Need Help: Shaking Washing Machine

We have an older Admiral washing machine (model # LATA100AAW, Rev B) that started shaking/walking violently during the final spin cycle. I went onto Youtube where there are several videos that show how to replace the spring-loaded suspension wires for the drum. I found exploded-view diagrams of our particular model and it looks like it doesn't use suspension wires. Can anyone confirm whether or not the suspension wires are used and if not what else might be causing the problem? Who manufactured this washing machine and was it sold under another brand name that might have more online info that applies? We're selling this house in the next year or so and are looking for the least expensive fix. If I have to bite the bullet and get a new bottom-end machine I will. Any ideas appreciated, thanks.

Hell, we just bought a new one that is doing this - only when you have something heavy in it like a blanket or bathroom rug. It does really seem to spin at a much higher RPM than our previous one - that makes sense.

Many washers, warshers if your southern, have suspension rods supporting the tub and rubber "suck absorbers" helping to limit excessive movement. This type of suspension doesn't actually balance the load.

If one or two of the suspension elements are defective it can cause an out of balance problem but if you look at them and they are OK start looking at the transmission under the tub.


That being said I do not see the typical suspension on your machine so instead of a hanging tub it appears that yours may be mounted to the bottom plate.

The motor, tub, and the agitator should not have any excessive side to side or vertical movement. If they do then look for where the movement is coming from.

Often the nut inside the agitator works loose and causes problems.

I am not a professional but I kept mine alive for 20+ years with multiple repairs and have experienced those problems.

Thanks for the replies and confirming this one doesn't have suspension rods. I tried balancing the load in the tub a few times but it didn't help. The tub has lots of play in one or two directions but is firm in the others. Is the agitator nut accessible from inside the tub or do I have to get it from underneath?

More observations...I tried to wiggle the agitator side-to-side and it was firm in all directions. Another time it was very loose (as in flop-around) in some directions but not all. I also get about 1/4" of up-and-down play in the agitator.

Check out this website. Enter the model number of your machine and you will find some ideas that may be causing the problem. They also have some videos showing how to replace some of the parts. I used it to help me fix a Maytag that was vibrating and moving around during the spin cycle.


https://www.appliancepartspros.com/...tT9kPXuZl5m0WxGusT08nRVZRoxoCNm0QAvD_BwE

Great link, thanks for sending. Will dig into and see what I can learn.

One thing I would do before you tear into it is to check the level of the washing machine it several directions. We had several unbalanced loads due to too much cloth to one side and this compounded into an issue with the (wooden) floor in our 150+ year old home. Then regardless of what we were washing the washer shook almost violently because the washer was no longer level (front to rear). When we looked at it from the front it looked level to the eye so I thought it was something like members described so I removed the top and you could see right away how offset the "tub" was positioned. I got the level and it confirmed the tilt to the rear, shimmed it level and no more problems. Our spin cycle is something like 12,000(+) rpm from a direct drive DC motor so just a little not being level caused the big problem. Check and make sure it is as level as possible and go from there and try it with a very light load at first or maybe no load at all.

Mike

We had the pump got clogged on ours and resulted in wet clothes after final spin. I know it's not the same problem, but same troubleshooting process. Start with an empty washer and add water as if it was a load. See what happens. Ours didn't drain, so we knew it had nothing to do with clothing.