1994 Whirlpool Direct Drive Washer unbalanced during spin cycle

[rdm81]

Hello all,
I have a 1994 Whirlpool direct drive top load washer that was leaking and this week replaced the tub seal (and drive block too). The leak fortunately was fixed but now during the spin cycle the basket bangs the outer cabinet even when the machine is empty. There’s no unusual noises other than the banging during the spin, but I’ve noticed that the basket is stiffer when I move it from side to side than before the tub seal/ drive block repair. Can you over tighten the brackets attached to the suspension springs? Did I over clean 27 years of lint and grime that It could have affected the machine’s performance? The inner basket was stuck and took me several hours over the course of 4 days (and 4 different methods) to finally separate the inner and outer baskets.) I am hoping the experts in this forum can help me with troubleshooting and point me in the right direction as to the cause of the banging. This machine has been practically trouble free for 27 years and I’d like to keep it another 27 years (god willing.) Thank you for any advice you all can give me!

 

[goatfarmer]

What did the pads look like?

 

[cfz2882]

basket runout.

should not vibrate running empty...Watch for wobble as the basket starts to rotate-probably some spots of corrosion or bent basket hub is the cause.The fix will be easy no matter what the cause is

 

[rdm81]

Pads and basket runout?

Thank you for the replies!
The pads looked surprisingly good. I actually bought new pads too and ended up not using them because all 3 were still intact and barely worn.
There was some rust in the center post of the inner basket (where the drive block and transmission shaft come in contact to the basket) and i sanded/chiseled as much rust out as I could and spray painted over before sliding it back in place. I didn’t find rust any where else on the basket (there are a few chips in the porcelain but they’ve been there for years and I left them alone.)
I checked the machine and made sure it’s leveled using a leveler.
I’m hoping I didn’t damage the machine when I was trying to separate the inner and outer baskets. When I was pulling the baskets up the motor assembly came up with it but was stopped by the metal base support framing between the outer tub and the motors. It took a lot of pulling, banging, and penetrating oil to get the basket out from years of lint and soap deposits. Luckily the motors are still quiet despite all my frustration trying to get the tub out (took me 4 days and 2 trips to Home Depot to find methods to get it out.)
The one thing I noticed after the repair was how rigid the basket was to the frame. Before the repair I could press my hand on the inner basket and move the basket one or 2 inches in any direction. Now after reassembling the machine there is barely any give in any direction when I press my hand on the inside of the basket. Is there such a thing as over tightening the springs? Before the repair the left suspension front bracket fell off twice and caused the inner baskets to lean to the left; when I was putting machine back together I made sure all three brackets were super tight so that they wouldn’t fly loose in the future; should I re-loosen them? Also, when I scrubbed the inner basket clean I was scrubbing it on it side and then left it to dry upside down for about 30-60 minutes. Could the balancing ring atop the inner basket have leaked and caused this new banging? Can it be refilled?
Sorry for the long reply and thank you all for your feedback!

 

[yogitunes]

there have been a few cases of even just letting the machine spin with an empty tub, it will spin fine, and then have these short burst of going off balance and banging the cabinet....

for whatever reason, somewhat normal, it happens, can't figure out why, some machines do it, others do not....

we have dont tricks of removing the tub, and turning it 1/4 way and reinstalling it, or removing the balance ring.....sometimes it worked, other times not....

 

[DADoES]

 
There's no adjustment on attaching the springs.  The bracket screws are either property tightened or they're not.  The three springs are identical so no concern about which is where.  One of the brackets is different, longer, it goes at the back for attaching the motor counterbalance spring.  Is the counterbalance spring properly in place?

 

[repairguy]

When you picked the whole assembly up trying to get the wash basket out chances are it didn’t sit back down correctly on the skate plate thus the rigidity. It’s simple to fix but hard to explain how to do it but I’ll try. The skate plate is triangular and sits on the base assembly with one point to the front left, one to the front right, and one to the back. Remove the three springs and pick the assembly up and make sure the skate plate is positioned properly before setting back down. It never hurts to have an extra set of hands.

 

[whitewhiskers]

any progress?

I have a set of springs if you need them.

 

[rdm81]

Thank you all for your advice! The problem has been fixed!

Thank you everybody for your advice! I got the problem fixed yesterday. Repairguy’s response reminded me that when I was checking to replace the suspension pads that I forgot to put the motor assembly back down into its original position. I also discovered the plastic fins on the bottom of the outer tub were misaligned because the motor assembly was misplaced, causing the outer basket to wobble on the framing. I took the machine apart again and put the assembly back in its place and put the machine back together. No more banging during the spin and I finished a week’s worth of laundry. I hope this machine lasts me a very long time! Thank you again everyone and have a great day!

 

[repairguy]

Great news!