Washer Not Spinning? Here’s What’s Probably Going On (Toronto Tech Explains It Simply)

Dec 25

Washer Not Spinning? Best Appliance Repairs can help

A washer that won’t spin is one of those problems that instantly ruins laundry day.
Everything seems normal but then your clothes just come out soaking wet and heavy, as if you have just pulled them out of a bathtub.

If that’s the case, here’s what we see all the time around Toronto and why your washing machine might refuse to spin.

Why Washers Stop Spinning

Washers spin by mixing a few things together: a working motor, a balanced drum, working bearings, shocks that keep it steady, and a drain cycle that finishes properly.

If any of these puzzle pieces go missing, the machine will refuse to spin or will try a few attempts before giving up or showing an error code.

Here are the most common causes we see:

The motor is faulty
The belt snapped or fell off
The MCU (motor control unit) failed
The bearing is broken and the drum goes crooked
The shock absorbers are worn out
The washer can’t drain properly

Let me break each one down so you know what to expect when your favourite tech from Best Appliance Repairs of Toronto shows up to save laundry day.

1. Faulty Motor

This is a big one.
If the motor is dying, it might still wash the clothes slowly but won’t have the strength to spin them.

You’ll notice things like:

It washes normally but won’t spin at all
You hear humming instead of spinning
It tries to spin but gives up immediately
It will spin lighter loads but as soon as you go in with more than a few towels it will give up spinning entirely

Sometimes motors fail because of long-term wear. Other times because the machine was overloaded for too long.

Note: Newer washers use direct drive motors that are built from Stator, Rotor and a sensor.
Each one should be inspected separately in order to determine which part of the motor actually failed and requires replacement.

2. Broken or Slipped Belt

A lot of washers still use a belt to turn the drum.
If that belt snaps, stretches, or slips off the pulley, the washer will fill and drain but the drum won’t move during the spin cycle - actually, a good indication for a broken/ slipped belt will be that the washer doesn’t do any type of movement from the moment the cycle starts.

This is super common in older machines.

Signs:

Drum doesn’t turn at all
Machine sounds like it’s “trying” but nothing moves
If trying to spin by hand the drum will spin super freely and more loose than usual.

A belt replacement is usually simple and fast.

In some cases a faulty bearing might be the underlying issue causing the belt to break/slip and in those cases it might be a bigger repair.

3. Faulty MCU (Motor Control Unit)

Think of the MCU as the “brain” that tells the motor how fast to spin.
If it burns out, gets wet, or just fails with age, the washer won’t spin even if the motor is totally fine.

Common symptoms:

Washer won’t spin but everything else works
MCU related error codes
Washer won’t start at all
Burnt smell coming from the MCU

We see this a lot on front-loaders.

4. Broken Bearing

This one’s loud.
When the bearing fails, the drum sits crooked and makes a deep grinding noise.
If the machine senses the drum isn’t sitting straight, it won’t go into full spin because it knows it’ll shake all over the place.

You’ll notice:

A roaring or Helicopter-type noise during wash
Drum feels “wobbly” when you spin it by hand
Washer goes off balance easily

A broken bearing is one of the biggest repairs in a washer.

5. Faulty Shock Absorbers

Front-load washers rely on shock absorbers to keep the drum stable.
When the shocks wear out, the drum bounces too much, and the washer refuses to spin because it thinks it’s going out of control.

It’s basically the machine protecting itself.

Signs:

Machine shakes or “walks” across the floor
Thumping sound when spinning
Washer stops spinning halfway through
Some cases a washer will show an error code indicating it’s going out of balance

6. Drain Cycle Didn’t Finish

If the washer can’t drain fully, it WILL NOT spin.
This is happening on purpose - the machine knows spinning a tub full of water would cause a disaster.

Drain problems come from:

A clogged drain pump
Coins, socks, or debris blocking the impeller
A pump that burned out
A kinked drain hose

You’ll notice water still sitting at the bottom when the cycle ends.

When It’s Time to Call Us

If the washer refuses to spin no matter what cycle you choose, it’s probably past basic troubleshooting.

Call us if:

Clothes come out soaking wet
Washer tries to spin but stops immediately
You hear loud banging or grinding
Water stays at the bottom
The machine shakes violently

We fix spinning issues every single day across Toronto and Vaughan. This is one of the MOST common service calls.

Why Toronto Homeowners Call Us

People call us because:
*We have 350+ 5 star reviews across multiple platforms
*Same-day or next-day repairs
*Fair, honest pricing
*Service call is waived with any repair
*We stock common washer parts
*Every part replaced comes with warranty.
*Local, Family owned and operated