Washing Machine Not Spinning
We are always asked about customer’s washing machine not spinning, there are a few reasons this can happen and some are very simple fixes and I will list them below and then go in to more depth.
Common washing machine faults that lead to the washing machine not spinning or not spinning properly.
- There could be a blockage on the drain system. The pump filter may be blocked or the hose from the drum going to the pump may be blocked. If your waste pipe is fitted onto a fitting or goes on to the sink drainage this may also be blocked.
- The motor carbon brushes may be warn, if the motor does not have brushes then there is a chance that the motor capacitor has failed.
- The belt from the motor to the drum may be snapped or has come off.
- The motor itself may be have blown or become faulty.
- The PCB known as the printed circuit board or module may have become fault (this is usually due to something electrically shorting it).
- An electrical wire may have broken.
- You may have a timer fault but this is very rare.
Washing machine Blockages if it doesn’t Drain, So It Will Not Spin
If your washing machine has a lot of water in it when it comes to spin this will either stop the machine spinning or you will get water coming out of the machine sometimes from the soap drawer.
you will need to find out why your washing machine didn’t drain the water Normally this would be something obstructing the drain pump from correctly draining the water away but you may have to dig a little deeper than that on occasion. You will often find small coins, bra wires, baby clothing, soaks or keys toys etc find their way into the pump manifold (this is the plastic housing that the pump is mounted onto with the hoses attached) something may have blocked one of the inlets or outlets and, on occasion, these can get into the drain outlet hose and block it. also check the washing machine drain pump is actually working.
You can do this using a multimeter and a simple continuity check of the drain pump’s motor coil live and neutral connections as it will either make a circuit or not. If it does, then the winding’s are okay and it should run, if not you need a new drain pump.
Also check the drain pump rotor the seals can fail and the rotor area can fill with water making the pump fail. On an induction pump this will be solid and turn with the cooling fan on the back of the drain pump but on newer magnetic pumps the rotor will turn with a little resistance then “flick” to the next position repeatedly and the same way in both directions. If it’s loose or broken, you need a new drain pump for your washing machine.
Blocked Washing Machine Filter
If your washing machine or washer dryer doesn’t spin the first thing to check is the filter if the machine has one. Blocked filters are the most common cause of not spinning, Pull the filter out and clear out anything that you find in the washing machine drain pump, for more info on how to do this please see other articles about washing machine drain pumps. You really should do this on a monthly.
Check the pipes leading to the pump they can get blocked with small items of clothing.
Blocked outlet hoses are very common especially when they are connected with push fittings strip them down and check for blockage see pictures.
Washing machine motor carbon brushes.
Carbon brushes do wear down and this can cause a spinning problem with your washing machine but, the machine has to be a few years old for this to be the problem and it is easily checked,
It is better to catch this problem early as if this problem is left to long then it can lead to damage on the PCB you can read more about how to check and replace washing machine carbon brushes in our other articles and videos.
Washing machine belts
Belts don’t stretch but they can snap due to bearings or the drum not turning freely. If the washing machine drum bearings are worn then this can lead to the belt coming of, on some manufacture the drum pulley wheel can become loose.
Washing machine motor
Motors can fail but they can also be checked of the machine either by using a meter or you can bench test them see tutorial on this.
Washing machine PCB’s printed circuit board or module
These can fail and are expensive to replace, they normally fail after there has been an electrical short or fault (badly worn motor carbon brushes are a common cause of PCB failures)
Washing machine wiring faults
Wires can sometimes break due to metal fatigue or they sometimes burn on the motor connection normally due to a leak on to the motor wiring plug.
Washing machine timers
This is a very rare on modern appliances but it can happen.
Washing Machine Spin Out Of Balance Detection
What happens is that the electronics in the washer detect an abnormal load and it will then abort the spin cycle, or at least it will not reach its top spin speed. Normally due to badly loaded machines like one large towel.
This happens for a few reasons; the first and main one is that it stops the machine from bouncing about due to an abnormal load that will make the drum move in an ellipse shape resulting in the machine “walking” forward or sideways and even with this protection in place this can still occur if the flooring is not sound enough you can read more about installation of a washing machine in your manual.
This is to stop the outer drum of the washer (the bit that holds the water in it) from hitting the sides of the actual outer cabinet and causing damage.
