my electrolux washer makes a loud grinding or scraping noise only during the spin cycle, is it broken?

— asked by Riley

Quick answer: Yeah, this one's common. That's almost certainly the spider arm, the part that connects the inner drum to the outer tub's bearing hub, cracking or corroding.

Diagnosis

Yeah, this one's common. That's almost certainly the spider arm, the part that connects the inner drum to the outer tub's bearing hub, cracking or corroding. When it fails, the drum becomes unbalanced and grinds during high-speed spin.

How to Fix It

This is a major repair. You need to disassemble the washer to get to the rear tub, remove the old spider arm, and install a new one. The bearing and seal should be replaced at the same time. It's a several-hour job requiring special tools (like a bearing driver). Most people call a pro for this.

If That Didn't Work

If the noise is more of a high-pitched squeal or whine that increases with drum speed, it could just be the drive belt wearing out and slipping. That's a much easier and cheaper fix accessed from the back panel.

Heads Up

Continuing to run it with a broken spider arm will eventually destroy the outer tub bearing and seal, leading to water leaks and a much more expensive repair. If you hear the grind, stop using the spin cycle.

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