Do-It-Yourself Story

Based on initial suggestions, replaced shock absorbers(no difference), noticed rubber from front tub and door seal in tub removed top of washer, ran on delicate cycle low spin to observe, tub rubbing on seal. removed seal, front tub cover broken on seal lip, still extremely noisy, out of balance, noise coming from rear area. More research pointed to rear tub support(spider) removed complete tub unit including rotor and stator(quite easy actually) disassembled tub cover, rotor-stator assembly, found spider to be broken into 3 large pieces but still attached to drum by bolts. Replaced front drum cover, Spider(rear drum support), bearings and seal, front tub and door seal(all done on floor with unit removed), re-installed tub unit. Now runs perfectly, quieter than when new. Approx. cost $150 for parts, 4-5 hrs. for repair(could have done in 3) wasn't in any hurry. A little mechanical ability and common sense, makes this an easy repair. Unfortunate that this was not listed as a primary problem to look for in troubleshooting guide with a video to accompany repair.