Thread Number: 92873
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Direct Drive: Dancing Wash Basket? |
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Post# 1174421   3/11/2023 at 15:34 (632 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Hey everyone! Last night I reconditioned my 1994 Kenmore Fabric Care washer. I replaced the entire suspension system. Springs, spring retainer clips, spring bracket, suspension plate including all the pads. After I put everything back together, I noticed during high speed agitation the wash basket "dances" or moves back and fourth. I was told that the new suspension pads after to "wear in".
Here is a video of what I am talking about. The person who shot the video just replaced his suspension plate & pads, too. |
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Post# 1174483 , Reply# 1   3/12/2023 at 09:23 (632 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174485 , Reply# 2   3/12/2023 at 09:34 (632 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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The direct drive washer in the video is working completely. Normally, I don’t know what your machine is doing
But the washer basket is supposed to dance around that’s what the suspension is for, there is no braking period necessary for the suspension components the machine should work the same way the first time you try it out till the end of the machine‘s life. John |
Post# 1174490 , Reply# 3   3/12/2023 at 09:54 (632 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174502 , Reply# 4   3/12/2023 at 12:00 (632 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174508 , Reply# 5   3/12/2023 at 14:18 (631 days old) by nmassman44 (Brooksville Florida)   |   | |
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Post# 1174509 , Reply# 6   3/12/2023 at 14:21 (631 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174513 , Reply# 7   3/12/2023 at 15:12 (631 days old) by qsd-dan (West)   |   | |
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Would this have anything to do with me replacing the motor couple, clutch, and transmission?
Most likely from replacing the friction pads. New pads = less friction.
All of the suspensions on Whirlpools top loading washers have always been lightly sprung, that's why they shift around during agitation from the belt drives all they way up to todays VMW's. |
Post# 1174515 , Reply# 8   3/12/2023 at 15:18 (631 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174516 , Reply# 9   3/12/2023 at 15:19 (631 days old) by RyneR1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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Yep, I'd say I agree with the others in that the reason this is happening is that everything is new and actually working as it should. There is likely more friction with age so one gets used to seeing it that way as opposed to the pads and other components operating as designed. So I'd say what you're seeing is a direct drive working in like new condition. :)
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Post# 1174518 , Reply# 10   3/12/2023 at 15:52 (631 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174520 , Reply# 11   3/12/2023 at 16:10 (631 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 1174532 , Reply# 12   3/12/2023 at 17:48 (631 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174614 , Reply# 13   3/13/2023 at 15:52 (630 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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I tried leaving this on your latest Youtube video, but for some reason my computer keeps freezing every time I try to type over there.
If you would prefer a rebuilt transmission, I see they have them available on eBay for $120. https://www.ebay.com/itm/144953471399QUE... Also, it looks like Genuine Appliance Parts still sells the units refurbished by coreCentric Solutions. www.genuineapplianceparts... If it were me though I'd wait a week or so wash a few loads and see if the new transmission settles down as far as the noise level goes. Mine eventually did so. It's definitely not as quiet as the old ones but I wouldn't say it's obnoxiously loud either. I'm able to watch TV with the washer running in my one-bedroom apartment (laundry is in a closet right in the hallway) and not be bothered much at all. Good luck, whatever you decide to do. Ryne |
Post# 1174617 , Reply# 14   3/13/2023 at 16:09 (630 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174639 , Reply# 15   3/13/2023 at 17:24 (630 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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I believe the reasoning behind the increased noise level is two-fold.
A: It's a pretty well-known fact that the casting molds for the transmission housings are aging, and Whirlpool doesn't want to invest in re-upping them, since the direct drive design has been discontinued for a decade now. This presumably results in a product with looser tolerances and therefore one can hear what is going on mechanically more than what once was. I do know that my washer, while admittedly louder in some parts of the cycle than it used to be, washes great so it's not a deal breaker for me. B:I read somewhere that the same sort of issue happened around 2005 or so -- the tooling was worn and therefore Whirlpool was producing a product that was a bit out-of-spec. Word on the street is that at that time they overhauled the casting machines so that the tolerances were back in spec, although at the time I believe they began using a lighter oil than they had been, and this supposedly caused noise levels to increase. There is a thread somewhere back in the archives discussing this. So, one can surmise that the noise level increase is also caused by the lighter oil used -- the gears just shift around differently and I wouldn't think it's much to worry about. |
Post# 1174640 , Reply# 16   3/13/2023 at 17:27 (630 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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Adding to my previous post, it's hard to know without hearing the noise you're describing if it's just normal for the new transmission or if yours is actually defective. Posting a video of the neutral drain or whatever it is you're concerned about would give a better, more accurate, picture of whether the noise is cause for worry or not.
