Kenmore Washer HE5t (110.47081602) Issues when spinning

[intelxual]

We have a Kenmore front load washer HE5t (model 110.47081602) which has spinning problems … it spins, then knocks LOUDLY, then throws a code of "F12".

I ran it empty (rinse/spin only) and it went fine for the first 7 minutes - then it hit high speed again, and started knocking badly. We shut it down before it tore the tub apart.

Any thoughts on where to start? The tub doesn't seem to be moving any more than normal when spinning (axially - back or forth).

Unplugged it for an hour, plugged it in, and it went right back … didn't wait to hear the knocks. 

 

Any help is appreciated!

- KRS

[Lighthouse]

Sounds like you have a bearing or support failure either which I think is not worth repairing. Is there little flakes of rubber around where the tub meets the front seal?

[intelxual]

Thanks for the response. No, no rubber seen around the seal (the one in front, right?). On a previous model, we had white plastic which was obviously an outer tub failure after the bearing ... which was followed by water leaking of course  

Is there any other way to check for sure about a bearing?

Does that code mean anything? Everything seems to point to that code being meaningless!

so if it’s the bearing it’s pretty much a “dead duck” ? Shucks! It is about 5 years old and gets some heavy use ...

thanks for the help!

[intelxual]

OK, another update.

Wife put in a very small load of clothes; lowered spin speed.

Unit ran ok until final spin; no shaking or knocking. All of a sudden, code F21 shows up, unit beeps, and shuts down.

Will check pump screen when I get home.

 

Any other thoughts? Is it still the bearing or do you think it's really not pumping out and that's making it shake (can't spin on high while in water)?

[Lighthouse]

While you are in there I would check a couple more things. 1) The hose that goes from the level sensor to the tub - Check it to make sure it is clear and make sure there is no build up where it connects to the tub. 2) check the pump impeller to see if it has any wobble. If it does then pump is no good. Also it should turn just a little bit then kind of snap to the next spot. If there is any spot that it travels more than the other than the pump is bad.

[intelxual]

Thank you for your help.  

I think your original diagnosis - bearing or bushing or whatever would make it catastrophic - was correct.

i took off the front cover and opened up the pump screen. There was a ton of junk so it got cleaned out well. I hoped that was it ...

Ran a very small load through “express wash “ and low spin - it knocked at first but seemed to catch itself and stopped within 2 seconds, until the last and final spin, when it continues throughout the entire spin. 

Does it still sound like something catastrophic?

 

Thank  you for all of your help!

- Kurt

[intelxual]

Don’t know if it matters ...

I was surfing the web and found a video is someone replacing the bearings. The noise the machine made was definitely NOT what this machine makes ... that machine made the typical sandpaper/scraping noise when spinning. My machine is perfectly quiet all the way up to top speed - when it starts to knock and bang. 

Maybe that helps the diagnosis? Or maybe that’s the sign that the bearings are starting to go?

thx, K

[Lighthouse]

So it is knocking during high speed spin?

 

[Lighthouse]

Run it in spin with the top & bottom cover off. See if something is hitting. 

Look at the front of the inner basket where it meets the rubber. Note the gap. Is it a bigger gap on 1 side? As you turn the basket by hand does the gap change? Does it follow the basket as it turns?

[intelxual]

Thanks Lighthouse! As you can tell, despair rather than spend $$$ ...

Tried the Samurai trick above - no knocking, some sloshing, and the whole thing inside appears to move. A good sign?

and no, the gap doesn’t appear to change when you turn the drum ...

could a counterweight be loose?

 

- Kurt

[Lighthouse]

Yes it could. Check those and also run it with covers off to see where noise is coming from

[intelxual]

Ran it with the bottom off ... not from there. Need to check the top. 

[intelxual]

Ok. Ran with top off. Still knocking. Nothing appears to be hitting cabinet. The outer tub isn’t level - should it be? It is canted to the back - can the rear shocks be bad?

I made a video with sound ... can’t figure out how to attach. 

Thx  

 

[intelxual]

Also had the expert (wife) look at it with the top off. She commented about the whole tub being unlevel back-to-front. Also mentioned water in the tub when we tried the Samurai troubleshooting from the video link. Is the basket supposed to be level? Would bad supports cause the problem knock - and leave water in the machine after a cycle? Tried lifting up the whole thing - doesn’t take much to lift ...

thx again!

[Lighthouse]

It is supposed to lean to the back

[intelxual]

Damn. Sounds like it's time for a new one.

 

Thanks for all of your help ...