Amana ALW432RAW

[justjunque]

Hi all,

It's my first day on AW.
I've been a member at Vacuumland for about a year.
Today, I posted over there about my washing machine, and a member suggested joining here.

I don't have a problem with the washer, per se.
I mostly was just curious as to how old it is, and what people think of it in general.

It came with our house when we bought it, and we've been very happy with it.

A couple/few years ago, a technician was working on it, and told us about the "milking stool" in these machines.
He detected a slight noise that it was making when running, and said that's where it was coming from.
He also said that basically, when that part goes, the washer is pretty much done for.
Not that it can't be fixed, but that it's such a big job, we probably wouldn't find anyone willing to do it.

That was at least a couple of years ago, and it's still going strong.
We're careful not to overload it, since we don't want to hasten its demise.
I truly don't think there's a new machine that I would want to replace it.
We always thought Speed Queen, but they're not like they used to be.

A member on Vacuumland didn't know exactly when it was made, but that it was during the time that Amana and Speed Queen were made by the same company.
I think, if we could find someone to do it, we'd just spend the money to keep this machine going rather than try to replace it.
And hopefully, we don't have to cross that bridge any time soon!

Any info, thoughts, comments would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Barry

 

[lorainfurniture]

That is basically a speed queen washer. Milk stool failure is only when the thing grinds itself into oblivion or it cracks. I’ve seen one crack before.... once.

I would definitely fix it when the time comes. Parts are cheap and this washer is relatively diy friendly.

 

[yogitunes]

this is the model prone to seal failure, not saying that yours ever will, as my MIL has one we got for her brand new many yeas ago, and still running strong...

Raytheon was building these at the time.....

when Alliance took over, they did a seal revision, which took care of that issue....

not sure if the new revised seals by Alliance will fit these, JohnL would know....

in the mean time, and it may be rare, but I would keep an eye out for a used SQ, and when the time comes, especially if its a matched set, flip the body over to the SQ base....

as for the squeak noise, it could be the tripod, but most noise comes from the brake being dry...theres a little squeak with each agitation stroke...

 

[estesguy]

Question...

When did Alliance take over from Raytheon? This is mentioned quite frequently, but I never see an exact date on this. I had one of these machines I purchased in 2000 from Wards when they were going out of business. This was one of the biggest POS's I've ever owned. Seal went out at 6 years, and I believe took the motor with it, as there was smoke coming from the machine. At that time I didn't bother to investigate it. The matching dryer ran way too hot, and had a clunking sound every time you started it up until it warmed up. I think from the drum seam going over the rollers. Just junked them both.

 

[justjunque]

Wow

Yikes!
We've had such good luck with this washer, and like it so much!
Maybe we just have a good one?
We don't have the dryer, so I can't comment on that.
Our dryer is a natural gas Whirlpool.
It was here when we bought the house.

I'm not the DIY type. Not mechanically inclined at all.
So, any repairs require calling a repair guy.

I was just hoping someone would know exactly how old it is.
We've been in this house nine years, and, like the dryer, it was here from the previous owners.
In that time, very little service has been needed, and it does a great job at everything we need it to do.
I have a batch of bedding in it as I write this!

Barry

 

[yogitunes]

your machine was built AUGUST 2002

have to admit, you keep him very well clean inside and out....

 

[justjunque]

Thanks Martin

I try.
Since I don't work on my appliances and vacuums myself, I try to do my part by keeping them looking good.

Barry

 

[repairguy]

We sold a lot of these at the appliance store I was working for at the time. They were great heavy duty machines except for the center seals. I replaced a lot of those seals. The leaks were usually small enough to go unnoticed until it ruined the bearing underneath it and burnt the belt. I still think they are good machines despite the seal issues.

 

[justjunque]

Hey Melvin

At about what age would the seal usually go?
I'm wondering if the previous owners may have had it replaced before we got the machine.
Is there some sort of "new and improved" seal that can be installed to eliminate the problem?
Just in case I'm ever able to find a repair guy who is willing to actually "repair" an appliance, not just tell me I need a new one.

Barry

 

[repairguy]

If I remember correctly, it seems like the seals were lasting 4-5 years. In my opinion from what I saw it seemed like the better the quality of the homes water supply the longer the seal would last. Maytag brands including Amana at the time were bought by whirlpool in 2006 and the designs of the aforementioned brands went away. I’m not sure if the seal was ever revised or not.

 

[man114]

My parents have the digital control version of this washer purchased when Circuit City stopped carrying appliances. Still going strong though my dad had to replace the belt once.

 

[justjunque]

Erik,
Excellent. That's good to hear.
I've always felt more confident in old fashioned knobs and dials than digital controls.
Especially since the Roper electric range that was here when we bought the house had to be replaced a couple of years ago, when the circuit board gave out.
The tech told us the part was no longer available.
Of course, I hadn't discovered y'all yet at that point.
I was disappointed. I really liked that unit.
But it sounds like the controls on your parents washer have been fine.

