# GE washing machine not spinning/agitating, then spinning too hard **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811 "2016-07-13T14:02:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811/1 "2016-07-13T14:02:27Z")
My top loading washer is about ten or eleven years old. It stopped agitating the laundry and spinning it dry. It went through all the motions of the washing process, but it only made a soft clicking sound while the agitator should have been moving. I followed reset instructions on GE’s site ( unplugging it for a minute, plugging it back in, then rapidly opening and closing the lid six times in 12 seconds), then I set it to spin. It did spin, but so rapidly that the entire machine shook. Do all these things, taken together, point toward a specific issue? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811/2 "2016-07-13T14:08:57Z")
Just a long shot but I would check the voltage going to the machine. The spin cycle might have a gentle and normal but other than that it only spins as fast as the motor will turn. As for your Agitate I would check the coupler that connects the trans to the agitator. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811/3 "2016-07-13T15:15:51Z")
Failure to agitate along with a clicking noise is probably just the plastic ‘dogs’ that drive the basket. They are in the center column of the basket. There should be a cap that pries off, then a bolt to unscrew. The top portion of the agitator pulls off and the dogs are there. They are 4 small plastic pieces, I have replaced them numerous times. Search for a parts diagram for your washer to see if they use them. Any appliance repair center will have them. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811/4 "2016-07-13T15:54:29Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Just a long shot but I would check the voltage going to the machine. The spin cycle might have a gentle and normal but other than that it only spins as fast as the motor will turn. As for your Agitate I would check the coupler that connects the trans to the agitator. older top-loaders generally used induction motors, which spin only as fast as the mains frequency and number of active poles will allow. higher voltage won’t make them spin any faster. if it was spinning too fast as OP describes, then I would suspect the timer/controller is energizing the wrong number of motor poles. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811/5 "2016-07-13T16:12:21Z")
The spin cycle does spin the drum pretty fast. Spinning it “so rapidly that the entire machine shook” makes me think that it’s more of a mechanical problem with the drum’s balance than the speed it is spinning. Combined with the lack of agitation, that makes me suspect the mechanical bits at the bottom of the drum (agitator coupling, etc). I think if you take it apart, you’ll find something down in that general area that’s broken. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811/6 "2016-07-14T15:56:14Z")
Thanks. A lot of different things to check out. I’ll look into them. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811/7 "2016-07-14T19:57:11Z")
I can’t imagine that spinning any faster would make the machine shake more. The drum should be balanced, and it usually does spin quite fast normally. If you take it apart, or prop it up to at least look underneath it, there are probably a handful of springs under there. Suspension springs and a counterbalance spring. If any of those are broken, it’s going to lead to some pretty violent shaking. The suspension springs, IIRC, are clustered around the center and basically hold the drum up, or in position, or some such. They’re kind of relatively short and chunky. Then there’s a longer, lighter spring that connects from the drum assembly to the back frame that’s the counterbalance spring. This basically helps keep the drum upright and balanced. That one broke on me recently (as well as the water inlet, motor coupling, and a handful of other things – it’s almost a classic thought experiment at this point). There are a ton of videos on YouTube that walk through these repairs. It’s actually pretty easy and the parts are usually pretty cheap.