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Post# 1174643 , Reply# 17   3/13/2023 at 17:52 (630 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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It actually sounds more normal in these videos. It seemed louder on a heavier load. I will add that I have insulated the washer cabinet with sound deadening materials.
Here are videos: My last video is after the deep rinse. I'm not sure if the timer is going, but it does 3 spray rinses. The last one is like 3 seconds. Seems pointless... idk |
Post# 1174648 , Reply# 18   3/13/2023 at 19:47 (630 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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That transmission sounds fairly normal to me actually, aside from the rum-rum-rum sound during neutral drain perhaps being a bit more prominent than it was in older units.
In my opinion, it's not a big enough deal to justify buying a rebuilt unit, waiting for it to arrive, pulling this one from the machine, putting in the other one, and selling this one. You have a perfectly working machine right now, so my advice to you would be to put the finishing touches on the refurb and be on your way. :) Then on down the road if you decide you still don't like this transmission, you could possibly try to rebuild the old one from the washer when/if you have the time and energy to do so. But, of course, it's your machine and you ultimately have to do what you're most comfortable with. This post was last edited 03/13/2023 at 23:25 |
Post# 1174712 , Reply# 19   3/14/2023 at 12:20 (630 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174723 , Reply# 20   3/14/2023 at 14:06 (629 days old) by drummerboy928 (Chicagoland, Illinois)   |   | |
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If I recall, all your previous DD machines had some factory sound deadening. This machine likely had none. If you’re used to hearing the dampened sounds of a DD with the “Quiet Pak” a DD without sound insulation can be quite loud. If you’re having problems with it being annoyingly loud I’d definitely think about adding some sound deadening to the inside of the cabinet to help cut down noises
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Post# 1174742 , Reply# 21   3/14/2023 at 16:21 (629 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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He'd mentioned in a previous reply that he'd added sound deadening materials already, maybe adding a bit more would help I'm not really sure on that. I do think that the new-production transmission that is now in this machine (video in reply #17), while maybe a touch louder on neutral drain, isn't so obnoxious that it needs to be pulled. Wonder if others have a different opinion.
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Post# 1174747 , Reply# 22   3/14/2023 at 18:59 (629 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1174752 , Reply# 23   3/14/2023 at 21:13 (629 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 1199965 , Reply# 24   2/22/2024 at 19:56 (284 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Good evening,
I put my 1994 machine back in use, after swapping out a defective suspension plate (WP3946509) and noticed the tub basket really "dances" during high speed agitation; especially if its a heavy load. It doesn't affect anything, it is just super annoying. I replaced the suspension pads on my 2002 Kenmore Elite machine and did not experience this. I will upload a new video demonstrating the issue tomorrow. |
Post# 1200035 , Reply# 25   2/23/2024 at 19:29 (283 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1200061 , Reply# 26   2/24/2024 at 08:54 (283 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 1200062 , Reply# 27   2/24/2024 at 09:03 (283 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1200086 , Reply# 28   2/24/2024 at 17:10 (282 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1200236 , Reply# 29   2/26/2024 at 09:32 (281 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1200366 , Reply# 30   2/27/2024 at 20:20 (279 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 1200375 , Reply# 31   2/27/2024 at 21:17 (279 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1200395 , Reply# 32   2/28/2024 at 05:59 (279 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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I’m sure when the pads are new, they’re a little bit more rounded and slippery, as they wear in it probably will oscillate less, so you’re probably right. This will go away after a couple hundred heavy loads.
Interesting but it’s not something I ever thought about even though I’ve worked on thousands of these machines, obviously it’s something that even the engineers didn’t worry about. If you wanted it to oscillate less, take the little tan pads out that snap into the black lower suspension frame and sand them down a little bit so they have a little flatter surface with a little more friction . John |
Post# 1200442 , Reply# 33   2/28/2024 at 15:05 (278 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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Post# 1201184 , Reply# 34   3/9/2024 at 14:55 (268 days old) by BlockEight88 (Northwest, IN)   |   | |
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