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Large cracks in the galvanised chassis/base of the machine quite common and can also lead to drum being out of line. Easy to see from underneath by tilting the machine back slightly. Send me a PM with your email address and I will send you some useful info.
That’s the video I followed in November of 2018. And I truly hope I don’t have to do this again. Surely the bearings (original ones lasting 30+ years) would last more than 3, even if they are aftermarket. I replaced the bearings, gasket and spider in 2018. Self fix (as in your link) also does a video on the suspension rods for the WF machine, which is apparently similar to mine. I’ve been studying it. There are a few things he’s not really clear on…for example the top of the suspension goes into a block that is part of the suspension kit. Self fix is advising that it is being held on by a nut, but is only showing how to turn the rod (with a mole/vice grip, and not really showing how you grip the nut while your turning the rod to unscrew it. The nut tub seems to be in the way in order to do this. Anyway, I’ll wait until I get the suspension kit, and then remove the front of the machine to see where the damage is. As the entire drum appears to be listing to the left (as you look at the machine) I am hoping that the left suspension rod has broken in some way, and that’ what I’ll need to repair. This may be confirmed by the round metal ‘plate’ (about 1 inch across) that I found under the machine, which is similar to the small metal piece that comes with the kit. This is the self fix YT video I’ve been studying: https://youtu.be/LGoVzfDp1CE
iadom wrote:Large cracks in the galvanised chassis/base of the machine quite common and can also lead to drum being out of line. Easy to see from underneath by tilting the machine back slightly. Send me a PM with your email address and I will send you some useful info.
remember those days lol
Dave
The suspension rods themselves did snap off at the very top occasionally. If that has happened you should find the top of the rod with the nut still attached in the bottom of the machine or on the floor.
I can’t post photos here, but if you look at this link, you’ll see two round metal things on the right side of the photo. I found something like that under the machine: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hotpoint-Washing-Machine-Suspension-C00197934/dp/B00J3580BE
By the way, sent you a PM with my email. Thanks for your help.They are the thin metal shims that fit near the top of the suspension rod, over the round plastic domes and directly under the support flange on the outer drum.
Thin metal shims….yes, I thought as much, especially from that Selfix video. I suppose the ‘mystery’ is how the shim fell off. I would expect that the top of the suspension unit….that rod that is bolted to the ‘support flange’ completely dislocated from the flange, but then you’d expect that the bushings would have fallen off, as well. A mystery…..
Hello, gurus.
I finally received my suspension kit, the same thing that is shown in the video from Selfix in post #8 this thread. In that video, he advises just to put the washer on its side, with the side you are replacing facing up. The instructions that came with the suspension kit talk about removing the tub, motor, cement block, etc. So, a couple of questions:
If I follow the video (which is far easier than the instructions with the kit) would it be advisable to remove the cement block? Will having the washer on its side with the cement block intact hurt anything because of its weight? (The kit actually has one heavy spring, and advises you need to drill a new hole to attach it. to be honest, I didn’t pay too much attention to this part of the instructions). My current springs are in good shape (strangely).Up until this point I wasn’t sure if my problem was with one of the suspension rods, so yesterday I took the top off of the washer to try to investigate. The rod in question is the one that’s under the soap container, and as the drum has shifted toward that side, it was hard to see. But I was able to see a rod, and get my arm down there. If you look at the video in post #8, the rod, which is the top part of the suspension unit, bolts on to some part of the machine. My rod was just standing there, and I was able to grab it and pull it out. It came out with the bolt, the rubber bushing, etc., all attached to the rod. So now I’m wondering if the part of the machine that the rod actually bolts to, has broken, which caused the rod to disconnect and drop off. This seems to be what Iadom is talking about in post #19…????
Is this shim something that has broken? I’m having someone come to help me with this ‘adventure’, and would like to have all the parts I need in order to do this on just the one occasion. As I did find the rod with the nut and bushing on the bottom of the washer, did something else break so that this dropped off??
would need to see a good close up pic of the hole in the outer drum where the rod attaches to be able to look for damage
also when you place it on the left side remove the soap draw body otherwise when you try to lift the drum to get the shock in and out it may put undue pressure on it
Dave
Yes, the video I found does advise to remove the soap drawer, top fascia (where the controls are) and the front of the machine. The soap drawer will be on top, with the drum underneath it, as the rod that is broken is on the left side of the machine (as you are standing in the front of the machine). So basically it seems that keeping the cement block on the drum won’t cause any damage when laying the machine on it’s side?
I won’t be able to see where the rod attaches to the outer drum, I suspect, until I have the front of the machine off, and laying on its side. Iadom seemed to indicate that the rods themselves snapped off occasionally, and if this had happened, I’d find the rod with the nut and bushing, laying at the bottom of the machine. This is what I found. So my question is, what ‘breaks’ in order for the rod to snap off? Is this something else I’ll need to purchase? I can’t find any photos (or videos) that explicitly show how the rod in these older machines attach to the drum….???
In looking at the video that I linked here before, it looks like the top of the rod which. fits into the metal piece is then actually bolted on to an area on the plastic outer tub. If this is correct, I would expect (hope) that the plastic bracket part of the tub didn’t break off (although it’s possible that the hole that the rod goes into might have sheared. I guess I’ll find out when I take the front of the washer off, and tilt it on its side…..:(
How much of the rod is still attached to the nut? The whole of the rod or just the top couple of inches? If it’s just the top of the rod then you don’t need anything else. Due to cost cutting manufacturing these rods did have a tendency to snap off. If it is the whole rod still attached to the nut etc then the drum flange may be damaged. It is possible to effect a repair using some of the large washers you will have spare.
It’s the whole rod with the nut, bushing, etc. In looking at the video that I linked here before, it looks like the top of the rod which fits into the metal piece is then actually bolted on to an area on the plastic outer tub. If this is correct, I would expect hope that the plastic bracket part of the tub didn’t break off (although it’s possible that the hole that the rod goes into might have sheared, or drum flange damaged, as you suggest. I cannot really see any of this without opening up the machine….the video doesn’t give much detail, but seems to indicate that this is a plastic part of the actual outer drum. Fortunately the guy that is going to help me is pretty amazing when it comes to being creative with repairs, so if it’s possible to be able to repair this with large washers, he’ll be able to do it. Onward and upward! I’ll let you know how I get on.
And, as usual, thank you all for your help and advice.
Sometimes if the metal shim breaks then the plastic domes rub against the plastic drum and wear away allowing the rod to come up out of the drum flange. If that has happened you can clearly see by comparing the old plastic domes with the new ones. If that is the case then you should get away with refitting the new kit.
OK, I think I follow you. Initially, if found a metal shim (the metal piece that the plastic domes fit into), with the center hole all torn up, on the floor, where it would have been obvious that it no longer could hold the plastic domes. Then, in investigation further (a couple of weeks later, after ordering and receiving the kit), I found the upper rod with the bolt and bushing attached, in the machine attached to nothing. I haven’t found any indication of the plastic domes (of course, not looking for them either), but what you’re advising makes sense. So, fingers crossed that this is what happened, and I get away with some luck.
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