Washing Machine Bearings Gone

[ethandron]

..but the machine still works perfectly, if noisily.
My question is, is it safe to carry on using it or is something nasty likely to happen? Or will the machine just suddenly stop working altogether??
Thank you.

[IJKLM]

General failure mode for failed bearings is that they start getting noisy and the volume of rattling increases.

Then either the bearing race destroys itself, or the thing seizes.

Either way, it will not be pretty.

The washing machine drum runs naturally unbalanced (due to the uneven spread of wet washing), so the bearings are designed to keep the drum rotating reasonably smoothly.

I'd expect the thing will only last for a few tens of washes, if that.

You'll notice some hot smells coming from the machine as the belts over-heat due to the extra torque needed to drive the drum.
or one day, the thing will stop with a massive jerk.

Probably not desperately unsafe, though there might be a fire risk, if the belt overheats too much.

Whatever, you won't get much extra life out of it. I'd start preparing for a replacement pretty quick.

[SparklyKid]

Could be a bit of fun on a fast spin.

[ethandron]

That’s what I feared IJKLM, was just putting off the inevitable I suppose.
Having been away recently, and due to go away again fairly soon, the poor machine has been working overtime. Better get a new one before it conks out completely and I get stuck with a zillion loads of laundry which needs doing.
Thanks for answering.

[malagabob]

Mine started banging on spin. I did numerous searches for the cause. Being engineering handy having changed washing machine pumps ect before. Doing internet searches. Investigating, Stripping the covers off. Was it Loose counter weights. Loose paddles inside the drum ect. Non of these. Saw a video how to change bearings. Very labour intensive. Bottom line bought a new machine.