Samsung wf330anb/xaa end of spin cycle loud rattling, sometimes a smell

Stephen Cousins

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Nov 30, 2016, 1:38:30 PM11/30/16

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Thanks a lot for your video. It looks like my exact washer.

This is very similar to another recent post and my washer also is 6 years old. Hmmm.

The rattling occurs at the end of the spin cycle and it gets quite loud. Sometimes it does smell like burnt rubber os something similar. Other than that everything seems fine. I can't feel any movement with the bearing when pushing up and down on the steel inner drum. A repair person said that that is what it was but I'm not convinced. I have put videos up on youtube of a spin cycle with no clothes in the washer:

middle of spin cycle: large wobbles: https://youtu.be/NdGKsuNEH9Q
end of spin cycle: loud with lots of vibration at end of video: https://youtu.be/E2nDNXjbz-E

One repair person thought maybe it was soap buildup on the drum and recommended using citric acid in a long hot cycle. I tried this with no change.

Based on the videos, do you have any ideas?

Thanks a lot!

Steve

Jerrod Sessler

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Nov 30, 2016, 2:03:20 PM11/30/16

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Steve,

Good videos. The second one on high speed is the one that really gives it away. There are several tail tell signs that the bearings are failing as a result of the seal failure. It sounds and looks like it is the large bearing closest to the seal which is most common to fail first. The sound is the first sign, the vibration is the next, the rubber whine on slow down indicates the shaft is out of alignment and at the end of that cycle, it is also dry leading to more of this noise.

Anyway, you likely have a good shot at saving it by replacing the bearings and seal soon. It will only get worse and likely rather quickly now that it has begun to fail.

You can get a repair kit for it here: http://www.yellowvanhandyman.com/washerrepair.aspx

Regards,

Jerrod

Stephen Cousins

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Nov 30, 2016, 4:17:55 PM11/30/16

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Thanks Jerrod. I have just ordered the kit for this washer and asked for express shipping. It mentions 1-3 business days. Is there any way to make sure it gets here before the weekend?

Thanks again,

Steve

Stephen Cousins

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Dec 1, 2016, 2:13:40 AM12/1/16

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Hi Jerrod,

I took it apart tonight. It ended up being a bit different in places than on the video but pretty close. two more screws underneath in order to get the front panel off took the most time to figure out.

I was worried that the spider would be cracked or corroded too much but I think it is ok. There is a lot of stuff in the channels of the spider though (we have dogs and the hair goes everywhere!) and I'm wondering if that could be the cause of the shaking due to an imbalance. To me the seal looks really good and I never felt any play in the bearings. I'll definitely replace them since I have it all apart and the kit is on its way but I wonder what you think. Here are some pictures:

Thanks a lot for your help.

Stephen Cousins

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Dec 9, 2016, 4:49:28 PM12/9/16

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The parts came in on Monday. I installed them and put the washer back together. It took longer than I expected: the video says to just reverse the steps. Very funny (now that it is done!). I wasn't laughing at 3:00 AM but I finally got it back together. I had sealed the tub O-Ring with silicone so I waited until Tuesday night before testing it out. It seems to be working well now. The only oddity was a squeaking noise when the inner drum was moving slowly. It sounds like that is a common issue with new seals and thankfully it work its way out of it. While putting everything back together I had doubts that it was all going to work again and I maybe had wasted $100 (with expedited shipping) and 8 hours of time taking it apart and putting it back together. So far it seems to have been worth it. The repair person had quoted $800 for the repair I think and a new washer would have been about the same. Plus the hassle of figuring out what to get, buying and installing.

A lot of people have had bad things to say about the Samsung's, especially the spider corroding. I saw no corrosion on ours after six years of use. The thing I don't like about the spider design is that there are a lot of channels in it where stuff can accumulate. I cleaned this one out and it seems completely fine. We have only used HE detergent, mostly "natural" detergents like from Seventh Generation. Also vinegar to clean it out periodically. Not much bleach ever. Maybe it is the bleach that is causing other spiders to corrode.