Checking the shock absorbers of an LG washing machine

When the shock absorber system malfunctions, the washing machine quickly alerts the owner with unusual behavior: strange sounds, excessive vibration, and jumping around the room. As soon as you notice anything like this, you should immediately check the operation of your LG washing machine's shock absorbers. How can you do this yourself?

We remove and test the part

Don't rush into ordering replacement shock absorbers. First, you need to make sure the old ones are truly broken. This isn't easy to determine without a second thought; you'll have to partially dismantle the washing machine, but that's not all that difficult. The shock absorbers are located underneath the washer, under the drum.

Accordingly, the easiest way to access the shock absorbers is through the undercarriage. Unplug the washing machine and lay it on its side. The shock absorbers are secured with special plastic pins at the ends of the struts; remove them with pliers. If your fingers don't budge, generously lubricate them with something, for example WD-40, then everything should come off easily.

When checking the shock absorbers for proper operation, exercise caution. All movements should be smooth, avoid pressing hard on the fasteners, and avoid using heavy tools (such as a hammer). Also, be careful not to damage the shock absorbers themselves or any adjacent components, such as the plastic tank or other components, during the inspection.

Once you have the racks in your hands, testing is carried out as follows:

• press the rod;
• pull the rod out of the housing;
• The rack should create a certain level of tension that you need to evaluate.

If the piston rod slides excessively easily, or even pops out of the housing, there's a problem with the damper. It has lost its ability to dampen vibration. As for the struts, you need to check the piston and assess the amount of damping grease. If there is no fluid, this indicates wear and tear of the system; traces of rust are also a sign of a malfunction.

Features of replacing shock absorbers

If the shock absorbers are found to be completely unusable during inspection, they need to be replaced. Ideally, you should try to find identical shock absorbers, but sometimes finding genuine parts can be difficult, and the wait can be lengthy.

Important! You can use third-party dampers instead, provided they are properly selected to meet the required parameters. Pay particular attention to the type of fastener, its length, and the resistance it provides.

• The resistance can range from 80 to 120 N. Check the value of the old damper on its housing and look for a shock absorber with the same rating.
• Fastening. Fasteners can be in the form of latches, plastic pins, or bolts.
• Length. You need to measure the distance between the mounting axes, both in the compressed and free positions.

Once new shock absorbers are found, all that's left to do is replace the old ones. Then, the machine is reassembled in reverse order and a test wash is run.

   

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