Replaced Transmission: everything working great, just not sure about suspension springs. 3 are very tight (tub base), 3 are somewhat loose (metal hangers). Is this normal?

prob need replaced

you will need to remove the front panel of the washer,there are 3 spring suspension rods below the tub and either one or more of these springs are disconnected from the tub or broken

Hi,

The suspension plate should be loose and float between the frame and base. The pin you saw was a shipping pin, they usually are caught in a little plastic cup attached to the base but sometimes fall to the floor, this is normal too. The tub being loose is normal for the top, it is held down by the springs below the tub but nothing on top. By a loud noise, what kind of noise is it? If it is a very loud ratcheting noise when it slows down then the basket drive(spin tube) and block need to be replaced. If it is a growling noise then that is pump and may be normal if the basket is not spinning. If this is the case look very close for an article of clothing caught between the tub and basket.

This assumes that you have a basic Kenmore / Whirlpool top load, direct drive, neutral drain (it doesn't spin until the pump removes most of the water) machine.

In addition to the springs, I'd check the suspension plate and base assembly pads. These are also used to keep the washer from walking.

See the Whirlpool / Kenmore installation and maintenance manual for these washers.

https://secured.whirlpool.com/Service/SrvTechAdm.nsf/2cd44500d572193285256a45004fd9d6/f7e2147fa98b28cf85257122007475cb/$FILE/L-55.pdf

When we took ours apart to work on the transmission, we broke one of these and the washer walked all over the place.

$10.00 for a replacement set solved the problem.

If you removed the drive tube to fix the brake, make sure that the two tabs on the drive tube fit into the slots in the basket drive block.

First, see the Sears parts site for your washer:
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/index.action

Enter your model number and you'll see a list of major sub-components with diagrams and parts.


The sections on machine base or tub should give you a decent diagram of where the springs go.

make sure basket is tight to tub/ transmission (hub nut is not loose). remove front cover (two clips between front and top), use putty knife to release, pull forward at top then lift out. check mouting of hangers, also look at rubber straps between tub and frame at top (4). the straps limit tubs travel from hitting sides

Internal transmission trouble.

Check the Vibration damper rods to be sure that...
1. They are there and mount is solid.
2. If they are broken in 1/2.
3. The plastic knuckle mounts are not missing/broken.
4. There is oil in the shock absorber/spring section of the rods.

Also - there are suspension springs on the bottom of the tub that could be broken and/or missing.

Replace/repair as necessary.

IF THIS IS A BRAND NEW INSTALLATION - be sure you have removed the basket shipping pins (4) that secure the tub during shipping.

Thanks for using FixYa - a 4 THUMBS rating is appreciated for answering your FREE question.

I had the exact same problem. I was able to find out that the suspension rods are prone to this problem and Whirlpool had actually replaced all of them with a new kit part # that comes with 3 new suspension rod springs and replacement instructions. The old part # is 3406201 and the new part # is W10207783. When I called Whirlpool parts and expressed disappointment over the fact that the washer/dryer combo is just over 1 year old (and thus out of warranty) and that they recognized the poor construction of the original parts by the fact that they have a new kit to replace the 'defective' ones, I convinced them to sell me the new W10207783 kit at 50% off.

So I'm in the process of replacing the rods and unfortunately, once I got everything disassembled, the instructions say to inspect the screw threads in the base. Sure enough, all the loose spring movement wore away at one or two of the base screw threads, so I now have to order a replacement base. I just gave them the same explanation as to why I should get it at 50% off, and they agreed to grant me a courtesy discount on the base. Base part # is 8577373. They have 393 of them in stock as of 2/28/09. They wouldn't comp me on shipping at all, but I wanted it shipped 2-day since I have washing machine parts all sitting out and about.

I'm anticipating that once I get the new base, I'll be able to screw in the new springs and put everything back together within an hour or so and have a good-as-new washer. I'm a big do-it-yourselfer, so this work may not be for everyone. You could probably buy the parts discounted from Whirlpool then call a service repairman to follow the instructions and do the replacement for you. But because I did it myself, my total out of pocket, for the two parts at 50% off each plus tax and 2-day shipping on each order, was about $135 (~$70 for the springs and ~$65 for the base, including tax and shipping). If you're smart, you'll order both parts at the same time to economize on shipping. Or, maybe I'll try to scan and post the disassembly instructions so you can take it apart to see if your screw threads are stripped as well before you call to order only the replacement partsthat you truly need.

The whirlpoolparts.ca website is much more user friendly for the replacement purposes as I was able to find much more info there than on the US site. Here is the parts schematic for our unit:
http://www.whirlpoolparts.ca/parts/fspShowPageDetail.php?model=LTE5243DQ6&pageNo=11&bottom=true
and a service bulletin about the replacement of our suspension springs:
http://whirlpoolparts.ca/bulletins/attachments/bulletin_544/8178766C.pdf

Tools required for this since they are not listed in the instructions:
-philips screwdriver
--adjustable wrench pliers (needed for removing the suspension nuts, but also helpful for removing the hose clips which was tricky -- slide the hose clip up and off the hose, then with both hands, twist the hose to loosen it and get it off)
--1/2" wrench
--5/16" hex driver
--old towels, moving blanket or cloth drop-cloth to protect your floors

Good idea to vacuum out all the dust and other junk when you have the base out. Also, when you remove the counterbalance spring, use a paper towel to get a good grip and also to protect everything from getting greased up since it's got grease clumps there to prevent wearing away of the metal-on-metal. Be sure not to wipe it all off since it should remain there for that purpose. Also, I found it easier to unhook the bottom part of that counterbalance spring than the top -- the instruction just says just to unhook it.

One other note is to have an extra stabilizing hand help you when taking off the suspension nuts. Once you have 2 of them off, the whole assembly becomes very unstable. When taking those nuts off, don't worry if they fall behind the suspension screws, it's actually easier to have them do that, then after taking the assembly off the suspension springs, pull out the nuts. I'm sure I'll have a hard time lowering the assembly onto the new springs and getting the nuts started at the same time, so I figure an extra hand might very well come in handy when I get to this point too.

Good luck to all in fixing this annoying problem! Once I'm done with this mess, I'll report back to let you know how it all went when all was said and done...

I have a Performa Model PAV3200AWW that would go unbalanced every time it would go into a spin cycle. I found the problem to be a worn out snubber. This is a plastic ring that is at the pivot point for the whole tub. It separates the metal to metal contact at the bottom of the washer pivot point. The part is less than ten dollars, but it is a quit a job to replace. I had to remove the whole tub to replace mine, but it did solve the problem. If you see a lot of plastic shavings around the pivot point, then this could be your problem.