Whirlpool Cabrio Loud Vibration During Spin

[seedub]

Huy guys:

This noise brings up several questions:

How likely is the matter a failed bearing?
Is this covered by the 10-year warranty?
Would anyone recommend an amateur (such as I) take on a repair like this, or is it best to get it professionally done?

I appreciate any/all feedback.

 

[washdaddy]

If you could post a video of what it is that you are hearing someone may be able to offer you some help to solving your problem

 

[seedub]

Here goes. This was actually not so bad. Pack her with a full load though, and...

At 0:42 is where she reaches top speed.

http://https//drive.google.com/file/d/0B7tOIYK43N6fbkxMakxaMkZTZkU/view?usp=sharing

 

[yogitunes]

the tub seems to be running smooth and steady.....

but considering that agitator is going crazy......I would remove it and see if the noise if gone....

 

[DADoES]

 
The augers on those tend to be loose/floppy ... leastwise on the one I've seen, but settle to a stationary, askew position once spin gets going so doesn't seem likely it's source of the rattling noise.  Fairly common that the spring/dampers on the suspension rods wear and no longer cushion the spin vibrations properly.

 

[seedub]

The suspension rods were replaced around 14 months ago - I'm hoping there's not already a problem there.

I'd be interested to see whether removing the agitator eliminates the noise.

 

[seedub]

The Verdict:

It's the bearing.

The telltale clue is the sound you'll hear like a twin-engine airplane in flight.

http://https//drive.google.com/file/d/0B7tOIYK43N6fS0F1eWdjSkFGTm8/view?usp=sharing

 

[vacerator]

It's the bearings,

Mine sounds the same way. These are JUNK. 5 to 7 year life Max.

 

[henene4]

The bearings should creat a deeper, more rumbly noise if broken. The sound of the 2nd vid sounds more like just the motor turning.

These higher, metalish clicking noises really sound like either something is stuck between the drum and tub, or something loose like a bunch of wires, the agitator bolt or really the suspension rods.

 

[combo52]

Its The Main Bearings

Its not a real bad job for someone that wants to do a big tear down but I don't thing that most people would or should do this repair themselves.

 

This was a fairly common problem with these washers, the bearings fail after the main water seal fails. This problem is far more likely on machines where too LITTLE detergent has been used and is also aggravated by CHEAP ineffective detergents and where cold or cooler wash temperatures were use along with Little or NO LCB was used. [ Almost every one of the more than 50 of these we have fixed has had a pretty bad build-up of crap in the outer tub and seal area, it was little surprise that they failed ]

 

If you were reasonably happy with this washer I would fix or have it fixed, unfortunately the 10 year motor warranty will not cover the main bearings and seal.

 

John L.

 

[vacerator]

John L.,

of course it is not covered.

 

[seedub]

JohnL: I had heard that it's a *very* labor intensive job, so I'm happy to pay someone to do it. I got a quote of $200+ USD; is that reasonable? When I got the quote, I confirmed that the 10-year warranty does *NOT* cover bearings and seal.

There was evidence when I first bought the machine that the people who had owned it before actually used TOO MUCH soap, but I could tell it was, indeed, cheap, crappy soap. I suspect they also did mostly cold water washes.

@henene4: It's difficult to detect on the video, but the deeper, rumbling sound shows up at the very last, as the tub comes to a complete stop. Removing/resetting the agitator bolt did not seem to make much of a difference, but I'd be willing to consider the possibility.

Thank you all for your input.

 

[henene4]

Maybe I'm just to accustomed to FL bearings xD

 

[combo52]

Bearing Job On A Direct Drive Cabrio

We charge around $250-300 for this job in the field, it takes one tech about an hour to do it.

 

I am curious what is the lingering evidence of using too much detergent in a washer?

 

John L.

 

[vacerator]

JohnL.,

I paid $499 for my top of the line Bravos X on a black Friday sale in 2011.
Before I spend $300 to fix it, it will go to the scrap yard in my trailer.
That's what they wanted when they designed them. Shredable.

 

[runematic]

Vacerator, your Bravos X isn't the same thing.

 

We charge about $200 for the Bearing job on the Cabrio/Bravos washer and we even pick it up and bring it to the shop and take it back for that price.  Sometimes it needs some persuasion to come apart and it's better to do that in private at the shop instead of the home.

 

[vacerator]

Todd,

too bad you are 300+ miles away. At any rate, you must have meant the Direct drive
rotor/stator larger machine.
For $200, the boss would still rather have a new one, because they came out last winter and changed the splutch gear case and bearings.
Shortly after that repair took two service calls because of ordering parts, it began not slow fill spinning on normal cycle. Now it static fills, and fills up way more. No error codes.
We manly use hand wash now. It's a pile of junk.
Samsung trial next time, because hasn't Whirlpool Clyde division discontinued the DD models?

 

[murando531]

I wish Whirlpool had never produced two designs of the Cabrio because it just causes confusion for people who can't seem to look past the agitator plate looking similar. The belt and splutch driven "Cabrio/Bravos X" is not the same machine AT ALL as the true Cabrio/Bravos XL - Oasis design. They're completely different animals, only sharing a few cosmetic similarities and the same names, which I think was a mistake. They should have been given entirely different names or just stuck to model numbers.

If your machine has a floating wash basket when you lift up on it, and makes a jet-engine whining when turned by hand, it's a true Oasis with a direct drive BPM motor. If your basket does not move up and down independently from the rest of the tub assembly, and you have no recirculation port at the 10-11 o'clock point, and no cabinet mounted dispensers, it's a lower end VMW design.

 

[combo52]

Bearing Job On A Direct Drive Cabrio

These are easy to do in the home, to free the shaft that is often stuck in the wash baskets bearing I lay the machine on its side after the agitator or impeller is removed and grab the shaft from the bottom of the washer with two opposing pipe wrenches and jerk the shaft back and forth a few times and pull the shaft free.

 

  With the cost of the bearing-shaft and seal kit selling for more than $100 I don't see how you can do the job for $200 Todd especially if you haul the washer to the shop, picking up and redelivering a washer alone is worth $150, that doesn't leave any room to actually make a profit let alone paying your employees and yourself.

 

  Yes Andrew you are correct Whirlpool should never have reused the Cabrio name on the cheaper belt drive washers, these DD washers often cost more than $1000.00.