Out of Balance in Amana washer

[blackstone]

In conjunction with the current thread on out of balance washes, I would like to describe the situation with my Amana washer, LW3303, bought in 1991. It too goes off balance quite frequently. It sits on a linoleum on a wooden floor. I find that the best solution is to make sure that the rubber feet are clean and flexible. That seems to keep the cabinet from walking and adding to the problem.

However, I was wondering about the suspension, which sits in a "bowl" on the bottom panel, held in place by three tension springs. Before I mess anything up, should these springs be tightened or loosened in order to help stop off balance loads from getting magnified? Should I add oil or grease, or neither, to the middle of the bottom panel in which the suspension moves? If anyone has experience with this problem, I would appreciate hearing about it, before I start trial-and-error experiments.

 

[coldspot66]

I think there is a snubber ring located under the "bowl" you are talking about....that could be worn. The suspension springs are not adjustable like a Maytag. It also doesn't require any grease. If the belt is worn, it should be changed. It sometimes "grabs" too much and causes the tub to spin too fast during the critical part of the spin cycle, when it is coming up to speed and balancing the load. Also make sure the leveling legs are only extended as much as needed to level the washer. The closer they are to the baseplate of the washer, the better. There is an off balance lever that the tub ring hits if it swings too far. Does it stop the washer? It should. If it doesn't, that could be part of the problem too. Hope this helps!!

 

[blackstone]

Is this snubber ring easy to get at? I've never actually worked on this style of machine, but do I have to remove the tub/transmission as a unit? I remember seeing that at a service meeting years ago. Yes, the off balance switch works. I suppose that a belt change is a simple enough attempt to do first. Thanks.