Short answer: A grinding or scraping sound during spin is a different symptom from shaking or banging — it points to metal-on-metal or plastic-on-metal wear, most often a worn drum bearing, a worn motor pulley, or a small object (coin, wire, button) trapped between the inner drum and outer tub.
1. Worn drum bearing
The bearing that supports the inner drum's rotation wears out over years of use, producing an increasingly loud grinding or rumbling sound as it deteriorates — often worse at higher spin speeds.
2. Small object trapped between the drum and tub
Coins, underwire, buttons, or other small hard items can fall through drum perforations and get caught between the inner drum and outer tub, grinding with every rotation.
3. Worn motor or drive pulley
The pulley the drive belt rides on can wear unevenly, producing a grinding sound as the belt no longer sits and turns smoothly.
4. Worn spider arm or drum support
On some front-loaders, the spider (the structural support connecting the drum to the drive shaft) can corrode or crack, allowing metal-on-metal contact that grinds during rotation.
Check for a trapped object first
This is the easiest cause to rule out — inspect the drum thoroughly and, on front-loaders, check around and behind the door boot fold for anything stuck in the gap.
Manually spin the empty drum
With power off and the machine empty, turn the drum by hand and listen and feel for grinding or roughness, which points toward the bearing or pulley rather than something loose.
Inspect the drive pulley and belt area if accessible
Check for visible wear, uneven surfaces, or debris on the pulley the belt rides on.
Have the bearing or spider assessed if the sound persists
A worn drum bearing or spider arm typically requires disassembling the machine to access and replace, and is a job best handled by a technician given the labor involved.
Safety warning
Always unplug the washer before reaching into the drum or attempting to spin it by hand. Drum bearing and spider arm repairs involve significant disassembly and are best handled by a qualified appliance technician.Yes — shaking and banging are about the machine's balance and movement (unbalanced loads, leveling, suspension). Grinding is a wear-related sound from components rubbing or scraping, and can happen even in a level, well-balanced machine.
It varies by model, but it's generally one of the more labor-intensive washer repairs since it usually requires substantial disassembly to access — get a repair quote to compare against your machine's age and value.
Yes — even a small coin or piece of hardware caught between the drum and tub can produce a surprisingly loud grinding or clunking sound with every rotation, and it's worth thoroughly checking for before assuming a bigger mechanical fault.
Home Solutions Editorial Team
Reviewed against manufacturer documentation. Updated August 10, 2026. How we write guides
A distinct bang or knock once per rotation points to something physically striking the tub — a loose object, a broken counterweight, or a detached drum support — not general imbalance.
Violent shaking during spin is almost always an unbalanced load or unlevel feet — but on older machines it can mean worn suspension or shock parts.
If the display lights up and buttons respond but pressing Start does nothing, the door latch, a control lock, or the start button itself is almost always the cause.
Modern sensor-based cycles are often genuinely longer by design — but a cycle that keeps extending itself usually means low water pressure, excess suds, or repeated imbalance corrections.
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