I have an approx 7 yr old Maytag Bravos top loader that I am trying to fix a balance problem with. It always falls out of balance with about 12 minutes left when it's trying to spin out. I read lots of articles about the suspension rods wearing out on these machines so I installed a new set. Same issue is still occurring. Unfortunately on almost every forum thread I've read on this issue, the rods fix the problem so not having any luck finding any further troubleshooting steps.

My wife is at her wits end since it takes about 2-3 days to do a single load of laundry. She liked the washer before it started having issues and we're trying to avoid the money of buying a new washer. Any help or input would be greatly appreciated.

I'm at my wits end with this washer. Did the bearing kit yesterday afternoon and let the sealant cure overnight. While I had the tub out, I inspected it and everything looked good. I could hear water sloshing around in the balance rings at the top and bottom of the tub. The old shaft when rotated by hand was making a little noise but after I punched the old bearings out, they weren't making any noise when I rotated them by hand. I didn't see any abnormal wear on the shaft either like anything was seized up. There also wasn't any spun out grease or anything under the machine.

So this morning I ran the C0 test and it spun with no issues. I then put the machine on a spin only cycle, speed at high and ran it with the tub empty. It ran flawlessly and was whisper quiet. I then put a small load of clothes on and started a normal cycle. Got down to 12 minutes for the spin cycle and it started thrashing around violently and went out of balance again. UL code showed. Everything was evenly distributed but I rearranged everything anyway and started it again. Same deal. Fell wildly out of balance trying to get up to speed.

Should I try another suspension kit? I bought the kit from Amazon and it appeared to be new/unused but I can't think of anything else it could be at this point. I would think if the tub was the issue, it would occur even when empty but this thing hums right along with no issues if empty.

I am having the same issue but with a Whirlpool Cabrio top load machine. I have had a repairman look at it and he says the stator is cracked. It is easy to inspect, so I checked it myself after he left. There is just minimal cracks in the stator around the inside. Does anybody think this would cause the imbalance issue. Or do I just spend the $150 on the part and try it? I have also replaced the bearings and shaft on this machine 6 months ago. I did the test on the suspension rods and see no issues. Any advice is appreciated!

So suspension seemed fine when doing the bounce test and now it goes out of balance when empty. Could a cracked stator cause a balance issue? Mine had a couple minor cracks on the interior but I didn't think it would be a problem since it is a stationary part.

I ran the rinse and spin cycle and it seemed to run fine. However, it did seem there was more noise than what I expected for the spin cycle.