The problem first started when I noticed that I was getting smoke from the inner drum and it was making a strange noise. At first I thought it might be the stater had burned out so I replaced it not only for the noise but for also an error code (E3) I was getting. Very easy fix that took about 20 minutes. The machine appeared to work properly after that.
About a week later I heard an even louder "clunking" noise. When I heard it I knew I had to take out drum to inspect what it might be. I followed the online video, which is very detailed, to remove the drum and I was able to get it out in under an hour. Upon inspection I found the spider arm (all 3 contact points with the inner drum) had disintegrated due to corrosion from water. The water guide had also broken apart due to abnormal drum movement due to broken spider arm. I ordered the parts and they arrived in a timely manner. I resumed the video where I left off to assist with the reassembly, which again took under an hour. I ran the machine on a regular cycle and it performed like a new machine.
If I hadn't done the repair myself I would've had to pay a repair person well over $600 plus parts or purchase a new machine. By doing the repair myself, it cost me just under $300. I was a little scared to try this but the online video was so detailed that I felt completely confident taking on this task. I'm glad I did. Thanks Appliance Parts Pro! You have a customer for life if I need to repair another appliance.