hotpoint wf860 ultima super silent?

hi, i have a hotpoint wf860 ultima super silent washing machine that is about 6 years old and have acouple of problems that hopefully someone can help me with.

1. the machine used to be super silent but about two years ago it started getting noisy and has got worse over time, i now have to close the door to the other room otherwise i cant hold a conversation with anyone due to the noise. what would be the cause of this? my guess is the motor but just want to be sure.

2. about two weeks ago a clicking sound started coming from the drum, i think something is stuck on the outside wall of the drum and the clicking gets quicker when the drum spins faster and vice versa. how can i access this part of the drum to remove the obstruction?

thanks for any help given, it will be a great help to me. look forward to a reply or two :)

Gary
October 2011