Tom: I had this problem, too. The spring you found is probably one of three springs that help balance the basket while the machine is in spin mode. I don't know how old your machine is or what model it is, but mine is an older model Kenmore Heavy-Duty 60 Series. If your machine is like mine, the spring is probably not broken. If it is not, another small part fits onto one of the ears of the spring and actually connects it to the frame of the machine. That is the part that was broken on my machine. Inspect the spring you found. It should have two ears on it--one at one end and one on the other. If both ears are intact, take a close look and you will probably see where one or both of the ears are almost worn through. This is where the small connecter piece goes, and it is the side of the spring that goes toward the frame of the machine. If you tilt your machine back and look under it or in the track that sits on the floor, you will probably find an odd piece of metal that is about the same diameter as the...