My girlfriend just brought home a Maytag A2MP washer and matching 60-W dryer from an estate sale, and it’s now my job to get them up and running. I’m pretty handy, but I don’t even know where to begin with these things (e.g., how to open up the washer). I would appreciate any advice people care to offer, especially re (1) what NOT to do so that I don’t ruin anything; (2) anything I should inspect/replace/repair/lubricate etc. even if not currently broken; and (3) where on the web to get more info. Anyone who has the time to answer this, thanks!!
Advice on Restoring Maytag A2MP & 60-W
- Thread starter quiggsdj
- Start date
Congratulations on your new vintage machines and welcome to the blog. You've certainly come to the right place. I don't have any experience with the AMP machines so I can't help you much there, but there's an elderly gentleman here in Burbank that's been working on Maytags since he was a kid. He's a storehouse of knowledge and he has a pretty good supply of AMP parts. His business is called Ralph's Maytag Shop(Ralph was his father) and he's located on Victory blvd. It'd be worth it to give him a call if you need any parts, meanwhile there are a number of folks on this blog that can provide advice on repairs.
One thing you'll want to track down is a parts manual for each of your machines. It's very hard to find the parts you're looking for if you don't know the part numbers, so that should be a priority. Automatic Ephemera(a companion site to this one) may have some electronic versions of these for you, I haven't checked, but if not, there are folks here on the blog that have them.
Anyways, good luck with your project and we'd all love to see pictures.
One thing you'll want to track down is a parts manual for each of your machines. It's very hard to find the parts you're looking for if you don't know the part numbers, so that should be a priority. Automatic Ephemera(a companion site to this one) may have some electronic versions of these for you, I haven't checked, but if not, there are folks here on the blog that have them.
Anyways, good luck with your project and we'd all love to see pictures.
Congrats on the amazing finds! I found a similar pair a few years ago. The 60W was Maytag's first production dryer, with yours being built in August of '53. The dryer I found was made in April of '53, making it the earliest known of any example that has shown up over the years. Your dryer is right up there in the top 5 oldest Maytag dryers known to exist!
There is a lot on this site about repairing and restoring the AMP washer. I haven't torn into my dryer yet. Someday.
http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?30848
There is a lot on this site about repairing and restoring the AMP washer. I haven't torn into my dryer yet. Someday.
http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?30848
In going through my manuals this morning I find that I have the parts catalog for your dryer. I recently purchased the parts manuals for the AMP, A2MP, and A3MP on line as well. They aren't here yet, but if you haven't found a set of your own by the time they get here I can scan the one you need and email it to you.
Thanks for posting the pictures of these machines. They seem to be in really nice shape.
Thanks for posting the pictures of these machines. They seem to be in really nice shape.
To swestoyz: "I haven't torn into my dryer yet." You mean the one you got more than 3 years ago (9/03)? So you're saying I'd better do mine now or I never will? (just kidding)
In your thread you said "priming the pump with super hot water" -- is that something I should do? If so, how? Ditto re "NOS water valve" and "new hose to the fill flume".
In your thread you said "priming the pump with super hot water" -- is that something I should do? If so, how? Ditto re "NOS water valve" and "new hose to the fill flume".
Hey there -
A few things to note before powering up your AMP. More than likely, it has sat around for more than a few years. Due to that, there are some precautionary things to look at prior to powering this beauty up.
