Kenmore Series 90 Direct Drive Shaking during spin cycle.

[ferchja]

Greetings,

I do not have the model number handy, but can provide. The symptoms are:


shaking like the load is out of balance
Tub hits the rear panel hard enough to dislodge the panel even on the lightest of loads.
at time during fill the tub is so far of center that the water spills out on to the floor because theouterpart of thetubis beyondthe water inlet (kinda of a waterfall at the back of the machine)My observations from looking under the washer and viewing the diagrams of it online.


The 4 springs on the bottom are all in tack, no signs of wear on them.
The top of the tub does not have snubbers/springs.
The sound of water coming to rest after the spin cycle is there (read that this model has a liquid balancer at the bottom of the tub that can leak or lose the water causing balance issues) Not sure if the sound of the water coming to rest is good or bad.
Washer itself has been leveled both by a professional installer in the last 8 months, andchecked by me on a monthly basis. Has never been unlevel.
In some cases where it gets bad enough to cause the machine to walk, I open and redistribute the load to near perfect balance, which keeps it from walking, but still shakes like an alcholic 8 hours on the wagon.I read something about pads on the washer going bad at the base of the tub that attaches to a ring. 3 of them for the base and 3 for the suspension plate? Is this the cure? The washer has been getting worse over the past 1-2 years. We have had it nearly 6-7. It use to be super quiet and steady.

Thanks in advance for your attention, hope you can help.

Jeremy Ferch

[jeff1]

Hi,

**I do not have the model number handy, but can provide**

Good :)

**The 4 springs on the bottom are all in tack**

-Sounds- like a direct drive style?....

http://www.applianceaid.com/newpics/which_washer.JPG

**shaking like the load is out of balance **

Has the washer been moved recently?

A copy:

EXCESSIVE VIBRATION OR MACHINE WALKS:

Not level.
Front leveling leg locknuts not tight.
Weak floor.- Try it on a concrete slab
Unbalanced load.
Shipping pins still in shipping location. (not dropped into retaining cups)
Rear leveling legs stuck.
Rear leveling legs spring rusted off
Rear cabinet sides loose.
Suspension plate pads worn
Suspension springs missing, broken or not connected.
Basket ballast missing (Salt water in plastic inner tub ring leaked out, ring is located around top of inner tub, usually brown in color).- Check for sloshing water sounds as tub stops from spinning
Slick ceramic tile floor. Install double sided 3m tape on bottom of washer feet
Something below may help....

http://www.applianceaid.com/suspention.html

jeff.

[ferchja]

Thanks for the reply. Yes it is a direct drive, 110.28912790.

It did this from the old house for about 1+ years then we moved and it was professionally reinstalled at our new house 8 months ago with the same results. We were hoping that the setup would fix the problem. All of the other items that could be the cause for the shake have been ruled out. It has to be the plate and pads.

I removed the base pads and roughed them up with a file, and that seemed to help alot on those with lateral movement, but the white ones that control the pivot of the tub I did not rough up. They were tougher to get it at and I will not want to try those until I have new ones to replace them. They seemed to move very easily. I ran a load and it seemed to help about 30% better.

Can the skid plate and the whitepads be installed with out removing the transmission and/or tub?I am planning on ordering the skid plate and pads both base and uppers. The service rep at Sears said that was the only thing he could think would be the problem without coming out for a service call. The only good news is that the parts are around $55, with shipping so it will be an inexpensive trial.

Feel free to pass along any other items of wisdom since I was able to post the model number.

Thanks,

Jeremy Ferch

[jeff1]

**Can the skid plate and the whitepads be installed with out removing the transmission and/or tub?**

The pads can be replaced by seperating and holding the plates apart and change the pads, but I haven't had to replace the acual plate....Jake may be able to offer some times on that.

http://www.american-appliance.com/images/image_data/wp_dd_wash_suspension_plate.jpg

jeff.

[Jake]

Great picture Jeff!:cool:

No, I myself have never had to replace the skid plate, Now i have changed many pads, and you dont need to pull the tub to do that, Just like Jeff was saying:

jeff1 wrote:
The pads can be replaced by seperating and holding the plates apart and change the pads, but I haven't had to replace the acual plate



The Pads wear, thats usually what causes the shaking issues.

Jake

[ferchja]

Thanks guys!

I will let you know how it works. To pay it forward.

I'll order the parts tomorrow and skip doing the plate.

To be continued...

Jeremy Ferch

[Jake]

Your welcome Jeremy:)

Good Luck!:cool:

Jake

[jeff1]

**To be continued...**

Good luck with the repair! :)

jeff.

[ferchja]

Got the parts from Whirlpool/Kenmore. Ordered the white upper pads and the the brown base pads. That has fixed the washer from walking, shaking and being out of balance. The parts were $9 for the uppers and $9 for the base and like $5 in shipping. Took me about 30 minutes from start to finish. Thanks for the link that helped with the disassembly. I used a 2x4 to hold the tub up to get access. I popped out the old and wiped down the surfaces with rubbing alcohol to make sure the new pads would start off with a fresh surface. Put it back together and started a load, and it stayed perfectly square. No noise, no wobbleacts like a new washer. I could see by comparing the old and new that if you did it right you could resurface the used ones by using some sandpaper, but for the price why not spend the $23 and do the job with new parts.

