Kenmore 500 series washer drum issue

We recently redid the floor in our laundry room. The first load of laundry I did afterwards caused the washer to "walk" across the floor. I assumed the new floor was more slippery and added non skid pads to the feet. The next load also caused the washer to "walk" again. The next load I supervised and realized that during the spin cycle the drum was knocking very badly. I tried rebalancing the load several times with no success. I then re-leveled the washer and it was still knocking. Emptied all the clothes out and the drum with no load still knocks quite badly. Checked all springs and pads and nothing seems to be worn or broken. We then added a solid support board thinking the new floor wasn't enough support. Still knocking. Went into the crawl space and added a floor jack support. Still knocking. The washer had no issues prior to moving and changing the flooring. I am at a complete loss as to what the problem can be. I have a Kenmore 500 series model number 110.29522800 just over 3 years old. We went from a double layer of peel and stick tiles over 1/4" underlayment to a sheet vinyl over 1/4" underlayment. The new floor is quite level and secure.

 

Washer basket should float on pads. Tub should feel loose, If not when you moved washer you got the tub off the skate plate # 14 on diagram. Tub floats on plate, A real pain to fix, Usually will have to dissemble washer to fix. let us know what you find will tell how to do it.
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/part...od=11029522800

 

The drum moves freely in all directions with slight hand pressure. Looking from the bottom drum seems to be sitting on plate. When moving drum though, I did notice it seems to have more play going straight back and clunks against back. In all other directions more force is required to get it to clunk.

 

Sounds like it is on the plate ok. There are 3 springs around tub and a balance spring in back from tub to frame. Your washer doesn't seem old enough for that spring to have gone bad but the next thing I check for your problem.

 

We are going to open it up later today to inspect better. I'll let you know what we find.

 

Need help disassembling unit

 

Ok, so we took it all apart. Inspected the plate, pads and springs. No obvious signs of wear. Cleaned everything really good. Checked the balance ring. Everything looks good to my untrained eye when comparing to vids and pics. Reassembled unit and releveled. It's still knocking pretty good with no load! Anything I missed or should look for now? It does seem slightly better but still rocking pretty hard. I'm at a loss and any ideas would be very helpful. I have 4 kiddos and the laundries piling up pretty good

 

By what you are describing..... there are two possible issues......the springs or the balancing ring.

It's hard to inspect the springs. They don't have to be broken to be defective.
The three primary springs are part # 3 and the balance spring is part # 12.
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-model/Kenmore-Parts/Washer-Parts/Model-11029522800/0582/0153200/K0810006/00006


Normally just changing the springs will take care of the problem.
The second part I mentioned, balancing ring, is shown in the next link. Read the page. It gives some diagnostic info.
Whirlpool 387240 Ring-Bal - AppliancePartsPros.com

 

Next thing I would guess is basket, springs are cheaper and easier to replace, Basket usually has 10 year warranty. check owners manual. Not a common problem and hard to check.

 

This sounds like the exact problem I'm having, so I was wondering if you found the problem.