I too have a Hotpoint washer that will not spin?

It's a Hotpoint Ultima Extra WMA63. I thought it may be a blocked pump - it agitates and seems to start to ramp up, then cuts back to agitate. I've checking inside the bellows between drum & pump and have cleaned out a couple of cosmetic sponges, so I thought that was it, but it is no better. The belt seems fine and both motor and drum rotate freely. Not sure how easy it is to check the pump, but it seems to empty ok, as I tried a rinse/spin cycle and it emptied quickly enough. It has also always been very noisy, particularly on spin, when it sound like it's about to go into orbit (the best place for it, in my opinion). Currently it's making a strange metallic chattering noise - which I can't locate - not the pump or the motor. Anyone any bright ideas? If it's likely to be expensive, I'm inclined to scrap it (4 yrs old) - only bought it because it was the only m/c readily available with a matching condenser dryer. Won't be buying another Hotpoint!