Washing Machine Noisy Then Started Smoking

[Curious]

My washing machine has been making a noise when spinning, it then stopped draining all of the water after the spin cycle and left a bit in the drum. I then tried it again, - it went fine until the spin cycle was mid-way through and then it started billowing smoke. I turned it off immediately and haven't touched it since.

I would appreciate your advice on this. I need my machine working again and at this stage can't really afford to buy another one.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

This could be difficult to diagnose remotely.

It could be the drum bearings. If the drum bearings partially collapse or the drum shaft is worn, then the drum moves up and down while spinning. It can then catch and damage the back of the door seal and cause "smoke" to appear. This is caused by friction between the front lip of the drum and the rubber on the seal. Open the door and check the door seal where it is close to the lip of the drum. Check for bits of rubber having been torn away or sticky rubber marks on the lip of the drum.

Also spin the drum by hand and see if it sounds rumbly and noisy. If the drum or the drum bearings are the cause, then you may be able to lift the drum up and down. If so this is serious and you may need to consider buying a new washing machine because many newer washing machines need an entire tub replacing if drum bearings fail. ( Related: Buying a new washing machine advice and reviews

Alternatively the pump could have burned out but that's rare as they all have cutout protection. The motor is another suspect although the biggest suspect from your description is the drum bearings.