Maytag washer noise...possible pump problem?

[rdway60]

  My washer has been running trouble free for several months after(with the help of this forum)a successful snubber ring replacement, ...until last week. It is now making a ratcheting, grinding sound that I first thought might be transmission problem per the sound. It doesn't matter what cycle it is running, and seems to come and go, but getting worse. After searching the forum for some similar sounds I am steering toward the pump?? I leaned washer forward, removed belt, and checked pulleys and movement. Motor was ok, tub pulley was ok, but pump pulley seems to have play in it. And I can physically move it around actually making it run out of true. I don't sense any resistance though. Is my pump in need of replacement? In the mean time I'll pull the front panel and hook her back up and see if I can tell anything from that side. Thanks in advance folks.

Model MAV5000AWW

[Repair-man]

It is indeed likely that you are correct. We had trouble with the  pumps on those machines during the first 3 years of production and the pump vendor was changed afterward to a different company. Replacing the pump now will get you the upgraded part. This can be a transient noise at times, frustrating someoone who is trying to diagnose the sound. After my stint at Maytag Customer  service from '94 to '06, I saw a lot of transitional failures such as this. Unfortunately the consumer becomes the  ultimate  guinea pig.

[rdway60]

  Thank you for the reply. After more investigating the pump does seem to be the culprit. I'll remove it and see if there is anything that can be done to take care of pulley slop....probably not. Great Site!