Noise when starting up on Maytag model MAV7700AWW

[Thorning]

 I was given the above model washer  with the complaint that is was noisy when started. After I hooked it up  with the hoses and activated the control it started OK but was very noisy. The rest of the machine is very clean and I am not familiar with this model and need some advice about the difficulty and cost or repair if I tear into it.. Can anyone assist on this question ?

[HerbG]

These Atlantis machines were prone to pump failures. The pumps have a drive pulley that has a cooling component. This waffled piece comes loose from the pulley and starts rubbing against the mounting plate and makes quite a bit of noise.

[Thorning]

I will recheck but I dont think this unit has that problem but thanks for the info.

[Thorning]

I took the belt off after tipping the machine over on the front face and checked the pump for noise or wear  and found none. I put it back together and ran it thru a cycle to check it again for noise. The noise is in the tub bearings and not the pump. I have not decided if I will repair it or not and still need advice on how difficult it is to do the job on this machine.

[HerbG]

Now that you're convinced the noise is coming from the area of the transmission, you have to determine if it originates from the transmission or the bearings that support the transmission.  Start the machine and listen for the noise during agitation. If you hear it, then it is either coming from the thrust bearing under the drive pulley or it's internal to the transmission.  Also observe the agitator for full hard action. You can check "YouTube" for instruction on thrust bearing replacement (easy). If the noise is internal to the tranny, then it gets a lot tougher (expensive tranny replacement for about $300 or tear your tranny apart to replace a plastic gear that's only available as an aftermarket part). If you didn't hear the noise during agitation then try the spin cycle. The spin bearings can be replaced by removing the transmission. Plenty of instruction online for those operations. Good Luck! 

[waypoint]

I took the belt off after tipping the machine over on the front face and checked the pump for noise or wear  and found none. I put it back together and ran it thru a cycle to check it again for noise. The noise is in the tub bearings and not the pump. I have not decided if I will repair it or not and still need advice on how difficult it is to do the job on this machine.

Is the noise present during agitation, spin, or both?

As mentioned by Herb, the thrust bearing is an easy and low-cost replacement.  If the noise is only during agitation and not spin, it's usually either the thrust bearing or transmission...and the transmission noise is usually a hard clunk/bang.

The two bearings responsible for spinning usually make grinding or screeching noise, and only during spin as they're stationary during agitation.  These are located under the outer drum (bolted to the underside) and on the lower end of the milkstool (bolted to the lower plate).