1968 Maytag DG606 Won’t Heat

[nothnxplz]

hello everyone!

so we recently bought our first house- a single owner home built in 1964. we inherited a gas dryer, a 1968 (if i’m interpreting the serial number properly) maytag dg606.

the only issue is… it doesn’t quite work. the dryer doesn’t heat. it will spin fine, but doesn’t really dry the clothes. i know the gas is on and connected, i can get the pilot to light using the lever and a lighter, but once i stop holding down the lever the pilot goes out. we have tried contacting a few repairmen, even the place the original homeowner bought the dryer from- but they all say they can’t get replacement parts so they won’t bother.

so far… i’ve read any and everything i could find online related to this model of dryer. from my deductions on other threads, it’s the thermocouple, but i can’t find anywhere else to purchase a replacement. i posted in a vintage appliances facebook group and ordered a dryer pilot safety. also considering just trying to clean the pilot as someone else recommended. when we moved in, the dryer was vented with plastic pipe and there was a rag stuffed in the part of the vent that led outside- we replaced this with the appropriate venting so it’s not that the vents are dirty and that’s causing lack of airflow (i also checked if the pilot would stay lit if i tried it without any venting connected, and it still didn’t).

i’ve also attached some photos, if it helps, from what i can see.

any suggestions for what might be the problem, and how to fix it?

also- am i correct that to get truly inside the dryer, i have to remove the back? it doesn’t have the front screws to lift the front off. i’m nervous about trying to take it apart because i’m not sure about disconnecting the gas line (i don’t think the hose has been touched since the dryer was installed in 68, lol).

 

[maytag85]

Does the pilot stay lit? If not, it’s a bad thermal couple.

 

[nothnxplz]

nope, it will not stay lit once i let the red lever up. everywhere i’ve looked said that the thermocouple id need for this machine isn’t available anymore (i checked ebay and such too). is there a different fix or some place you’d suggest looking for that replacement part?

 

[qsd-dan]

RickR converted an original gas HOH dryer to use the newer SOH gas setup a few years back. He never went into great detail about the conversion but mentioned it was mostly plug and play.

 

[rp2813]

A replacement thermocouple Maytag used on these dryers will be difficult to find.  It's too bad because the DG806 we had was the quietest, fastest, most efficient and easiest set-and-forget dryer I've ever had the pleasure to own, and you would be pleased with your 606 if you could get it working.  That said, the washer it's paired with likely has a larger capacity than a Maytag of the same vintage as your dryer, and you'd have to split completed full washer loads in order to fit them into the dryer.  A newer dryer with a bigger drum would make your life easier.

 

If you do want to pursue the retrofit that Dan mentioned, "HOH" = "Halo of Heat" and "SOH" = "Stream of Heat."  The HOH models have the round lint filter assembly on the rear of the drum and the SOH have it in front of the drum just inside the door.  Others here can provide specifics on when Maytag switched to the SOH system and model numbers to look for.

 

[combo52]

1968 Maytag gas halo of heat dryer

If the pilot lights when you light it and goes out when you release the lever, you have a bad pilot, safety or one that is out of adjustment, there is no thermocouple on this dryer.

Most times you need a new pilot safety. These contain mercury, and they no longer manufacture them, but you may find one. You might also be able to adjust the mechanism. If you get the service manual, it might just be out of adjustment.

To convert this to an electric ignition system is a huge job you have to take the dryer completely apart cabinet off the base, etc..

Probably your best hope of getting this working is to get the manual and be sure the pilot safety has adjusted correctly or trying to find an older repair person who is familiar with this dryer and could look it over and see whether it’s still viable

These were slow dryers when they were made it was the only time Consumer Reports ever tested the dryer and the gas when was slower than the electric counterpart.

They also had a limited capacity and the electronic control system on these dryers often didn’t function correctly as they aged that was another big trouble area.

A new gas dryer would be a lot less trouble, but it is need to keep old things running, depending on how much you want to put into it you may be able to get it running with some help or a lot of research and some work yourself

Good luck post. Any questions that you have? I’m sure will try to help.

