Hotpoint WMD960 Washing Machine Shake / Loud rattle

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gingebot

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Hello all,

I am trying to diagnose and hopefully repair my Hotpoint WMD960 Washing Machine, the drum shakes violently and makes a very loud rattle, it can be seen in these youtube videos:

here and here

I have checked the following so far:

* The internal drum has no play in it if I try and lift it, also If I spin it by hand it's very smooth and doesn't make any noise or grinding. - Therefore I'm confident it isn't the drum bearing.

* The 2 drum suspension springs are attached and look to be in good condition.

* The top concrete block is securely attached.

* The bottom concrete block feels to be securely attached and in good condition (I say feels because in the machine's current location there is not enough space to turn it over to be able to see the bottom block, so I tilted it as far as I could, reached under and had a good feel of the block) ~ I'm 90% it's fine though.

* Whilst tilted over I could see 2 small hydraulic arms (Looked like small versions of the type you get on a car boot) going from the frame to either side of the drum. They looked to be in good condition.

Although I have 0 experience with washing machines it kind of feels like the whole drum assembly is too loose and prone to wobbling, but I have no reference so could easily be wrong.

Any further diagnosis advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Forgot to mention, I have also made sure the feet are set at the correct height so the machine is level and all feet are firmly on the ground .
 
So consulting with a friend of a friend, it seems the most likely cause is suspension arms (the hydraulic arms I describe in the OP).

Apparently it is very common with hotpoint machines for these to go, they look fine but no long do the job of stabilising the drum.

I have ordered a new set of arms and will report back if this fixes the problem.

(I'm documenting this in the hope it helps someone else in the future).
 
I have just had a very similar problem with my Hotpoint WM83. Are you really sure there is no movement up or down in the drum? Try turning the drum through 120 degrees and try to lift it. Now turn another 120 degrees and do the same again. If you detect movement, either the drive spider has broken or the bearings have gone or maybe both. Not easy to fix if this is the case. Hope it turns out to be something simple. Good luck.
 
Yep quite sure, I tried at multiple angles (guessing at 22.5 degree intervals-ish) and the is no play and the drum spins smoothly. The new arms should arrive tomorrow, hopefully saturday morning I'll have a crack at it and report back.
 
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