing machine will be stable but the noise would still be a horrible metallic knocking. This is one because I suspect.

If the carbon brush is charred (as in these Hotpoint & Credo carbon brush pictures) then it's definitely faulty and needs replacing. This could cause the machine to bang about violently on spin but it normally wouldn't.

As for the clothes being covered in black marks. (Washing (laundry) is still dirty or has marks on it (marks on clothes) ). This sounds potentially ominous as it could be that the inner drum is catching on the inside of the outer tub which is often covered in gunge. As clothes are pushed through the holes in the drum on spin, this could cause them to scrape on the inner tub and pick up greasy marks. Check for play in the drum by lifting it up and down from the front. It should only lift up a mm or so. Then turn the drum so that one of the drum paddles is at the bottom. Pull the drum toward you at the point of the drum paddle. It shouldn't have any play in it. Turn the drum round and test the other two as well. If the drum spider and shaft has a crack in it then one or more of the arms will allow excess play when you pull the drum at the paddle points.

Carbon dust from a motor could never get onto clothes.
Thank You for using Fixya.com

It sounds liek a shock/support is broke. Remove the lower front panel after you UNPLUG the washer and you might be able to see what is wrong.
Hope this helps.

Thanks
Vic

Two possibles for this are aloose balance block or cracked drum spider.The front block is most prone to coming loose.
To check spider rotate drum little by little and pull towards you to check for movement.
Post back if further help needed.
Thankyou

buy a new one smartass

more likely there is a bra wire caught between the inner drum and outer tub, possibly wrapping itself around the element in the bottom.