Solved
Indesit

Indesit Widl126S Noisey Drum With Play Front To Back.

NEnev93
Asked about 14 years ago 10,244 views
0

Hi this is my first post so be gentle with me lol.

My indesit has all of a sudden started to make a sound like a jack hammer when on full spin.

After looking a various posts etc i think it might be the bearings but i dont know.

It would appear the drum has more movement front to back than normal. Ive checked the bushes for the shocks and they seem fine. Can any one give me any advice please? Cars i can do but am stuck when it comes to washing machines lol

also is it any easy fix?

many thanks

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.

Indesit WIDL126S loud banging on spin with drum movement

The problem
Indesit WIDL126S developed a very loud jackhammer-like noise on full spin. The drum was reported to move forwards and backwards by about 2 inches each way. When turned by hand empty there was a slight grinding noise, but with the belt removed the bearings were said to look and sound OK.
Likely cause
The discussion did not confirm failed drum bearings. Advice given was that failed bearings would usually cause rumbling and up-and-down play in the inner drum, not front-to-back movement. The strongest supported diagnosis from the thread is a loose rear weight block bolt, based on a matching symptom report from another WIDL126 owner. Worn suspension/shocks were also considered but not confirmed.
What fixed it
Recommended checks were to remove the belt and spin the drum to separate drum noise from motor noise, and to inspect the suspension by bouncing the tub with the machine unplugged. A contributor with the same model and similar spin banging found the rear weight block slightly loose and cured it by removing the bolt and refitting it with threadlock. The original poster did not confirm the final repair.
Checks to try
  • Belt removed and drum checked by hand
  • Shock/strut bushes inspected
  • Advice to check for inner drum up-and-down play
  • Advice to bounce the tub up and down and side to side with top and back removed
  • Rear weight block checked for looseness
Parts or tools mentioned
  • Threadlock/threadseal
  • Rear weight block bolt

Safety: Unplug the machine before removing panels or inspecting suspension components. Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.

Cause identifiedGenerated 4 Aug 2026 · AI summaries can make mistakes — read the full thread below.
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8 Answers

Accepted Answer
0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered about 14 years ago

Noises are difficult to help on without hearing them but I have a comprehensive guide to troubleshooting noisy washing machines

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
NE
nev93
Answered about 14 years ago

Hi thanks for that.

the drums turns ok but there is a slight grinding noise when turned by hand when empty.

my main concern is the front to back movement. i can move the drum all the way forward and backwards about 2 imches each way.

Is this a sign the bearings have gone? i feel quite happy changing them im just looking to confirm it if i can before i strip it down lol.

Thanks again

0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered about 14 years ago

The main outer drum is on suspension and springs, so it should move back and forth and side to side but the inner drum shouldn't move front to back even a few millimetres because the drum pulley is fixed at the end. If drum bearings fail or collapse the tell tale movement is up and down. You need to take off the belt and spin the drum to make sure the noise you hear is coming from the drum and not the motor. When drum bearings fail they should cause a rumbling noise.

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
NE
nev93
Answered about 14 years ago

Ok ive taken the back off the machine and it may be the struts. they dont apear to have any inserts in them. is this normal or have they failed?the hearing looks and sounds ok when i take the belt off. does this sound like i need to replace the shocks as everything else looks ok?

0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered about 14 years ago

Unfortunately only someone present to hear and observe the machine could try to guess what is causing the noise.

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
NE
nev93
Answered about 14 years ago

The noise is only when om full spin. but the bears are fine.

the shocks dont look loke they have any inserts so dont look like they are holding the weight of the drum. the springs are holding up the drum.

do these shocks have inserts if so i will need to replace mime.

Thanks again

0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered about 14 years ago

Unplug the machine, take the top and back off and bounce the tub up and down and from side to side to see if you can replicate the noise and where it's coming from. The tub should bounce up and down on the suspension. Most washing machine suspension is very cheap and crude these days.

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
1
FR
fruittool
Answered about 14 years ago

Hi, i have a widl126 that started making a racket while spinning, a real hard banging sound. At first i could not locate the problem but then just by luck i decided to push upwards through the rear access on the rear weight block and it shifted very slightly. Took out the bolt, got a small tube of threadlock or threadseal from the car accessories shop, stuck the bolt back in. It took about two years to loosten the bolt now it's done another three without loostening again.

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