We just purchased our home last year and the washer was included in the purchase, so we don't know the repair history. As you probably already know, this machine is a newer belt drive model. During agitation, it makes a sound similar to what you would hear when using a rachet tool (it only occurs when agitating in one direction, if that makes any sense). It does not make the noise during the spin cycle. We checked the agitator and it rotates clockwise only. We can't view the motion of the agitator because the lid locks prior to filling and agitating. My husband checked the dogs and cleaned the agitator parts. The noise still persists.