Anyone know anything about washing machine repairs?

[Acuity31]

Symptoms are the drum wobbles back and forth a lot and it can knock on high spin. Not sure if that's just the way it's made or something has failed (as it came with a recent house purchase).
Turning the pulley by hand with belt removed has no grinding or play, bearings feel fine.
No obvious suspension/spring failure either, at least to my eye.
It's just a cheap Candy machine so I dont mind replacing it but thought I'd have a go trying to investigate myself, with limited knowledge.

https://streamable.com/up0rea

[tgr]

Are you sure the bearings are fine? If the inner drum is rubbing on the outer one sounds like classic bearing failure to me.

Alternatively the dampers aren't working.

Finally a free check might be to balance it using a spirit level

[paralla]

https://www.espares.co.uk/washing-machine-telescop...

[5s Alive]

As above it looks like the dampers are shot. It's a bit tight to get at the mounting points of the dampers (3 in mine) but doable with care. Replaced ours recently.

[Sheepshanks]

I changed the dampers on a previous machine we had, but it was really easy, as they were bolted in place. I think the plastic pegged ones can be awkward.

The dampers were completely knackered - no damping effect at all. But I don't remember the drum moving like your video shows - the only problem was the machine throwing itself about as it started to spin, once it got going it was fine.

[Acuity31]

Sheepshanks said:

I changed the dampers on a previous machine we had, but it was really easy, as they were bolted in place. I think the plastic pegged ones can be awkward.

The dampers were completely knackered - no damping effect at all. But I don't remember the drum moving like your video shows - the only problem was the machine throwing itself about as it started to spin, once it got going it was fine.

Yea that's what I'm confused about. Do the dampers play much of a role in preventing forward and backward motion? I suppose the next thing to do is lay it on it's side and pull them out and inspect.

[Sheepshanks]

Acuity31 said:

Yea that's what I'm confused about. Do the dampers play much of a role in preventing forward and backward motion? I suppose the next thing to do is lay it on it's side and pull them out and inspect.

I suppose there's not much holding the outer drum - it's dangling on springs and only being held by the dampers and various bits of rubber (hoses and the door seal).

[5s Alive]

Sheepshanks said:

I changed the dampers on a previous machine we had, but it was really easy, as they were bolted in place. I think the plastic pegged ones can be awkward.

The dampers were completely knackered - no damping effect at all. But I don't remember the drum moving like your video shows - the only problem was the machine throwing itself about as it started to spin, once it got going it was fine.

Plastic pegs were the easy part on ours, removed with finger pressure alone. Lack of room around one of the bolts made ratcheting awkward - watch out for nearby sharp edges!

[Acuity31]

At £7 a pop I'll try new shocks then. At least the spares for these Candy machines are quite cheap (apart from the motor and drum).
I went back to it and tried to lift the drum up and down putting each of the 'spider legs' at 6 o clock and torquing it but it didn't move and it feels smooth on rotation. The machine is only 2 years old. So I think that rules out the spider and bearings.

[megaphone]

It must have had a hard life if the shocks have gone after just two years.

I replaced them on my Siemens machine, pretty straight forward to do through the bottom of the machine. But that was after 12 years of use.

Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 3rd February 09:32

Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 3rd February 09:33

[Acuity31]

megaphone said:

It must have had a hard life if the shocks have gone after just two years.

I replaced them on my Siemens machine, pretty straight forward to do through the bottom of the machine. But that was after 12 years of use.

Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 3rd February 09:32

Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 3rd February 09:33

Either a hard life or Candy just make st machines.

[Collectingbrass]

Acuity31 said:

megaphone said:

It must have had a hard life if the shocks have gone after just two years.

I replaced them on my Siemens machine, pretty straight forward to do through the bottom of the machine. But that was after 12 years of use.

Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 3rd February 09:32

Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 3rd February 09:33

Either a hard life or Candy just make st machines. built in obsolescence

Fixed that for you