This causes issues on modern machines as most cannot actually spin single items of clothing, the out of balance control is too harsh (for good reason) and the machine will not spin at full speed under these conditions. Please remember that some of these electronic controls are very sensitive and any indication that an out of balance condition would occur will cause the machine to abort. So if you have this the best advice I can offer is to re-distribute the load and try again.
106 Responses to “Washing Machine Not Spinning”
I have Gorenje WA50125S (5kg) washing machine. Its 5 years old. The drum spins for a second immediately after start and then stops. All the LED lights flashes and then goes off. Any idea which one could be a fault? Please let me know. Best regards
My beko will not spin the last cycle. It stopped though it is draining water. What could be the problem. Please help.
My bosch exxcel7 won’t spin. It completes the wash cycles then you can hear the machines working but no spin action
I have 17 year old Siemens washing machine. Never broken down before. It’s not spinning just making lots of clicking noises. It’s filling and draining just not spinning. Is it worth getting it fixed?
Hi Paul,
Siemens Washing machine xli 1240, water will take the detergent from the drawer and i think it starts t o fill the drum but the drum wont spoin at all. the machine can be heard clicing all the time and i have to turn the dial to empty to vacate the water from the drum. Dosnet matter what cycle, not working. Any ideas?
Hi I replaced the brushes on my Siemens WM14S494GB/20 after it stopped spinning. Now it will not spin at full speed and makes a more noise than before.
My washing machine only starts the first spin bit but will not go in to a big spin so my clothes are still wet it’s an Beko for ages now it’s been making this screaming noise when it goes in to spin anything I can do to sort it thanks
Zanussi zwf 1240w
Machine fills drum turns and drains but will not go into spin.
Is making a crackling sparking type noise.
Help
Hoover Spin/Drier HNWL 3136 … Old but built like a Tank and has given YEARS of great service from new.
Fast Spin not working… Even with Machine EMPTY…. Tried many times !
Tried SLOW Spin … WORKS. Reverted to FAST Spin, NOW WORKS !
I’d be interested in any explanation.
I have a Whirlpool Duet front load washer that will fill-wash-rinse but when it goes to spin cycle it will not spin. The rinse light flashes once and then six times and then repeats the same code.
hi i have bought a zanussi zkh7146j washer dryer used at best 20-30 times in last couple of years.
the machine drum tries to spin and occasionally may get 1 or 2 turns in then just drives but no end result.
i have also checked the bottom right hand corner release and drained any water which may have been trapped
a local white good repair man stated it was immaculate and lightly used when he checked underneath but was also too modern to carry parts for currently
i appreciate any help you may give
Hey I have a quick question. I have a Electrolux front load washer model eifls55iiw1. It will not do final spin which leaving clothes wet? Any suggestions
Hi, my machine AEG Electrolux Lavamat 1271el don’t spin. When i start program, It shows water pumping on display and then that the program is completed and can open the door. What the problem whit it?
Hi I have a Beko washing machine about 5 years old and the drum has stopped turning you put it on a program and it fills and then won’t turn or spin we have a new motor and carbon brushes and tried to change the capacitor although found it hard to find the right one is there anything else you think it could be??
Hi our washing maching spinning tab automatically stop not working what to do videcon maching
Hi…we have a washing machine model ewp85742 Electrolux the problem is the drum is not turn its load went not load the drum turn as usual can you tell me how can I settled my problem thank you…..
i have a ELGI fabricare top loading fully automatic washing machine .the machine washes and rinse clothes properly but while spinning it gets slow and the clothes are not at all spinned,also some extra sound also like breathe coming while spinning.the motor rotates slowly and stops and again starts slowly and stops …like that it completes the process of spinning but the clothes remain un spinned…..pl let me know how to repair through my Email … abushaib2000@yahoo.co.in
Bush washing machine is not spinning it’s filling with water and draining but not spinning at all if anyone could help that be great cheers
Hi Paul,
I am having an issue with my front loader Electrolux washing machine (it is about 8 years old), it starts its spin cycle by making a noise in the motor, then after 15 seconds it begins spinning to about 600rpm, then stops after about 5 seconds and will not proceed. I am unsure as to why this is happening, if you could please provide some insight into why this may be happening it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Cameron
I have a bush washing machine, it fill with water but the drum is not turning. I also noticed the door was not showing closed on the screen. So I changed the door sensor. Now it’s showing as open even when the door is shut,until you start a programme then it changes. But still not turning . The drum doesn’t spin like the belt has gone, I’ve cleared the blockage at front