John.

 

[lowefficiency]

>> everywhere i’ve looked said that the thermocouple id need for this machine isn’t available anymore (I checked
>> ebay and such too). is there a different fix or some place you’d suggest looking for that replacement part?

argh... I had one up until just a few weeks ago when I finally scrapped the leftovers of the KA606 / KDG606 parts machines I had picked up. Nobody here contacted me about needing those parts, and I didn't want to eBay them (mercury shipping restrictions), so I took that whole assembly to the hazardous waste drop-off site....

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?91799_17~1

And yes, you are correct - these dryers come apart from the rear. The basic process is to remove the rear panel, disconnect the wiring, disconnect the cabinet from the base at the lower sides, then slide the whole cabinet (front/sides/top/control panel together) forward to access the drum, motor, and heating portions. It might be possible to replace some of the gas stuff through the front access door and the rear with just the rear panel off, but I'm not sure...

As an aside - I see you are in Iowa? If you decide to not repair this machine, let me know - I might be interested in what is left for parts...

 

[goatfarmer]

Is it even possible, that the pilot is simply dirty?

 

[combo52]

Maytag gas halo of heat dryers

The gas burner assembly is fully serviceable through the small front access door. You don’t even have to take the back off or move the machine to work on this dryers gas burner , you just reach in turn off the gas valve, loosen the union unplug the wiring from the solenoid take out two screws and the entire assembly is in your hands and will come out through the small service opening.

The pilot is not dirty If it will burn When you hold the lever, you need to take the service manual and check the adjustment of the pilot safety.

I’m sure I have repaired 100s of these over the years and bet you probably could still find the part either used or new.

John

 

[nothnxplz]

thank you everyone for the responses!

someone in another group linked me to this part. i bought it and received today (see photos). https://www.ebay.com/itm/1258214790...ov8WxWewKyt3gJoE_FrCHRoNyBsxo&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

it seems as if that might be the part i need? i might now just need to find the manual for the dryer (or purchase it online). the above part came with a little info sheet, but i might like to have the manual too anyways.

i am glad to hear i don’t have to disassemble the whole thing to work on the parts inside. that is a huge relief! do you know if there’s a video or step by step on how to get it all undone to pull out of the front access door?

i did see some posts and mention of someone’s experience turning this model into electric ignition. an interesting idea and something i might pay somebody to do (if i knew this dryer would work) but not something i feel able to do myself!

if i have to i’ll buy a new gas dryer, but if i can id like to see if i can fix this one just because it will be rewarding, it sounds like it’s a good reliable machine, and because of this one’s history in my house!

i’ll definitely let you know if i can’t repair to see if you might want parts… i’m in iowa city.

 

[combo52]

Maytag pilot safety

That might not be quite the right part the round disc part that’s the size of a quarter is riveted onto a bracket on the part you got, the one on your dryer the round disc might be screwed to the body of the valve, if it is different, you can drill the two rivets out on the part you got, and just use the rest of the new part and it should work fine.

The instructions with the part tell you how to adjust it. Once you install it installation is very straightforward

As I mentioned in my previous post, all you have to do is unplug the dryer from electricity reach into the square opening turn off the gas valve loose in the union on the gas line that screws onto the valve then remove the two 5/16 inch head screws that screw the valve assembly to the base of the dryer and unplug the wiring to the solenoid. Then you can lift the entire assembly out of the dryer and work on it

Once you get it assembled and adjusted put it back in and try it out.

If you’re not comfortable doing this job, you may be able to take the burner assembly and your new part to a furnace repair company or a plumber that works on furnaces. He might be able to assemble this for you as these type of safeties are similar to other gas valves used in other gas appliances.

John

 

[bpetersxx]

oh no here we go again

Mine did the same thing

unfortunately I made the awful decision to replace it

cost and parts if available would have driven up the cost

but then the replacement failed too

the valve failed

John can explain this better than me

Gas valves on Maytag gas dryers usually do not fail it is the components that fail

unfortunately I do not have pics of the DG606 I can kick myself for it I did not think it would fail catastrophically like it did