1972 Maytag HA806 set from Reno

[jwpate]

BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL JOB!!!!

Brian, this restoration looks to be a new standard for excellence.  Just a wonderful job all around, and it has been a delightful afternoon just looking through the photos and admiring the outcome.

 

Best wishes

 

James

 

[oldskool]

Blown Away

Not sure what impresses me more - your tenacious passion for quality, the educational content of your tutorials, the wealth of documentation and pictures or your humility in presentation? Words cannot express my appreciation for all that you've embraced in this display of "Maytagism"!

The pleasure of meeting you last Fall in KC was great. Look forward to another opportunity to pick your genious brain!

Thanks
John

 

[beekeyknee]

Addendum

I wasn't completely satisfied with my restoration from 2015 so I decided to make some changes. This started last summer and I just made my final tweak today. I'll try to keep this as concise as possible as to not bore anyone.

1. Had outer tub powder coated. They didn't have extra dark blue so I had them do it in black.

2. I had a NOS agitator drive shaft so I installed it in the upper transmission half and replaced the trans. oil with real Maytag oil. It's a bit thicker and machine runs quieter.

3. Took out the rubber injector tube and replaced it with a barbed plastic connector. Also removed the little rubber restrictor from the water valve. Water just dumps in now. I like the way it works.

4. Soaked some of the rubber parts that were hard in a wintergreen oil/91% alcohol mixture (one part wg>2 or 3ish parts alcohol) for about a month. Works pretty well. Started putting machine back together.

5. Over the holidays, while at my parent's house, I found an older New Generation machine for sale on CL with the two piece, baffled Powerfin agitator. It may have been a 606. Not sure. Just wanted the agitator out of it. The whole machine was only $45.00. It popped right out with a few tugs. That's the third time I've encountered a baffled agitator and they all came out easily. Seems like an unusual string of good luck, according to what I've heard others say. I fear my luck will be running out. This is the first time I've had one of these apart. I found an "O" ring in the top of the baffle where it fits around the spline. It seems this "O" ring is what creates the seal that keeps the air bubble under the agitator and water away from the spline. The "O" ring in this agitator was beginning to fail, as it had hairline cracks in it. There was actually room for two "O" rings in the top of this baffle and I felt two distinct "pops" or "snaps" as I pushed the baffle back into place in the agitator and I can see a good fit on the bottom ring around the spline. These pieces went together well, felt solid going together and I believe there will be good integrity to maintain an air pocket underneath the agitator. I don't remember anyone addressing the "O" ring before in any other post and I can see now that this part is important. Did I just miss that somewhere?

6. This is the adjustable cool down thermostat that I and others have mentioned before. This addition makes a so - so dryer into a really great one, IMO. Clothes come out pretty cool (about body temperature or lower), with no static on most fabrics and with a lot less lint. I've noticed more lint on the filter with the longer cool down time. I don't know why. Maybe fabrics release more lint when cool? Fabrics seem to be more fluffy too. I think I set the thermostat at around 90 or 95 degrees. Was going to write it down while it was open and forgot. The temperature in the house runs between the upper 60's and lower 70's and the dryer runs for about 10 min. after the bell rings. I glance at the clock and add 10 min. before collecting the clothes.

http://https//www.amazon.com/Methyl...d=1519428620&sr=8-12&keywords=wintergreen+oil

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Ye haw!
I sold my 806 suds saver set to someone here who is now moving on from the Maytag brand and will presumably be selling them as well.
I hope they find their way to someone like you, your work is fantastic and they need the attention.

 

[beekeyknee]

7. Took a page out of Mark's (kenmore71) book and added a light in the console to let me know when the element is on. He used a blue light behind the gas logo, so I decided to use orange neon behind the Maytag logo. I soldered two neons together in parallel, heat shrinked the legs on the lamps and then heat shrinked the whole thing. I connected it to both sides of the element where the ceramic poles are on the reflector. Used a ring terminal on the end of the wires where they connect to the poles.

8. Did a little extra cleaning and oiling while I was in there, especially on that idler pulley.

9. Last I scanned the schematic and caution label, downloaded it on to a USB stick, took it to Staples and had it printed and laminated. Soon I will open the washer, spray the back of the laminates with photo mount adhesive and stick them on the front of the tub.

That's it.

 

[restorer]

What a awesome job you did. What about the cabinet did you paint that yourself? I'm having the hardest time doing my Whirlpool DD its not coming out the way i want it to. Like you it has to be done better then when it was new. Thanks for the help and information

 

[tazz]

I know they're gold but I'm green with envy... Beautiful

 

[askolover]

That's an awesome job!  If I could make a living doing it I'd have a shop working on old washers, dryers, and dishwashers.  It's therapy for me to tinker with stuff.