Solved

Can't Turn Drum At All - Seized Up

THtheoddjobman
Asked almost 15 years ago 6,423 views
0

The Saga goes....

My wife reports that machine will not spin... Investigation starts

Filter thing at bottom emptied (nothing there)

try different cycles... all will fill then get to the bit where the drum should turn and it stops.

I try to manually move drum but it will not budge.

Case is now off. Belt removed,motor moves freely

Drum will is seized up

No sign of an obstruction other than a ball shape in one of the lower hoses attached to bottom quarter of drum. difficult to access the circlip to inspect and i suspect it is a float of some sort.

Has it died?, or is there still hope that it is a simple fix.

Solution Summary

AI-generated from this discussion

This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.

Washing machine drum seized and will not turn

The problem
The washing machine fills but stops when the drum should begin to turn. With the belt removed, the motor turns freely but the drum cannot be moved by hand, indicating the drum assembly is seized.
Likely cause
The accepted diagnosis was either a strong obstruction trapped between the inner drum and outer tub, or seized/collapsed drum bearings. A collapsed drum was also mentioned as a possibility. The ball-shaped item seen in a lower hose was not confirmed as the fault.
What fixed it
Recommended action was to inspect all the way around the drum for signs of a trapped object or visible drum damage. The accepted reply also advised confirming the belt is removed before deciding the drum is seized, which was already done. No completed repair was documented, so the exact fix was not confirmed. Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
Checks to try
  • Filter emptied and nothing found
  • Different cycles tried; machine fills but stops when drum should turn
  • Drum could not be turned by hand
  • Belt removed
  • Motor checked and moves freely
  • Visual check noted no obvious obstruction except a ball-shaped item in a lower hose

Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.

Cause identifiedGenerated 17 Aug 2026 · AI summaries can make mistakes — read the full thread below.
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1 Answer

Accepted Answer
0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered almost 15 years ago

If the drum is seized up there's either an strong obstruction stuck between the inner drum and outer tub, or the bearings have seized up (or drum collapsed). If there's something jammed inside I'd expect to see damage to the drum, din't etc. Try looking all the way round the drum.

If the washer has been noisy for some time on spin the bearings may have collapsed - some of the symptoms of this can be found here - Noisy washing machine

Always make sure the belt is off before deciding a drum is seized up because if a motor seizes up it will also stop the drum rotating when the belt is on.

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.

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