How to change shock absorbers on a washing machine?
A sign that it is time to change the shock absorbers will be strong vibration of the body during operation of the washing machine. The machine will literally “jump” around the room, “running away” especially far during the spin process. What to do in this case? You can replace the shock absorbers in your washing machine yourself. It is not necessary to invite a specialist to carry out repairs. Let's figure out how to check the elements and how to change them if necessary.
Checking and dismantling broken shock absorbers
If you notice that the machine begins to shake during operation, first check the damping elements. All shock absorbers are located inside the body; to inspect them, you will have to partially disassemble the washing machine. Vending machines of different brands have dampers attached differently. Let’s figure out which side to “climb up” to the “home assistant” in order to find the necessary spare parts.
So, in order to change shock absorbers on Bosch washing equipment, you need to remove the front wall. For these washing machines, the dampers have a standard fastening on one screw installed at the bottom of the machine. The upper shock-absorbing elements are secured with several latches that are part of the plastic tank.
To disconnect the damper from the tank, you need to drill out the mount. After this, the element is removed from the machine through the front side. It is important to act carefully so that the tool does not damage the plastic tank.
It will be even easier for owners of LG automatic washing machines - to check and change the shock absorbers, you won’t even have to disassemble the body of the “home assistant”. All you need is:
turn off the power to the washing machine;
disconnect the machine from the water supply and sewerage;
carefully lay the machine on its side;
find the damper mountings;
deal with the latches and pull the shock absorbers out of the holes one by one.
In Samsung machines, 8 or 10 mm bolts are usually used to fasten elements of the shock-absorbing system. To unscrew them, socket or socket wrenches are used. In Whirlpool machines you can get dampers by simply releasing special latches.
Bolts for fastening shock absorbers are also used in Miele, AEG and many other washing machines. Usually such fixation does not cause any difficulties. You can simply remove the damping elements with your own hands using a key of the appropriate size.
Removing dampers, regardless of the method of their fastening, must be done carefully, without using an impact tool - this will protect the tank and internal components from damage.
To check the shock absorber, press on the rod and pull it out of the housing. Normally, there should be sufficient resistance to “manual” pressing. A freely moving rod will indicate the need to replace the damper.
When the rod freely enters the shock absorber body, and sometimes falls out of it, or there is no lubricant inside the “shell” and/or there are rusty stains, we can conclude that the elements are worn out. Replacing dampers cannot be put off until later, since “jumps” of the machine during operation can result in some more serious damage.
Replacing damaged damping elements
When replacing shock-absorbing elements, it is optimal to install original components with identical characteristics.If dampers of the required brand are not on sale, or you have to buy them on the Internet and wait a month or two for delivery, then you can select analogues from other manufacturers. When choosing shock absorbers, you need to pay attention to the following characteristics:
their resistance. Usually this indicator is written on the damper body. This is a specific value in Newtons, it can be 80-120 N;
distance from one fastening axis to another. It must be measured by fully compressing the shock absorber spring;
fastening type. There are shock absorbers that are fixed with special latches. In other cases, the dampers are held in the housing by screws. Typically these are bolts of size M10 or M8.
Having purchased shock absorbers with similar characteristics, it is easy to “convert” the mounts with your own hands and install new dampers in the washer. Replacement of elements is carried out in the reverse order. When finished, run a test wash and observe how the machine operates. The vibrations should stop.
A sign that it is time to change the shock absorbers will be strong vibration of the body during operation of the washing machine. The machine will literally “jump” around the room, “running away” especially far during the spin process. What to do in this case? You can replace the shock absorbers in your washing machine yourself. It is not necessary to invite a specialist to carry out repairs. Let's figure out how to check the elements and how to change them if necessary.
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