[a0206807]

I'm posting this article with the hope that others can more quickly diagnose and fix their Frigidaire washer after reading my experiences.

I bought a Frigidaire front-load washer & matching dryer from Lowe's 3 years ago to replace my dead 15-year old whirlpool washer and dryer. I loved it that the dryer could stack on top of the washer and that the washer left the clothes nearly dry.

My wife and I have 3 kids and we do laundry every single day, so the washer and dryer are put though their paces regularly, but not nearly as much as if the units were used in a commercial manner.

The problem started 3 weeks ago as of this writing. Short story - the timer had gone bad. The washer would go through the wash cycle and then begin the rinse cycle, but get stuck with the fill valve open and the drain pump running. I can't imagine how much water we wasted when the washer got stuck while we were out of the house.

For about a week, we nursed the timer by turning it manually, and we were able to get it to work on the "permanent press" cycle for a while instead of the "heavy wash" cycle. Unfortunately, the permanent press cycle started getting stuck as well.

After researching this forum and others, I decided that the washer's timer must have failed. The articles on unusual behavior due to charge buildup didn't describe the issues my washer was experiencing, so I ordered the replacement timer ($100) for the unit and received it in the mail along with a replacement for a dryer knob ($4) that had broken.

I unstacked the dryer and decided that it was time to switch to side-by-side if I was going to need to do more service on the washer. Then I removed the washer's top and saw that the old timer was crushed. Apparently the tub had moved violently upwards and to the right during a recent wash cycle, hit the timer a few times, and ruined it.

I had to search the forums for how to get the timer off. It's pretty easy. Turn the control knob backwards and it comes off easily. 2 screws later the timer was off. After installing the new timer and running it through a test cycle, I replaced the top and moved the dryer beside the washer instead of on-top. I had a working washer again, except it seemed to have new issues.

The washer would go into spin cycle, but had a difficult time balancing the load. The tub moved so much it would bang into the sides of the washer, causing the washer to move around. I thought my new timer wouldn't last long if I didn't find the cause of the excess tub motion.

I removed the bottom panel and peeked inside. Two plastic shock absorbers or motion dampers that connect to the frame and tub were broken, one at the top of the shock and one at the bottom of the shock. This explained the balancing issues.

These shocks are connected to the tub and frame by polypropylene pins with a snap on the end towards the front of the washer. A fair bit of effort with fingers and pliers was required to get them out and to get the dampers off. The shock on the right side is much more difficult to remove because the drain hose and pump get in the way.

With both dampers off, I ordered new parts ($40 each). I sure hope these are more durable than the last ones. Then I salvaged the intact halves of the broken dampers to produce one good one. I thought about the crushed timer and decided the salvaged damper needed to go on the left side to keep the tub from moving violently up and to the right. When I get the replacements in a few days, I'll install both new shocks and keep the salvaged one as a spare.

One more issue - all the time spent running on drain cycle has left the washer with a very noisy pump. I own aquariums and am familiar with the sealed water pumps that are used, and I suspect the motor impeller's rotor has gone bad. It does its job, but it's really noisy. I think one day soon I'll need to replace it as well.

In my opinion, all of these problems are directly caused by the broken motion dampers. I've read about other broken parts and wouldn't be surprised if bad dampers were involved in these issues as well. I think that Electrolux could have avoided a lot of unhappy customers if they had put just a little more thought into their design.

I read in one forum that someone considered looking for industrial-quality dampers to replace the plastic ones on their washer. If anyone has a part number and supplier, please respond to this post. In 3 years, I'll probably need another set of new dampers.

[PS Staff - Sheila]

Thank you for all the helpful information.