<ol>
<li>Begin inspection. I think the A2MP has a solid cabinet. You might be better off taking the whole cabinet off (two people required). There should be a service door held on by two screws towards the top of the back side. Once you gain access to the service door, you should find a bunch of wires with some black connectors. Unplug all the wires from the connectors. IIRC, the wires are color coded making it easy to reassemble. Then take the dials off for the timer and the water temp switch, and it's also a good idea to pop the "Maytag" badge off the front. Pulling up from the grey strip on the bottom will release the emblem. With the cabinet off, you can now inspect the hose from the water valve to the fill flume, and inspect the trip lever. If you open the thread I linked to above, I talk about the trip lever in post 12. Take some zoom spout oil and lubricate the trip lever. Move the solenoid several times and add more oil. It make take a few tries to get it fully functioning again. You'll know it's working properly when it goes from agitating to spin without issue.</li>
<li>Take a look at the water valve. It may be fine after all of these years, but it may also leak. You can attempt to use it as is, but note that it might leak. If it does leak I would recommend finding a replacement. </li>
<li>It will probably need a new drive belt. The belt part number is 211125. It is readily available from any parts house.</li>
<li>The pump. The outlet hose from the pump may still be soft and playable. If so go ahead and pour about 3-4 cups of hot water down the drain tube. This will allow the pump rope seal to soften up. Rotate the pump by hand (I rotate it prior a few times just to make sure it isn't completely seized up before putting water in it) with the hot water in the pump. I also take a used Kirby vacuum belt and put it around the cork drive drum. This helps give the pump some extra grip when riding the side of the belt.</li>
<li>The cord. If the cord doesn't crumble in your hands, then you might be OK using it as is to test. I usually replace the cords with a new cord from a box store (I just buy a 16 gauge grounded extension cord and cut the female end off).</li>
<li>Inspect the wires for the mercury switches. Take the lid apart (don't mess with the spring for the leveling control built into the handle!). In post 10 of the link I mentioned earlier, I show a picture of the switches. If the wires haven't crumbled into pieces, you're set. If they're starting to show bare wire, you may want to consider looking for new switches, or heat shrinking some tubing around them. </li>
<li>Testing - before testing, I usually fill the machine using a hose from the faucet rather than using the water valve, but feel free to fill it with the water valve if you're comfortable doing so. These machines meter the water fill different than most other automatic washers. The switches in the lid control two things. The first is the switch on the back side (the single one). That switch tells the machine if the lid is open or not. I've bypassed that switch on my machine (jumping the black wire over to the yellow wire terminal). The other two switches two more important as they tell the machine when to stop filling and when to engage the motor. You can test the machine with the cabinet off (just run those wires you disconnected earlier back to the black connectors without putting the cabinet on), just note that you'll need to push the black float button up with the lid closed. Once the machine starts agitating you can lift the lid if you've bypassed the lid switch. Let the machine agitate for a few minutes, then advance the timer to spin. This machine does not pause for spin, so it should start spinning right away. If it starts clanking it means you need to add more lubrication to the trip lever. Let it spin out the water out and check for leaks!</li>
<li>With the machine back together, you can then test the float built into the agitator. I've seen where these work just fine, or they prematurely pop up regardless of the leveling position on the handle. If it does indeed pop up too early then the bleed hole in the base of the agitator column is either completely plugged or partially plugged. You will need to attend to this if it is tripping the water valve off too soon.</li>
</ol>
Remember to ask questions if you've got any issues or concerns. Study the service manual carefully to get a good understanding of the washer prior to digging into it.
Your dryer should have the revised, fixed motor mount with the idler pulley for the pump. You may need to take the belt to a belt shop and have them size it for you. The water trip switch assembly is quite interesting on these. I'm thinking Mark (Kenmore71) has the service manual scanned for this. Hopefully he can be of some assistance.
Good luck!
Ben
A few things to note before powering up your AMP. More than likely, it has sat around for more than a few years. Due to that, there are some precautionary things to look at prior to powering this beauty up.
