Maytag A506 Spins but won't Agitate

[lebron]

Hi all, working on a Maytag A506 that is smoking belts at the motor pulley because the transmission pulley is tough to turn. The belts are FSP just a couple years old. The motor has play to move back and forth and feels smooth in its tracks. The machine spins out and pumps out just fine. The agitator barely moves when you manually turn the transmission pulley. Does this mean the transmission is shot?

 

[combo52]

Maytag dependable care washer with Pittman transmission

Unfortunately, it sounds like the top agitator shaft is locking up in the transmissions upper housing, easiest way to fix this to get a good donor transmission. You’ll probably need a new seal and stem kit to make it a lasting repair.

The three major causes of these older Maytag failing is the transmission or the damper pads have gone too far or the timers which you’re getting hard to find for many models.

We recycle about a dozen of these machines a year now they’re becoming less and less just like with old belt drive whirlpool products and GE filter flow products. There’s very few of them left out in the field.

John L

 

[lebron]

Maytag dependable care washer with Pittman transmission

Unfortunately, it sounds like the top agitator shaft is locking up in the transmissions upper housing, easiest way to fix this to get a good donor transmission. You’ll probably need a new seal and stem kit to make it a lasting repair.

The three major causes of these older Maytag failing is the transmission or the damper pads have gone too far or the timers which you’re getting hard to find for many models.

We recycle about a dozen of these machines a year now they’re becoming less and less just like with old belt drive whirlpool products and GE filter flow products. There’s very few of them left out in the field.

John L

Thanks for chiming in and confirming my suspicion. This machine is actually my mom's daily driver. I will probably have no choice but to tell her to get a new one. Which really is a shame as I doubt a new one will last 40 years like this one. But that's just the way she goes.