In this article I show how I went about troubleshooting and fixing a Samsung front loading washing machine that started to vibrate and make loud noises.
Issue
Our Washing Machine started to make loud noises and would bounce out of location during loads. The machines are large capacity front loading Samsung steam models (matching washer and dryer).
Solution
After doing a bit of research, I suspected that the "spider spindle or flange" had failed on the machine and would need replacing. I decided to attempt the repair. This repair is likely a 7 out of 10 for difficulty, primarily due to the size, weight and compactness of the machine. A tough job for one person but I managed to complete the repair in about 4 hours.
Disassembly
I started to disassemble the machine. Effectively you have to completely disassemble the entire machine. I had to remove the top, the entire front of the machine, control panels, main drums (stainless steel and plastic) and rubber gasket (in order to get the front off) from the machine. The main wash drum is suspended on large springs within the main cavity of the machine with the drive motor attached at the back. I needed to use makeshift wood blocking to help get it disconnected. You have to be cautious of the wiring when you remove the top off the machine, making sure to properly disconnect any wires for the control panels on the machine.
Once you get the stainless steel drum out, you will see that there is a "spider spindle/flange" mounted on the back of the drum.
Right away you can see that the spindle had lost it's integrity and is full of cracks. Overall - this is a design flaw with the machines. They are large machines and being "front loaders" a lot of stress is placed on these spindles and over time the spindle/flange degrades and cannot handle the load. Samsung has since replaced this part with a newer design.
Here are the "guts" removed from the machine. In order to get both the plastic and the stainless steel drums out of the machine, you have to take off the front panel. This requires removing the front gasket that protects the door opening. Once the front is removed, I could remove the drums and further inspect the plastic drum since the machine had been running for some time with a broken spindle. The stainless steel inner drum spins at very high rpms and because of the broken spindle/flange, it was bouncing around and as a result had physically scored the plastic drum. Upon further inspection I decided to not replace the plastic drum as there was still enough material and simply took it outside to power wash it as well as the front rubber door gasket.
You can see that without the drum units the machine is effectively an empty shell. You also can see the wood blocking that I used on the bottom that I used to offset some of the load while I removed the heavy springs securing the drums. These wooden blocks are critical for the reassembly - especially if you plan to do this without any help.
There are quite a few screws and bolts that you have to take off the machine in order to open it up and of course they are all different sizes. Make sure you take a mental note or even some photos to remember which screws/bolts go where.
Reassembly
I ran out to a local supplier and purchased the new spider spindle/flange and 6 new bolts that secure the spindle to the drum.
Update
After replacing all the parts and re-assembling the machine - it has been operating perfectly for well over a year now.
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