<ol>
<li>Begin inspection. I think the A2MP has a solid cabinet. You might be better off taking the whole cabinet off (two people required). There should be a service door held on by two screws towards the top of the back side. Once you gain access to the service door, you should find a bunch of wires with some black connectors. Unplug all the wires from the connectors. IIRC, the wires are color coded making it easy to reassemble. Then take the dials off for the timer and the water temp switch, and it's also a good idea to pop the "Maytag" badge off the front. Pulling up from the grey strip on the bottom will release the emblem. With the cabinet off, you can now inspect the hose from the water valve to the fill flume, and inspect the trip lever. If you open the thread I linked to above, I talk about the trip lever in post 12. Take some zoom spout oil and lubricate the trip lever. Move the solenoid several times and add more oil. It make take a few tries to get it fully functioning again. You'll know it's working properly when it goes from agitating to spin without issue.</li>
<li>Take a look at the water valve. It may be fine after all of these years, but it may also leak. You can attempt to use it as is, but note that it might leak. If it does leak I would recommend finding a replacement. </li>
<li>It will probably need a new drive belt. The belt part number is 211125. It is readily available from any parts house.</li>
<li>The pump. The outlet hose from the pump may still be soft and playable. If so go ahead and pour about 3-4 cups of hot water down the drain tube. This will allow the pump rope seal to soften up. Rotate the pump by hand (I rotate it prior a few times just to make sure it isn't completely seized up before putting water in it) with the hot water in the pump. I also take a used Kirby vacuum belt and put it around the cork drive drum. This helps give the pump some extra grip when riding the side of the belt.</li>
<li>The cord. If the cord doesn't crumble in your hands, then you might be OK using it as is to test. I usually replace the cords with a new cord from a box store (I just buy a 16 gauge grounded extension cord and cut the female end off).</li>
<li>Inspect the wires for the mercury switches. Take the lid apart (don't mess with the spring for the leveling control built into the handle!). In post 10 of the link I mentioned earlier, I show a picture of the switches. If the wires haven't crumbled into pieces, you're set. If they're starting to show bare wire, you may want to consider looking for new switches, or heat shrinking some tubing around them. </li>
<li>Testing - before testing, I usually fill the machine using a hose from the faucet rather than using the water valve, but feel free to fill it with the water valve if you're comfortable doing so. These machines meter the water fill different than most other automatic washers. The switches in the lid control two things. The first is the switch on the back side (the single one). That switch tells the machine if the lid is open or not. I've bypassed that switch on my machine (jumping the black wire over to the yellow wire terminal). The other two switches two more important as they tell the machine when to stop filling and when to engage the motor. You can test the machine with the cabinet off (just run those wires you disconnected earlier back to the black connectors without putting the cabinet on), just note that you'll need to push the black float button up with the lid closed. Once the machine starts agitating you can lift the lid if you've bypassed the lid switch. Let the machine agitate for a few minutes, then advance the timer to spin. This machine does not pause for spin, so it should start spinning right away. If it starts clanking it means you need to add more lubrication to the trip lever. Let it spin out the water out and check for leaks!</li>
<li>With the machine back together, you can then test the float built into the agitator. I've seen where these work just fine, or they prematurely pop up regardless of the leveling position on the handle. If it does indeed pop up too early then the bleed hole in the base of the agitator column is either completely plugged or partially plugged. You will need to attend to this if it is tripping the water valve off too soon.</li>
</ol>
Remember to ask questions if you've got any issues or concerns. Study the service manual carefully to get a good understanding of the washer prior to digging into it.
Your dryer should have the revised, fixed motor mount with the idler pulley for the pump. You may need to take the belt to a belt shop and have them size it for you. The water trip switch assembly is quite interesting on these. I'm thinking Mark (Kenmore71) has the service manual scanned for this. Hopefully he can be of some assistance.
Good luck!
Ben
Wow, that is cool. The outer tub of your AMP was made only 3 days after mine. That's pretty sweet!
More than likely the oil you see has spilled from the clutch. I've torn apart AMP's where the clutch was almost dry and there some clutches where they have completely filled with oil from the transmission leaking down. A little oil is OK in the clutch.
Once you get the machine up and running you'll be able to tell if the transmission is low on oil by the noise it makes. If it's pretty quiet with no groaning then it's fine, if it groans loudly through the whole wash then it's leaked out most of it's oil.
