Kenmore's Normal Sounds You May Hear list for the Kenmore 796 front-loader covers clicking (the door locking mechanism), spraying or hissing (water spraying or circulating during the cycle), humming or gurgling (the drain pump pumping water out) and splashing (clothes tumbling in the drum). Problems are listed separately: rattling and clanking from foreign objects such as keys, coins or safety pins in the drum or pump (stop the washer and check the drum and drain filter), thumping from a heavy or unbalanced load or from shoes or tightly tangled clothes, and vibrating noise from shipping bolts or packaging that were not removed, leveling feet not resting firmly, or a floor that is not rigid enough.
Differential
Likely causes of “Kenmore 796-series front-load washer makes grinding, squealing, clicking or banging noises”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Normal operating sounds
What separates it There are clicking, hissing, gurgling and splashing sounds because these are normal operating sounds
How to confirm Compare with Kenmore's Normal Sounds list, before you act
- 2
Foreign objects in the drum or pump
What separates it There is rattling and clanking because of foreign objects in the drum or the pump
How to confirm Check the drum and drain filter; if it continues call for service
- 3
Shipping bolts or packaging left in
What separates it There is a vibrating noise because shipping bolts or packaging were left in
How to confirm Remove them per the installation section, and run the cycle again
- 4
A floor that is not rigid or feet not firmly down
What separates it There is vibration because the floor is not rigid or the feet are not firmly down
How to confirm Level the washer; make sure the floor is solid
- 5
Top-loader (796.3143): a foreign object in the tub or pump
What separates it A rattling or clanking noise comes from the tub or the pump area
How to confirm Stop the washer and check the tub and the drain filter for coins, keys or safety pins
- 6
Top-loader (796.3143): an object caught between the wash plate and the inner basket
What separates it The washer stops with an error and the load stays wet
How to confirm Turn the washer off, press POWER, press the spin speed button without choosing a cycle, then remove what is caught
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether all of the feet rest firmly on the floor
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedListen against the normal list
ReversibleListen against the normal list, since clicking, hissing, gurgling and splashing are normal, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Check the drum and filter
ReversibleCheck the drum and the filter, and look for keys, coins and safety pins, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Redistribute the load
ReversibleRedistribute the load, by pausing, waiting for the door to unlock and rearranging it, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Check the shipping bolts
ReversibleCheck the shipping bolts, and check the packaging materials, and remove them, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Level the washer
ReversibleLevel the washer, with all feet resting firmly and evenly, and the floor solid and not flexing.
Stop and look for objects
ReversibleKenmore says a rattle or clank usually means keys, coins or safety pins are in the tub or pump. Stop the washer and check the tub and the drain filter; if the noise continues after restarting, call service.
Learn the normal sounds
ReversibleOn the 796.3143 clicking is the lid lock relay, humming or gurgling is the drain pump, and spraying or hissing is water circulating. A thumping sound with a heavy load is normal, but if it continues the load is probably out of balance and should be redistributed.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Top-loader sounds
- The 796.3143 top-loader's normal sounds are clicking from the lid lock relay when the lid locks and unlocks, spraying or hissing from water circulating during the cycle, and humming or gurgling from the drain pump. Its troubleshooting also lists rattling from foreign objects in the tub or pump, thumping from an unbalanced load or packaging not removed, and a floor that is not rigid enough.
- Levelling and floors
- Kenmore's troubleshooting table refers to Leveling the Washer in the installation instructions and to Flooring in the installation requirements. A washer on a floor that flexes will vibrate however well it is leveled, and the fix is a solid floor, not another adjustment. Heavy loads can also produce a thumping sound that is normal, but if it continues the washer is probably out of balance.
- Prevent object damage
- Always check pockets before washing. Kenmore says coins, pins and clips caught between the wash plate and the inner basket cause an error and can damage the washer or clothing, so drain and spin the load first and remove the objects once the spin finishes.
- Parts for this problem on the FRONT (RepairClinic, 2026-09-21)
- washing machine tub seal between outer & inner t, part number 4036ER2004A, at $26.39; shock absorber, part number ACV72909506, at $47.40; the 4681ea2001t washing machine drain pump and m, part number 4681EA2001T, at $58.42.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the 796-series top-load washer.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the noise continues after restarting with a clear drum and filter, call Kenmore Customer Care on 1-844-553-6667
- !If the noise is loud grinding, stop using the washer
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Kenmore's own manual for the 796 top-loader.
LG's own list for the maker of the 796 platform: IE inlet, OE drain, dE door, UE unbalance, LE motor rotation and PF power failure to confirm the display letters the Kenmore guide's scan could not show.
LG's own top-load list, which carries the same IE, OE, UE, dE, LE and PF letters used by the 796.3143 top-loader.
Kenmore's own manual lookup, where the model number identifies the original platform.
Parts and list prices as shown on RepairClinic's parts search for this model number on 2026-09-21.
Exact questions
Common questions
Is clicking normal?+
Yes; the door locking mechanism clicks when it locks and unlocks.
Can shoes cause thumping?+
Washing shoes or tightly tangled clothes is a listed cause.
Does the floor matter?+
Yes; it must be solid and not flex.
Is thumping normal on a top-loader?+
Yes, heavy loads can thump; redistribute the load if it continues.
What clears an object stuck under the wash plate?+
Drain and spin the load, then remove the object from the wash plate.