# Washing machine loud bangs at the end of spin cycle



## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

I have a washer ROPER model RTW4640YQ1 it's a 4 year old traditional top loader washer.

It has been working fine for a few years except on very heavy fabrics like my son's 1/2" thick karate uniform it goes out of balance and violently shakes and bangs. But recently even on a medium size normal wash it started to bang at the end of the spin drain cycle. I am not talking about just loud vibration I am talking about banging so bad I can see the washer cabinet wall "deform" when it's being hit by the unbalanced basket inside. I stopped the wash and opened the lids and it's not unbalanced the distribution seems normal and the wash is not even full. Since then it has gotten worse and worse and it will only operate normally without banging for a really small load. Medium size loads are 50/50 odds and a heavy load that didn't use to have problems now will bang violently.

I looked at the back of the washer and I found some broken plastic pieces on the floor. Not sure what that could be. Here are some pictures with measurements.










Here is the biggest piece that I found on the floor behind the washer.










Here is the back side of that same piece.










Is this a part of the washer that has broken apart? Where should I start looking? Is this broken piece related to the unbalanced banging issue?

Thanks in advance!


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

The shaking and banging during spin is very likely worn out springs on the suspension rods. The rod kit is about $40 and is easy to change. The broken plastic is from the plastic top ring that clips onto the outer tub and overlaps the inner tub. When the drum goes unbalanced and bounces off the cabinet this piece is often damaged. The ring is also pretty easy to change and costs about $60. It is also very important to make sure the legs are all adjusted so they sit solidly on the floor, are not damaged and the machine is adjusted level. 

The hardest part of the repair is possibly opening the top of the washer. There are many different versions of this same washer that are basically the same design (low end whirlpool) but have different methods to open the cabinet. There are many places online such as repairclinic.com or appliancepartspros.com among others that you can search your model, order the correct parts and even find videos to help you make the repair. 

This repair is pretty easy, just did the same thing my son's 4 year old maytag that had the exact same problem. 

They don't build them like they used to. Purchased my "real" maytag set in 1993, they are 24 years old, survived 3 sons from birth til they left home, 2 flooded basements and they are still working fine in my old house that's now a rental. Only part I ever bought was a $2 dryer door latch. Seems they just make disposable appliances now. My 5 year old $800 front loader took $400 worth of parts and my labor to repair. It involved major disassembly to make the repair, so costly the dealer wanted the price of a new machine to repair it.


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## hkstroud (Mar 17, 2011)

Is the washer drain hose taped or other wise sealed into the drain pipe?


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## KelleeC (Nov 18, 2021)

iamrfixit said:


> The shaking and banging during spin is very likely worn out springs on the suspension rods. The rod kit is about $40 and is easy to change. The broken plastic is from the plastic top ring that clips onto the outer tub and overlaps the inner tub. When the drum goes unbalanced and bounces off the cabinet this piece is often damaged. The ring is also pretty easy to change and costs about $60. It is also very important to make sure the legs are all adjusted so they sit solidly on the floor, are not damaged and the machine is adjusted level.
> 
> The hardest part of the repair is possibly opening the top of the washer. There are many different versions of this same washer that are basically the same design (low end whirlpool) but have different methods to open the cabinet. There are many places online such as repairclinic.com or appliancepartspros.com among others that you can search your model, order the correct parts and even find videos to help you make the repair.
> 
> ...





iamrfixit said:


> The shaking and banging during spin is very likely worn out springs on the suspension rods. The rod kit is about $40 and is easy to change. The broken plastic is from the plastic top ring that clips onto the outer tub and overlaps the inner tub. When the drum goes unbalanced and bounces off the cabinet this piece is often damaged. The ring is also pretty easy to change and costs about $60. It is also very important to make sure the legs are all adjusted so they sit solidly on the floor, are not damaged and the machine is adjusted level.
> 
> The hardest part of the repair is possibly opening the top of the washer. There are many different versions of this same washer that are basically the same design (low end whirlpool) but have different methods to open the cabinet. There are many places online such as repairclinic.com or appliancepartspros.com among others that you can search your model, order the correct parts and even find videos to help you make the repair.
> 
> ...


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## KelleeC (Nov 18, 2021)

miamicuse said:


> I have a washer ROPER model RTW4640YQ1 it's a 4 year old traditional top loader washer.
> 
> It has been working fine for a few years except on very heavy fabrics like my son's 1/2" thick karate uniform it goes out of balance and violently shakes and bangs. But recently even on a medium size normal wash it started to bang at the end of the spin drain cycle. I am not talking about just loud vibration I am talking about banging so bad I can see the washer cabinet wall "deform" when it's being hit by the unbalanced basket inside. I stopped the wash and opened the lids and it's not unbalanced the distribution seems normal and the wash is not even full. Since then it has gotten worse and worse and it will only operate normally without banging for a really small load. Medium size loads are 50/50 odds and a heavy load that didn't use to have problems now will bang violently.
> 
> ...





iamrfixit said:


> The shaking and banging during spin is very likely worn out springs on the suspension rods. The rod kit is about $40 and is easy to change. The broken plastic is from the plastic top ring that clips onto the outer tub and overlaps the inner tub. When the drum goes unbalanced and bounces off the cabinet this piece is often damaged. The ring is also pretty easy to change and costs about $60. It is also very important to make sure the legs are all adjusted so they sit solidly on the floor, are not damaged and the machine is adjusted level.
> 
> The hardest part of the repair is possibly opening the top of the washer. There are many different versions of this same washer that are basically the same design (low end whirlpool) but have different methods to open the cabinet. There are many places online such as repairclinic.com or appliancepartspros.com among others that you can search your model, order the correct parts and even find videos to help you make the repair.
> 
> ...


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