Our washing machine is banging excessively. I opened the back panel and discovered that both shock absorbers have broken at the attachment point on the drum. Given the age, I would like to order a pair of shock absorbers and replace them myself. Has anyone done this? What about the plastic pins? Do they need to be replaced as well, or can they be reused? Are they threaded? What's the easiest way to remove them?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Maude

The shock absorbers (AP3856711) come with complete instructions but with only one spare plastic pin.
I found the pins hard to get off with the limited space provided. You will need to pull out the front bottom panel and the entire rear panel. It's helpfull to have two people to do this, one prying/pulling and the other squeezing the retainer tab.Also good to use WD-40.
Buying your part here will support this site. At $28.65 a good buy compared to $36.50 on other sites and only $4 over wholesale.