A week ago I was visiting the parents and on the way home drove past a front loader at the roadside with a sign attached, saying " Free, works." How could I resist? It had been a difficult time with my Dad and going home to play with a washing machine would help clear my head.
The machine is an Electrolux front loader, model EWF1080. It is one of those machines where the two halves of the outer cabinet are joined with a seam down each side of the machine, no service opening at the back. A terrible machine to work on. I think it is a Zanussi design, but Australian market ones are assembled in Thailand I believe. There is no country of origin marked on it.
I put the machine through an empty cycle and everything went OK. No expensive noises.
Then I tried a spin with a wet single towel to check for balance issues. I suspected worn shockers as they were a bit rattly when I moved the drum by hand.
Sure enough the drum moved around wildly on spin and it had difficulty balancing.
The machine is currently standing on its head so I can reach up under its skirts and remove the shockers. Awful access, I cut my arm on sharp plastic around the access hole. They mount with plastic pins, like LG ones do.
the shockers are made of plastic, an inner "piston" in an outer metal bore. There should be a friction element between the two, like a band around the piston. But it is all worn away, broken up in the grease like red dust. There is absolutely no friction, so it does nothing to control drum movement.
I have come up with a cunning plan for a cheapskate repair. (I am giving this machine away so I don't want to sink too much money into it.) I have cleaned away the remains of the friction bands and grease, and in the grooves that contained the friction bands I am substituting o-rings, two in each groove. 20mm x 3mm o-rings. There are two grooves in each shocker, so 4 o-rings per shocker.
They are a very tight (too tight) fit with no lube, but I have tried with some Solosite, which is a medical gel used for wound dressings, contains water, glycerin, carboxymethylcellulose, allantoin, benzyl alcohol, methyl paraben. I have long used this stuff as a lube for plastic components and have had good luck with it. It feels about right, it allows the shocker to slide OK but with significant resistance, aas you need for a friction shocker. Alternatively I could try using hydroseal tap lubricant, a waterproof lube for water taps (faucets) which is safe with rubber o-rings.
Does anyone have any other suggestions for a lube that won't eat out the o-rings? and will still allow a degree of friction?
A pair of the correct shockers here is AU$55 plus $15 postage. Interestingly, I can get a pair from Germany on Ebay for $23 plus $12.50 postage. Cheaper to post from Germany to Australia than from Australia to Australia???
The o-rings cost me $2.25, and saves wasting a pair of shockers when the only worn part is the friction bands inside, which are not supplied as a spare part.