How to Replace Shock Absorbers on a Top-Loading Washing Machine

Users rarely pay much attention to shock absorbers, but they are the very reason why household appliances remain stable, especially during the spin cycle. If the shock absorbers are damaged, your "home helper" will make loud noises and bounce, posing a high risk of damaging not only your flooring but also the internal components of the washing machine. To prevent this, replace the shock absorbers of your top-loading washing machine at the first sign of a problem. We'll take a closer look at this simple repair, which you can handle yourself without the help of service center professionals.

Let's prepare the machine for repair

First, prepare the washing machine for shock absorber replacement. To do this, disconnect it from all utilities and then remove the hoses. Then, in the room where the repair work will take place, you should lay out rags or towels, and then move the machine there.

Old rags, unwanted towels, or blankets will help prevent any water that may remain in the system from flooding your floors.

Next, remove the right side of the device's housing, first unscrewing all the securing screws with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Remove the side panel, and you'll see the drive mechanism, belt, and pulley, behind which are the shock absorbers that need to be replaced.

We replace damaged shock absorbers

Before replacing the element, you can double-check your washer to ensure it's truly damaged. This is very easy to do—you can simply monitor its operation, noticing any excessive vibrations during the wash cycle, or you can check it manually.

To do this, open the lid of a top-loading washing machine, press down on the drum to lower it, and then evaluate its behavior. If it's difficult to press down, and the pressure only causes a single bounce before the element almost immediately returns to its original position, the shock absorbers are fine. However, if the pressure is very light, and the drum bounces several times before settling, the washing machine needs repair. Replacing the shock absorbers yourself is easy if you follow our instructions carefully and take your time.

• First, remove the right cover of the CM, if you have not already done so.
• Locate the shock absorbers and use pliers to remove the upper and lower fastening mechanism. To do this, you need to clamp the "dog" on the bushing from the side with your hands, if you have enough strength, or with another pair of pliers, and then remove the element itself.
• Repeat the last step with the second shock absorber.
• Check the element - the sealing rings should not be worn out, and the shock absorber should not be allowed to hang freely without being fixed.
• If you need to replace a component, you should find exactly the same part, or a similar one, but the length of which will exactly match the original part.

It is best to buy high-quality original parts from the manufacturer, rather than analogues that can quickly fail.

• We assemble the equipment according to the instructions in reverse order, placing new shock absorbers in their mounting places, and then installing bushings at the bottom and top. The "dog" on these bushings must first be straightened so that the part does not accidentally jump out of its mounting place while the washing machine is running.
• Be sure to check that the bushings pass through the shock absorber and the support bracket of the machine.
• Additionally, the bushings can be lightly tapped with a hammer so that they are firmly fixed in the shock absorbers.
• Next, all that remains is to attach the side wall of the machine in place.

At this point, the repair is complete, and all you need to do is run a test cycle. An empty wash cycle will ensure that the increased vibration issue has been resolved and the washing machine can be used without restrictions again.

   

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