Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

[r-morris]

Hi guys,

Can you help me understand what’s going on here?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q75sHF-_DQM

I’ve tried spinning the drum with the belt removed and it runs absolutely smoothly, so not the bearings. Failed shock absorber perhaps – but I thought that was rare?

PS The noise is worse when it’s in the house on a timber floor! (video is of it outside on a concrete patio)

[electrofix]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

you say the drum runs smoothly but is it true. When you spin the drum does it look likes its wobbling a bit at the front ?

what you have inside the drum is a spider. This is an aluminium casting that carries the weight of the drum. (see picture of the one fitted to a hotpoint machine)

over time the arms corrode and snap. If only 1 arm breaks the drum will turn easily but as it gathers speed the drum will go more and more out of line causing noise

shock absorbers do fail over time but if there is no load in the machine it should be quiet even with bad shocks. in this video is there washing in the machine ?

Dave

[r-morris]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

Thanks for your reply Dave.

I can’t say for sure but to me it doesn’t seem like there is anything running out of true within the drum casing. I’ve spun the drum round in 90 degree increments and pressed on the back each time: if one ‘leg’ of the spider was damaged then you’d expect to find some difference as that part of the drum came round to the top; but there was none.

Also I looked at how to get into the drum casing and it looks like a bit of a nightmare! So I don’t really want to dismantle the whole thing and open it up just to see… how would I know a broken shock absorber when I saw one though?

[electrofix]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

push from the top of the drum and try to bounce it. ie push down and let go. It should resist you same as a car does. if you can really get it bouncing then they are well gone
https://shop.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/43bs06- … k-absorber

these should do your machine but you have to drill out the pin holding the current ones in

if you want to do it I will give you more info

Dave

drum out is a fairly big job

Dave

[Martin]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

Looking at the video I’d say that was perfectly normal. Your wooden floor is the issue. If you had ensured the 4 adjusting/levelling feet were level and tightened on that concrete floor demo and with the lid secured in place the vibration would be further minimised, I’m sure.

What state is that wooden floor like I wonder?

[r-morris]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

Hi again,

Here’s a video showing the shock absorber test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAN1tHiQXgQ

I’m not experienced enough with washing machine shock absorbers to know if this is OK.

And yes, Martin is right that it isn’t levelled on the patio and that would help – but bear in mind this machine is only ‘in the workshop’ because of excess vibration rattling/banging noise when in situ in the kitchen. The floor is what it is (even if that is not great); we need a washing machine that can sit there without shaking the house to bits!

[electrofix]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

difficult to tell from that video

its fair to say the shock wont be like new so will make more noise than a new machine

new shocks are quite stiff and get looser with age.

what you have to do is try to bounce the drum like a ball. So you push down in the middle and as it comes up push it again and again. what your trying to do is see if you can get excess movement. that will hit the sides and the top to cause excess noise. The shock fight against you to control the movement

its a bit hard to explain but I hope u get the jist

Dave

[Martin]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

r-morris wrote:And yes, Martin is right that it isn’t levelled on the patio and that would help – but bear in mind this machine is only ‘in the workshop’ because of excess vibration rattling/banging noise when in situ in the kitchen. The floor is what it is (even if that is not great); we need a washing machine that can sit there without shaking the house to bits!

By all means replace the shock absorbers as suggested by Dave. It certainly won’t harm to do that but I personally don’t think it will make a bit of difference.

Washing machines require a firm standing. Wooden floors and their supporting joists rock solid. Then the levelling feet adjusted and locked into position and any spin vibration is then and only then greatly minimised.

[1totalshambles]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

I`d say the shocks are zapped myself. I think from the spin video I`d say the spider might also be an issue too ( take note ).
Best way to test a suspension leg on these things is to power off, tip the machine backwards get a 13mm ring spanner and undo the l/h/side suspension bolt at the bottom ( much easier than the r/h/side one because the pump is a bit close ). Push up the suspension out of its chassis bracket and then pull it down and push it up = if really easy to do this that leg, at least, is a gonna.
Words of wisdom: becareful of splashing out on your machine as it is common that the bearings or spider ( complete spider / drum as one unit ) either fails before knackered shocks OR after it.
A bit of a bodge if the shocks are worn out you can try this to prove a point. At the bottom of a suspension leg is a little bent piece of metal, if you bend that straight you should beable to pull out the bottom white plastic leg from the grey metal top bit. If you see what looks like, or what is left of, often red coloured or white coloured rectangle of felt – this is the grippy bit that gives the suspension leg its stiffness. You can either replace the felt or use greased cotton wool. So long as the 2 bits of the suspension provide enough stiffness that is ok. Put the contraption back together then:
Balance up you machine outside, try it with a wet load, then spin it. If all goes well you now know what the machine needs to do a proper job i.e. 2 new suspension legs which is involved and you can easily cock the tank up whilst drilling as per the modified new leg set up OR leave things as you repaired it OR indeed then discover that you do have a spider fracture as well in which case all this testing around only cost you time rather than wasting both time and even worse money and then you know what to do if worse has come to the worst…….new machine time or spend out as a big bill! Check out Bosch`s own spares website for prices. There isn`t a ” pattern ” drum / spider and there are no ” pattern ” suspension ( also known as damper ) legs as far as known. If you split the tank to do the drum / spider as far as I remember you do not have to drill through the tank to replace the new type suspension.

[r-morris]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

Thanks so much 1totalshambles – you clearly know your Bosch machines inside out, what you wrote was 100{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} accurate and now I have the machine working!

Sorry it took a while to get back to this – combination of other stuff going on and waiting for a sunny day, since the only place I have to work is outside…

I actually took out the suspension leg out of another ‘donor’ machine, and exactly as you said, there was a pad which was completely worn:

The machine is now running much better, though I might take the opportunity to swap the other suspension leg so that they are balanced, before I declare the job done!

[1totalshambles]

Re: Help to diagnose shaking/rattling Bosch WFO2465GB

Superb! Well done.

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