Whirlpool Front-Load Washer WFW97HEDW0 Aborts Spin and Attempt Rebalancing

[edemicco]

We have a Whirlpool front load washer, model WFW97HEDW0, that will start to spin but abort and attempt rebalancing repeatedly before it gets to high speed. The clothes come out wet. Sometimes it will do a slower spin, sometimes it just gives up. This was happening occasionally, but it's increased to failing to spin every time. The machine is as level as I can get it. Even smaller loads will not spin dry now. It will spin with an empty tub and the water is pumped out vigorously when it drains.

Here is a video:

If you want to skip to the good parts, it starts spinning at about 2 minutes in and aborts at 3 minutes in.

My instinct is to replace the shock absorber(s), but I don't want to just throw parts at it!

Thank you in advance,

Eric

[edemicco]

A few additional pieces of info:

The tub rotates smoothly and without play.

It actually behaves like the video above when I run "Drain and Spin" with an empty tub.

[igloo]

If you're using too much detergent, that would cause it to not spin out well. If your laundry does not spin out, leave it in there and run another cycle without adding detergent. If it spins out this time then that proves detergent is the cause. Use not more than a table spoon of detergent in the future. These machines are sensitive to too much detergent.

Edited March 21 by igloo

[edemicco]

Re: detergent, we exclusively use the auto-dispenser which squirts out a very small amount of detergent each load.

[igloo]

12 hours ago, edemicco said:

Re: detergent, we exclusively use the auto-dispenser which squirts out a very small amount of detergent each load.

Try it without detergent and see if it spins out everytime, to eliminate it as a possibility

There is a bulletin on it. It mentions basket obstruction or the ACU as a potential cause if the detergent dosing is correct. 

 

Edited March 22 by igloo

[edemicco]

Thank you for the info!

I tried a moderately sized load of mixed laundry with no detergent. It tried to spin three times, then gave up. It wasn't completely soaked because it did get some spinning in, but it definitely didn't spin out correctly.

What else can I check to try to determine where the problem lies?

[edemicco]

On a whim I switched the brand of detergent, and the last few weeks' loads have spun out right. I was going to change the shocks, but if it's working, I'm not touching it.

Both detergents claim to have a similar approximate concentration, and I've never seen suds or any error, so it's a mystery as to why. But if you have a similar machine and have this problem, maybe it will work.

It still doesn't explain why the no detergent load didn't spin out, but I'll take it.