Sparks from Miele W1 WKC130

Hi David. Yes, it's possible something got in there and buckled the lip of the drum. However, if you are still getting sparks and friction burning when the drum spins with a full load inside, then the damage is already done, and retrieving an object wouldn't help.

But if the sarks and burning has stopped, it would be worth making sure nothing is inside that could cause serious damage. Check my article out here how to remove an object from inside washing machine

Hi Andy,

I see what you mean. I can get a tiny bit of front-to-back play but nothing up/down, and certainly not enough to get contact between the outer and inner drums. Although spinning at 1600rpm with a full load probably exerts more force than I can muster!

The outer drum is metal, and I can't see any damage on it or on the seal. But there is a brownish discolouration around a few inches of the inner drum where is closest to the outer, and the edge feels rough there. I suppose something could have gotten caught there, rubbed and then dislodged? In which case maybe it is still somewhere in there? Is there some way of looking for/finding/removing things caught between the inner and outer drums?

Hi David. If there’s no play in the drum or bearings it shouldn’t be able to catch on anything. If the drum lip is out of shape by a lot it may have been damaged by an obstruction. But if you can’t see where it’s catching when you turn the drum something must be “giving” and allowing the drum to move during spin and catch on something.

That’s usually something like a hairline crack in one of the drum spiders. If it’s catching on the plastic outer drum you should be able to see damage and burnt plastic where it is catching. It may be at the sides or top.

Is it catching on the door seal maybe?

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't able to feel any play at any position.

David