Ben
More than likely the oil you see has spilled from the clutch. I've torn apart AMP's where the clutch was almost dry and there some clutches where they have completely filled with oil from the transmission leaking down. A little oil is OK in the clutch.
Once you get the machine up and running you'll be able to tell if the transmission is low on oil by the noise it makes. If it's pretty quiet with no groaning then it's fine, if it groans loudly through the whole wash then it's leaked out most of it's oil.
Ben
Ben: I’m a bit confused here. According to the parts list, (a) the power unit uses 1.75 pounds of grease [part 56080-X; the Service Manual further specifies “Texaco 1922 RCXWM Multi-Duty C”]; (b) the center shaft uses 1 pound of grease [part 56085-X]; and (c) the clutch uses 4 tablespoons of “power unit oil” [part 55963-X]. In my mind, grease is a paste while oil is a fluid, and this stuff on the floor is definitely a fluid. Yet you refer to “transmission oil”?
Also, on a thread about the Maytag 101P (which is AMP-ish), someone (Greg?) said that the "belt is a 4L420, available at most hardware stores (Ace, Tru-Value, Hardware Hank) for around $7" - do you think that's true for this machine?
Also, on a thread about the Maytag 101P (which is AMP-ish), someone (Greg?) said that the "belt is a 4L420, available at most hardware stores (Ace, Tru-Value, Hardware Hank) for around $7" - do you think that's true for this machine?
Yes, the RMA belt number Greg referenced will work on the AMP's. It will not work on later Helical drive design Maytags, but the helical drive belt I referenced earlier is backwards compatible with the AMP as the helical belt is designed to slip and act as a clutch. AMP's don't need the belt to clutch but the belt is the same physical size.
The part numbers they are referencing by the pound sure sound like wringer grease part numbers. These transmissions were filled with a 70w non-detergent like oil, which is probably what they are referring to as the 'power-unit' oil. It would have been the same oil used in the clutch. The only thing that seals the transmission internally is an o-ring that becomes hard with time, and eventually the transmission oil will seep past this o-ring down the input shaft. This is the Achilles heel to all Maytag automatics (helical and AMP).
There's a good possibility that the o-ring on this Maytag has started leaking.
Ben[this post was last edited: 10/17/2013-13:23]
The part numbers they are referencing by the pound sure sound like wringer grease part numbers. These transmissions were filled with a 70w non-detergent like oil, which is probably what they are referring to as the 'power-unit' oil. It would have been the same oil used in the clutch. The only thing that seals the transmission internally is an o-ring that becomes hard with time, and eventually the transmission oil will seep past this o-ring down the input shaft. This is the Achilles heel to all Maytag automatics (helical and AMP).
There's a good possibility that the o-ring on this Maytag has started leaking.
Ben[this post was last edited: 10/17/2013-13:23]
Congratulations on a wonderful vintage find. I have a similar washer (AMP) and use it from time to time.
Here is the service manual for that washer....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-Maytag...144?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256c0fbad0
Here is the service manual for that washer....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-Maytag...144?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256c0fbad0
Trouble begins
So now I'm starting to run up against the hard decision of whether to restore this thing properly, or just enough to get it running. The oil leak is from a chip/break in the "Rubber stopper for oil pan" {part 2-10696}; this chip is visible top center in the photo. I can do this right (take apart the assembly held together with rusted-out bolts, replace stopper), or fudge it (rubber/caulk, duct tape, etc).
So now I'm starting to run up against the hard decision of whether to restore this thing properly, or just enough to get it running. The oil leak is from a chip/break in the "Rubber stopper for oil pan" {part 2-10696}; this chip is visible top center in the photo. I can do this right (take apart the assembly held together with rusted-out bolts, replace stopper), or fudge it (rubber/caulk, duct tape, etc).
And here is huge amount of scale on the water pump. This is just external, but it makes me wonder about leakage. I'm tempted to remove and clean, but: risky.
