Whirlpool Duet Washer Concern

[MOWED]

Hi all, nice site and this is my first post. I searched around but couldnt find anything.
We have a Whirlpool Duet Front load washer. Model GHW9200LQ. It was bought new in spring of 2003. All was well until recently. It seems that the spin cycle vibrates quite a bit under load (jeans). I checked the drum and it seems that the drum moves back and forth, or to the back of the washer and to the front of the washer. I have checked other Washers like this in the stores and the drums do not move back and forth like this one does.

I am looking for any help that you may be able to give. Thanks
Ed

[MOWED]

anyone here?

[dougm]

Sorry, not a forum I get to often... The washers in the stores still have bolts in place that prevent the drum from moving. Ours moves in all directions as well, as it should. The Duet/Elit washers have a very complicated leveling system starting with a block of concrete attached to the drum chassis (ever tried to lift the machine?). They then sense drum movement, speed, and vibration during a set of trial spins and attempt to redistribute the load if an off balance situation is detected. If redistribution doesn't work, they decrease the spin speed. Ours allows quite a bit of vibration on real heavy loads, but nothing like the dance the old top loader did when it was off balance. If you're sure this is new behavior, you may have a defective sensor. Don't try to dig into this yourself. Call in a pro.

One other thought :thinker: : Have you discovered the strainer attached to the drain pump yet? It's a large screw cap just behind the bottom access panel. It collects small objects that go through the basket and might damage the pump. If it gets a lot of stuff in it, it impedes drainage. If the washer isn't fully drained when it tries to spin, it could effect balance. Pull the power cord, open the panel (3 screws on bottom lip) put a big beach towel under the screw cap and open it up. Clean everything out and put it all back together.

Happy washing! :blah:

Doug M.

[MOWED]

Hi Doug,
Happy Holidays and thanks for the reply. I am usually not impatient but I have been getting a little pressure from the Chairman of the Board (my wife) to see what is up with the thing. I will tackle the strainer today and see if that helps. Now that I know the movement is normal I can rest easier. Thanks again
Ed