I would highly recommend changing these every 5-7 yrs depending on your use. It looks like for these models it is the key to keeping the load balanced, if you have checked the machine for proper level. They are the heart of that tub staying put.

Thanks again for the help and encouragement. Truly a worthwhile site.

Hope this will help others with the same problem

Jeremy Ferch

[Jake]

Great Job Jeremy!:cool:

Glad you got it all taken care of.:)

Yes, hopefully this threadwill help others too.:cool:

Jake

[jeff1]

**That has fixed the washer from walking, shaking and being out of balance**

Glad to hear that! :)

Thankx for the update!!

jeff.

[John]

Hi,

I have a 14 year old Kenmore Series 70 Washing Machine,that has recently started shaking during the spin cycle. I am starting the diagnosis stage and need a little more explaination with an earlier correspondance.

Jeff said..( with my comments addedin paranthesis )

EXCESSIVE VIBRATION OR MACHINE WALKS:


Not level. ( John - its level )

Front leveling leg locknuts not tight. ( John - their tight )

Weak floor.- Try it on a concrete slab ( John - located in 2nd floor laundry...but ran smoothly until recently )

Unbalanced load. ( John - shaking is load independent, it even shakes when spun empty)

Shipping pins still in shipping location. (not dropped into retaining cups) ( John - shipping pinsout, found in retaining cups)

Rear leveling legs stuck. ( John - rear leveling legs okay )

Rear leveling legs spring rusted off ( John - spring okay )

Rear cabinet sides loose. ( John - explain a little more please? )

Suspension plate pads worn ( John - haven't replaced yet )

Suspension springs missing, broken or not connected. ( John -How many springs should I be looking for and where are they located? )

Basket ballast missing (Salt water in plastic inner tub ring leaked out, ring is located around top of inner tub, usually brown in color).- Check for sloshing water sounds as tub stops from spinning ( John - I have the plastic inner tub ring...it is opaque so that the liquid in side cannot be seen. There is a sloshing sounds as the tub stops spinning. Is this okay? I cannot gain access to the contents of the ring.)

Slick ceramic tile floor. Install double sided 3m tape on bottom of washer feet (John - Washer is on linoleum )

To summarize:

What am I looking for with regards to the rear cabinet sides being loose?

I have the plastic inner tub ring with liquid in it, but have no way of telling if some has leaked out. There is no evidence of damage or leakage around the ring cap plug. The plug is not removable. Does this suggest the ring is probably fine?

Do the drawings shown on http://www.applianceaid.com/suspention.htmlreflect the KenmoreSeries 70? How many springs should I have and where are they located?

I have removed the cabinet and inspected the underside. Thesuspensionplate is in the proper location. So if I can't identify an issue with any of the above, I will probably try the pad replacement.

Thanks for any assistance which can be provided.

John

[jeff1]

Hi,

**Kenmore Series 70 Washing Machine**

Thats a name and not a model# (http://www.applianceaid.com/model.html).

**Rear cabinet sides loose. ( John - explain a little more please? )**

http://www.american-appliance.com/images/image_data/wpddwash20_small.jpgSide of cabinet NOT locked in

http://www.american-appliance.com/images/image_data/wpddwash21_small.jpgSide of cabinet properly locked in

**Suspension springs missing, broken or not connected. ( John -How many springs should I be looking for and where are they located? )**

3 + 1...

http://www.american-appliance.com/images/image_data/wp_dd_wash_springs_small1.jpg

**( John - I have the plastic inner tub ring...it is opaque so that the liquid in side cannot be seen. There is a sloshing sounds as the tub stops spinning. Is this okay? I cannot gain access to the contents of the ring.)**

Sloshing is good, you shouldn't be able to access the balance ring as it is sealed shut.

**Do the drawings shown on http://www.applianceaid.com/suspention.html (http://www.applianceaid.com/suspention.html)reflect the KenmoreSeries 70?**

They reflect a direct drive built washer...may be a 60/70/80/90 series as these are just names and not a model#.

jeff.

[John]

Thanks,

Model # is 110.82873120.

I'll double check my spring situation. When I was inspecting I know I saw the counter balance spring and two of the suspension springs. I may have missed the third. If they are all there and appear in good condition, then I'll focus on a pad replacement.

Thanks again for the help Jeff.

John

[jeff1]

**110.82873120**

A Whirlpool built Kenmore direct drive style.

Same as the pics in the suspension page.

**If they are all there and appear in good condition, then I'll focus on a pad replacement.**

Probably a good idea :)

jeff.

[trparham]

I realize this thread is a bit dated. However, it helped me get my washer back up and running. Thank you everyone!

I agree that you should replace the pads if you go to the effort of getting to them. Unless of course, it is Sturday night and you don't have acceess to the parts and can't afford to have your washer down (3 Kids). In that case, you can rough the pads up with sandpaper . . . It worked for me.

Thanks again!

[Jake]

Good job, yup thats better than going without a washer with 3 kids.:)

Jake