Whirlpool Top-Load Washer Grinding Noise in Clearwater: The Mode Shifter Wasn't Switching Gears
- Symptom
- Awful grinding noise whenever the washer started.
- Cause
- The mode shifter wasn't moving the transmission between agitate and spin, so the gears sat halfway and ground against each other.
- Fix
- Replaced the mode shifter with a Whirlpool part we had in stock.
A client at the Cove, a residential complex of multi-story buildings in Clearwater, had a Whirlpool top-load washer, model WTW5057LW0, that made a terrible noise every time it started.
What was going on
The transmission wasn’t shifting. It stayed in the middle, somewhere between the spin cycle and the agitate cycle. That meant the gears didn’t fully mesh. They just rubbed against each other and made that grinding noise.
On these washers, the mode shifter is the part that moves the transmission between the two.
The fix
We always keep the mode shifter in stock. We replaced it with a Whirlpool factory part. The photo shows the old one and the new one next to the part box.
If your top-load washer grinds when it starts, don’t keep running it. Our washer repair service covers Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Oldsmar and nearby.
FAQ
Why does my top-load washer make a grinding noise when it starts?
On this Whirlpool, the transmission wasn't shifting. It stayed between the spin and agitate positions, so the gears didn't mesh and just rubbed together, which made the noise.
What does the mode shifter do on a washer?
It moves the transmission between the agitate and spin positions. When it fails, the gears can end up halfway between the two and grind.