How to Stabilize a Walking, Shaking, Wobbling, Preowned Washing Machine

I’m going to be adjusting the leveling foot pads on an LG front load washing machine. This is the first time I’ve ever run into a problem like this. I just purchased these units off Craigslist for $200 and the dryer has absolutely nothing wrong with it, no issues. The washing machine’s only issue is that the power button is missing. Other than that, it’s got a couple of scratches. No big deal, everything works on the washer just fine. I went to my mobile phone’s voice command and said Hey Google where do I find appliance parts and I found a replacement control board for $69.00 so as of right now, I’ve got $269.00. I’ve never had this issue before, but I started doing some laundry and the machine literally walked all the way away from the wall. It shook so badly I thought I ended up buying a piece of junk. I looked into what it could be and the cost of fixing it myself, and for some reason, it never occurred to me to grab my Stanley 24 inch magnetic level. Well, after I leveled it, I still have the same problem with it walking across the room and I just gave up and I actually ordered an $1500.00 brand new washer and dryer. I’ve since cancelled the order because what I found is, I forgot to lock the levelers. There is a locking bolt and if you level your machine and you don’t lock that bolt down to where it holds the leg nice and tight, the legs will wobble.

A machine that spins this fast, you know, twelve to thirteen hundred RPM will walk across the floor. In order to level your machine, you’ve got levelers. I recommend getting your machine somewhat tilted so that you can easily access the front feet and then you want to run them all the way up and loosen the lock, bolt on the bottom. There should be one on almost every machine and get those levelers all the way up. The lower the center of gravity, the better. You start from basically ground zero and you adjust until you’re level and don’t forget your back feet. There is a special nut on the top, it’s actually just the head of a bolt and it is 7mm. I believe you can just stick a ratchet on there and ratchet that thing down. Locating the machine in the spot that we want it to stay in, that’s the next trick. You got to have your machine set up exactly where you want it and then start the leveling process. I’ve put the machine where I want it and the level is way off, the front is sitting way higher and even with your feet all the way down, because you’re going to notice in most homes the floor is also not level. Even when it’s nice looking tile, you may not be able to see it, but the fact remains that it is not actually level. The first thing to do to level your machine is pick a side, it doesn’t really matter which, and put the level right about in the center and then check your bubble. You want that bubble almost dead center. This is where the fun starts. Be careful with the sheet metal it’s very sharp and you can definitely cut yourself if you’re not careful. Nobody wants to make a trip to the hospital emergency room! There are bolts that we’re gonna be adjusting with a ratchet to raise it about halfway until the two levelers are about even. Of course, we’ll need to check the machine for wobble, so you grab hold of the machine and try to rock it. We’re gonna have to really torque down on the levelers and we’re gonna run them almost all the way down and we’ll have to do a little adjustment so that you can see the bubble move to center. It should be near perfect, but we could lower the back just a hair if we want to be absolutely perfect. I make sure it’s level, side to side, and although the bubble is a little off, it’s still in between the lines. A good tool to use to incrementally raise and lower the machine to adjust and level is a prybar and a block of wood. Pry bars are incredibly handy. They can be used for a wide range of both automotive and around the home repairs and construction projects. They can be used for scraping, for lifting tile, for leveling windows and doors when newly installed, and a whole range of other applications. Pry bars are made by numerous companies such as Tekton, Stanley, Snap On, Mayhew, ANB, Performance Tool, Gear Wrench, and Tech Team https://techteamproducts.com/. The one we like the best is Tech Teams model 707 5pc. Pry Bar Set  https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Prybars-Chisel-Angled-Rolling-Head/dp/B07CSBZ4ZM/ref=sr_1_11?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1540409708&sr=1-11&keywords=pry+bar+set as it has 5 different sizes, each one made from high tensile heat treated carbon steel with a comfortable and functional plastic grip.

If you go and buy used machines like I did, I just wanted a front loader, so I went out and got these and I thought I made a bad decision. But in reality, all it was, was it was very important that these machines that spin at these high speeds be as close to perfectly level as possible. And now that it is, it doesn’t dance across the floor anymore so I’m happy.