How to Troubleshoot Excessive Bouncing in a Top Load Washing Machine

Gather a Phillips screwdriver or a 1/4 inch hex-head screwdriver, depending on your washer.

Have a small angled dental pick, or use a flathead screwdriver to separate suspension-rod caps.

Use pliers or a slip-joint wrench to help lift and remove suspension rods.

Use painter’s tape to secure the lid so it can’t fly backward while the top is open.

Keep side cutters or scissors nearby in case old foam needs to be cut off a rod.

Look for shaking, jumping, bouncing, or a washer that won’t spin out properly because it can’t stabilize in spin.

Press the wash basket down firmly, then release it quickly.

Push the basket side to side to check how easily it moves and how it returns to center.

If the basket bounces and shakes a lot instead of snapping back to center, plan to refurbish the suspension rods.

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two rear screws, with one screw on each side of the back panel lip.

Remove the screw that holds the wire trunk cover in place.

Use a putty knife to press into the front seam and release the hidden clips that lock the top to the cabinet.

Use a 1/4 inch hex-head screwdriver to remove the three rear screws, including the screw that holds the wire trunk.

Pull the top toward the front, lift it up, then shift it toward the rear to pivot the lid up and away from the rods.

Pivot the lid up and rest it securely, using the built-in holding fingers if your model has them.

Use pliers to lift a suspension rod up from the chassis cup where the rod sits.

Move the rod toward the tub and through the cabinet slot, then let the rod rest downward.

Slide the bottom of the rod through the matching slot in the tub mount to unseat it from the tub.

Remove the rod from the washer, and repeat for the remaining rods.

Inspect the top and bottom mounts for slots, because some Whirlpool systems have slots while most older ones do not.

If there are no slots, pull the rod upward and out, then dislodge the plastic cup that holds the shepherd’s hook by pressing the cup down and away.

If a black clip retainer blocks removal, reach in and press the two sides of the clip inward to release the rod.

Use a dental pick or a flathead screwdriver to pry into the plastic cap seam and separate the upper and lower cap halves.

For Samsung-style rods, split the cap similarly, then gently pull the foam up and out of the bell housing if your rod uses foam.

Inspect the foam dampener if your rod has one, and check how firmly it fits in the bell housing.

If the foam slides too easily, plan to replace the foam because the damping system is worn out.

Use side cutters to cut into the old foam and peel it off the rod.

Slide the replacement foam onto the rod, and orient it so it seats tightly into the bell housing.

Apply damping grease to the sides of the foam before seating it in the bell housing.

Apply grease on the rod shaft above and below the foam so grease works into the foam and bell housing during movement.

Compress and release the spring by hand to confirm the rod now moves slower and feels damped instead of freely oscillating.

If your Samsung-style rod uses foam, install the smaller foam insert into the bell housing after greasing the foam sides and the rod above and below it.

If your Samsung-style rod has no foam, strip most of the old grease from the bell housing and repack the bell housing with fresh damping grease.

Compress and release the spring to verify strong damping action after repacking.

Wipe off excess grease from the outside of the cap and rod so it won’t smear throughout the cabinet during reinstallation.

Use isopropyl alcohol or alcohol wipes to remove grease from your hands, tools, and the rod exterior.

Reinstall a Samsung-style rod by sliding the rod into the tub slot first, then pulling the top into the chassis cup using pliers.

Reinstall a Whirlpool-style rod by inserting it into the tub housing first, either from the top or by tilting the machine back and installing from the bottom on older models.

If your Whirlpool uses a black retainer, clip it in place after inserting the rod into the tub and pulling upward.

Pull the rod up into the chassis with pliers, then install the retainer cup onto the shepherd’s hook by inserting it into one side and rotating the cup 90 degrees to lock it.

Lower the top, then reinstall the wire trunk cover screw and the rear screws.

Remove the painter’s tape, close the lid, and plug the washer back in.

Repeat the basket push-down test and confirm the tub snaps back toward center instead of bouncing repeatedly.