Likewise, the big blue tub had a huge amount of loose scale in it (which I've tried to vaccuum out, rather than have it go through the pump). This is what you get from 60 years of hard water, I guess.
Likewise, the big blue tub had a huge amount of loose scale in it (which I've tried to vaccuum out, rather than have it go through the pump). This is what you get from 60 years of hard water, I guess.
Hey there -
Sorry about taking a while to get back to you. Actually, things look pretty good! You've got a solid project there judging from the most recent photos.
I was expecting to see more oil on the clutch housing but it seems that it truly was just the stopper that caused the leak. My take on things like this is to do it right and not use a work around. This being because this item will spin and you never know if a work-around is going to hold.
The water valve doesn't look bad at all - just some dirty screens. Pull the valve out or just pull the screens with the valve in place. Clean them (I usually soak them in vinegar when there is scale present but you can try brushing them) and re-install.
The pump doesn't look horribly bad either. The white stuff is excess soap that may have seeped from the gasket or leaked from the tub outlet hose. You mentioned that you tried removing soap scum from the outer tub, so I'm not surprised to see it on the pump as well. I would leave it as is for testing purposes.
Ben
Sorry about taking a while to get back to you. Actually, things look pretty good! You've got a solid project there judging from the most recent photos.
I was expecting to see more oil on the clutch housing but it seems that it truly was just the stopper that caused the leak. My take on things like this is to do it right and not use a work around. This being because this item will spin and you never know if a work-around is going to hold.
The water valve doesn't look bad at all - just some dirty screens. Pull the valve out or just pull the screens with the valve in place. Clean them (I usually soak them in vinegar when there is scale present but you can try brushing them) and re-install.
The pump doesn't look horribly bad either. The white stuff is excess soap that may have seeped from the gasket or leaked from the tub outlet hose. You mentioned that you tried removing soap scum from the outer tub, so I'm not surprised to see it on the pump as well. I would leave it as is for testing purposes.
Ben
First Test
Well, it agitates properly (and the light bulb goes on!), but (1) it doesn't spin and (2) doesn't run the water pump. Based on what I've read here, my diagnosis is (1) the trip lever business needs more lubrication, and (2) the pump wheel needs more friction via a kirby belt.
Well, it agitates properly (and the light bulb goes on!), but (1) it doesn't spin and (2) doesn't run the water pump. Based on what I've read here, my diagnosis is (1) the trip lever business needs more lubrication, and (2) the pump wheel needs more friction via a kirby belt.
Still no spin
Still no spin. I've manipulated and lubricated the brake arm, trip level and damper collar (per Illus. 27 in Post# 122377 in Thread 5906), and the collar seems to be moving freely (although without disassembly, I can't tell what the full range of motion should be), but still no spin. There's a loud clunk (solenoid I assume), the agitation stops, and there's no other noises (no moaning or clicking) but no spin. Could it be the clutch? Brakes not releasing? Any ideas gang?
Still no spin. I've manipulated and lubricated the brake arm, trip level and damper collar (per Illus. 27 in Post# 122377 in Thread 5906), and the collar seems to be moving freely (although without disassembly, I can't tell what the full range of motion should be), but still no spin. There's a loud clunk (solenoid I assume), the agitation stops, and there's no other noises (no moaning or clicking) but no spin. Could it be the clutch? Brakes not releasing? Any ideas gang?
Could this have anything to do with the fact that I'm doing all this with the tub empty
No the machine should actually pick up speed faster without the weight of water and clothes.
There is a chance that the brake isn't releasing. With the machine unplugged can you depress the brake release solenoid manually and easily turn the wash basket? Then with it powered on and operating can you see the brake release via the solenoid operate in the same way?
No the machine should actually pick up speed faster without the weight of water and clothes.
There is a chance that the brake isn't releasing. With the machine unplugged can you depress the brake release solenoid manually and easily turn the wash basket? Then with it powered on and operating can you see the brake release via the solenoid operate in the same way?
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