Hello. We have a 3 yr old washer that recently started making a very loud ticking sound during the spin cycle. Initially I assumed it was a spider flange so I completely disassembled the washer only to find a perfectly intact spider flange and bearing seems very smooth.
I inspected the white balance ring at the front of the tub and it seems to have an odd rattle inside. I don't know anything about this part, I assume it is supposed to have fluid inside but is it supposed to be full? Half full? What is the object moving around inside? It appears to be sealed so I cannot open it up. The balance ring in question seems to be about half full of fluid and there is what sounds like a ball that moves around inside when rotated. However, when it gets to a certain point the fluid seems to clog and stop moving, and if shaken you will hear many little pieces inside and what feels like sludge blocking the movement of the fluid. My guess is that this balance ring is bad and is what has caused the clicking noise and some abnormal out of balance spinning at low speeds. Does this sound reasonable? Can anyone explain what is inside the balance ring and how this peice works? Thanks for the help.

Here is a video of the noise and slight out of balance spinning.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cyWFsEbM5po

My Samsung WF218ANB/XAA front load washer has 2 balance rings, the one on the bottom where the spider assembly is, is very difficult to get out. Is there a way to get it out without damaging the stainless tub? What can I use to pry it out with, I went around the side with a putty knife and there is nothing holding it in there, just seems to be very tight. Any help is appreciated. Thank you