Kenmore top-load washer walking across the basement on spin — Teaneck, NJ
Violent shaking, banging you could hear upstairs, and a machine that moved a little further from the wall every wash. One worn set of parts explains all three.
- Appliance
- Top-load washing machine
- Brand & model
- Kenmore Series 100, model 110.5142510
- Location
- Teaneck, NJ
- Symptom
- Shakes hard on spin, walks across the floor, loud banging
- Cause
- Worn suspension rods — the tub no longer damped
- Repair
- All four suspension rods replaced as a set
The call
The customer described it the way almost everyone does: on the spin cycle the washer jumped, danced its way across the basement floor and made a noise you could hear upstairs. By the time we were called it had travelled far enough from the wall to matter.
The usual first suspicion is the load — too big, badly distributed, one heavy towel on one side. Sometimes that is genuinely all it is. But a machine that has started doing this on ordinary loads it handled fine last year is telling you something else.
What we found
In a top-loader of this type the wash tub does not sit on anything. It hangs inside the cabinet from four rods, one at each corner, each with a spring and a plastic ball seated in a socket. The springs carry the weight; the rods damp the swing. Spin a wet load up to speed and the tub always wants to move a little — the suspension is what turns that into a wobble instead of a hammer.
Inside each rod is a friction sleeve, and that sleeve wears out. When it does, the rod still holds the tub up but stops slowing it down. The tub swings freely, hits the cabinet, and the whole machine starts walking. That is the banging the customer was hearing: not a bearing, not the motor — the tub striking its own housing.
We checked all four and all four were worn, which is the normal finding. They carry the same load through the same number of cycles, so they wear together. That is also why replacing one or two is false economy: a fresh rod beside three tired ones leaves the tub hanging unevenly, and the imbalance comes straight back.
The fix
Replaced the complete set of four suspension rods with the correct kit for the model, and reseated the ball caps at the base and at the tub ring so each corner carries its share.
Then we ran it. A washer is honest that way — put a deliberately awkward load in, take it up to full spin, and you can see in ten seconds whether the tub settles or swings. It settled. Nothing was left for the customer to find out later.
Seeing the same thing?
If your appliance is behaving this way, we can usually tell you what's happening on the first visit. Every call starts with a $110 diagnostic that's credited toward the repair.
More on Washer & Dryer Repair.
Call (551) 255-3689Factory-authorized for Speed Queen and Z-Line — experienced across every major brand
Speed Queen and Z-Line repairs are done under manufacturer authorization. Everything else is backed by 21 years of hands-on experience on these machines.
Factory-Authorized: Speed Queen & Z-Line
For these two brands we are an authorized service provider — repairs done to manufacturer standard that keep your warranty intact.
Brands we service every day
From everyday household names to high-end built-ins, outdoor kitchens and commercial equipment — the same list everywhere we work, backed by 21 years of hands-on experience.
We also work directly with Liberty Home Guard and New Leaf on covered home-warranty claims.
Tell us what's going on
Leave your details and describe the problem. We'll call you back to book a visit — every repair starts with a $110 diagnostic that's credited toward the fix.