Melvin,
Hmmm. 4-5 years.
We've been in this house going on ten years, and the only leak I remember having in that time was from the drain hose.
If the seal has been replaced, either it was done when the previous owners lived here, or I've forgotten that we had it done. (Not outside the realm of possibility. The memory ain't what it used to be)
Or...our seal is on some serious borrowed time!

Barry

 

[combo52]

Main Seal Life

Is greatly influenced by water and detergent conditions, in general softer water will reduce mineral build-up that will destroy a seal very quickly, if your water is not fairly soft be sure your are using plenty of good detergent, also resist doing 2nd deep rinses as this not only puts 50% more running time on the seal but there is not much detergent left in the 2nd rinse to soften the water and lucubrate the seal.

Also keep in mind that the worst thing most users do to a washer or dryer is UNDER LOADING doing so can cause you to run extra loads every week, a washer, dryer or DW will only run so many times before things wear out and fail, only severe overloading is going to do any harm to a modern W&D.

John L.

 

[man114]

Barry,

Never once was there an issue with the digital controls. Speed Queen may have based theirs off the design and nixed the VFD display that was used in the digital model, the button layout and load settings are pretty similar. Alliance probably ended up with the designs when they ended up with Speed Queen. I should note it was plugged into some small single outlet Jasco appliance surge suppressor for most of its life (it may still be) that was on clearance at Target or somewhere. The VFD is still bright and the touch controls still work fine.

I want to say my dad only paid about $500 for it New when Circuit City marked the appliances to 50% off, it was like $998 normally. I was actually the one who convinced him to buy it I just told him might as well go all out if they are 50% off.

That thing has been used heavily. My sister and I still stayed there in college about half the time, my wife and I lived there while looking for a house, my mom occasionally takes my sister’s or our laundry if we get behind due to something since she’s retired.

Only thing ever replaced was the belt.

 

[rp2813]

We had the 1997 Raytheon version of this exact machine for nine years.  Water in our area is fairly hard.  The seal never failed, but the machine went through three belts, which aren't complicated to replace, but aren't Maytag easy either.  I found that very annoying and sloppy on the part of Raytheon.  I never felt I could trust that machine, and kept extending the extended service coverage for the entire time we had it (which was before I discovered this site).  Service techs replaced the belts, but I watched.

 

The companion dryer was bad.  The ones produced these days by Alliance are no better.  An inferior design that Alliance stubbornly refuses to upgrade with proper sensors, which wouldn't cost them much to do.  Your Whirlpool dryer is an incredibly reliable machine based on a tried and true design that has been in use for decades.  That machine is worth fixing.

 

The only reason I'd say your Amana is worth fixing is because you can't find an old-school top load machine with long stroke agitation anymore.  However, we replaced our Amana with a Whirlpool front loading pair in 2006.  Stains on clothing that the Amana failed to remove disappeared after a single run through the Whirlpool.  As a result, and also because water use is an ongoing issue where we live, I am a firm believer in front load laundering technology.

 

[man114]

I had the matching Amana dryer to this and I agree the dryer design needs an upgrade. It lasted a long time though in fact I sold it about 3 years to an older gentleman because the dial control went and you could only use the timer dry cycle or it wouldn’t even try heating. I didn’t have time to watch the thing but since he was retired he didn’t care about watching to see if stuff was dry.

 

[justjunque]

Thanks guys

Erik:
That's good to hear.
I think my in-laws had some issues with their digital controls on their SQ.
That was the era of SQ that was very similar to our Amana.
We always said that if we got a SQ, we'd get the non-digital version.
But now, we're not even considering a new SQ.
As long as this Amana keeps going, or can be fixed, we're keeping it!

Ralph:
I'm happy to hear that about our dryer too!
I know I do love me some Whirlpools!
We were a little unsure about it when we bought the house, because neither of us had any previous experience with a gas dryer.
But it's been great!
If we ever did have to replace these, or if I was able to have a second pair to play with, I'd love a matched pair of vintage Whirlpools!

I'm including a picture of the info on Mom's current dryer.
That's about as new as I'd want to go, and is a style that I would like.
Or older, like the one she had before this one.

Can anyone date this dryer by the tag?

Thanks,
Barry

 

[DADoES]

 
M = 1984 model year.

506 = 6th week of 1985 manufacture date.

 

[justjunque]

Glenn

Thank you!
Please forgive my not knowing.
Would that mean that the style was introduced in 1984, and this specific machine was built the sixth week of 1985?

You guys are going to get me thrown out of my home!
My wife barely tolerates my small collection of vacuums.
The more time I spend on this site, the more I want at least one vintage washer/dryer pair!

Barry