Amana Washer Help

[bwoods]

Any of you ever had an Amana washer similar to the one on the attached Craigslist link? I am considering buying this and attempting to fix it.

If so, what did you think of an Amana top loader (I have never had nor used one) and are they difficult to effect repairs on.

Would it be worth the $25??

thanks.

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/app/2586422567.html

 

[rp2813]

That looks a lot like the belt-eating Raytheon machine I had.  I'd steer clear of it.

 

[gansky1]

This looks like a Maytag-Amana. Saw lots of these behind Lowes a few years back, almost all with the same problems. Run away from this unless you like a doing a lot of work for a mediocre washer.

 

[angus]

This actually looks like the "Goodman" built Amana of the 2000-2001 era just before Maytag subsumed Amana. That is the washer I had that lasted only three years before the main tub seal went. That was a common problem with those models and no repair person wanted to tear the whole machine down for that repair. I would agree with Greg's advice and steer clear. That machine looked deceptively like a sturdy well built unit, until you looked under the hood. The only machine I recall that was worse than that was the first generation of the "plastic GE's". Had one of those also and it lasted a whole 18 months before its demise.

 

[goatfarmer]

Most of those I see have leaked and ruined the bearings. I'd take it for free, that's about it.

 

[foraloysius]

So, the Raytheon ones weren't any good, the Goodman's weren't and the Maytag ones weren't very good either. Question is if there were any good Amana's at all? I sort of had a soft spot for them because I liked the electronic set so much, I think those were from the late nineties.

 

[bosch2460]

Had it, Loved it.....

I had that exact model back in 1990, or 1991. It was the best Top loading washer I have ever used. It usually saw up to 20 loads per week, for at least 3 years. That also included washing diapers every other day for all those years. It never gave me a moments trouble. Even when I replaced it with a FL, it was still working perfectly.

Joel

 

[neptune]

I had one but it did not have the speed control. It lasted 11 years with at least 20-30 loads a week every week. In the 11 years I had it, it never had given us a problem until recently the bearings went and we decided to get a front loader.
-Neptune

 

[mrb627]

Touchscreen Pair

I bought a touchscreen pair back in 1997 and they are still going strong at my Aunt's house. Only repair was a new heating element in the dryer about a year ago.

Malcolm

 

[peterh770]

The problem is that the belt might have been replace and the motor was not retentioned properly.  Or the motor simply came loose and needs to be retentioned...

 

[whirlcool]

Just watch out for the Amanatags. Those are horrible machines, maybe some of the most unreliable ever built! However, this one does not seem to be an Amanatag. You can always check to see if it's an Amanatag by the model number. If it starts with SAV, you know it's an Amanatag and run as fast as possible.

I am sure there are quite a few of them lurking in basements somewhere!

 

[circlew]

Amana laundry equipment

The Amana washers and dryers built during Raytheon's ownership were basically the same as Speed Queen, another Raytheon company. Amana did not make laundry machines until Raytheon bought Speed Queen from McGraw-Edison in 1979.

In 1998, Raytheon decided to divest the appliance divisions (Amana, ModernMaid and Speed Queen). Speed Queen was sold to Alliance Laundry Systems, and Amana and ModernMaid to Goodman. Goodman kept them for a short time, and then sold them to Maytag (now Whirlpool), except the Amana HVAC division which Goodman still owns.

 

[lovestowash]

Zero problems so far...

I bought the model just below this one, w/o the speed control, about a year ago, on Craigslist for $50...

The tub and agitator look, sound, and wash just like the Speed Queens you see on YouTube...

Huge capacity, and vigorous turnover...

And a very smooth, vibration-free spin...

 

George

 

[bwoods]

thank-you!

Wow. Thanks for all the great information. I will probably check and see if the machine is still available this week.

Just our of curiosity. For those of you who had one of these, does it have a neutral drain or a spin drain.

Also, does it use spray rinse as well as deep rinse??

 

[rp2813]

My '97 Amana employed a spin drain. It provided a skimpy spray rinse that wasn't nearly thorough enough, and overall I gave the machine an "F" where rinsing was concerned.

 

Once we got our Duet pair, everything that had been washed in the Amana and was going through the Duet for the first time produced piles of suds. A testament to the lousy job the Amana did at rinsing.

 

Even after reading the testimonials from those who had good luck with an Amana, my experience has been echoed by others here, and I still cannot in good conscience recommend pursuing the subject machine, particularly if there's an issue in your household with sensitivity to detergent residue.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Be careful

If the machine's data plate has the Raytheon name then it was built like a Speed Queen and should be a good washer. If not get the hell away from it. Both Goodman and Maytag did a bad job with this design. If you want this type of washer get a SQ that was made by Alliance Laundry Systems. The name will be Speed Queen, UniMac, or Hubesch.

 

[lovestowash]

FWIW...

My Amana has a spin drain...

And midway through the spin, there's about a 20-second spray rinse...

Mine is one that fills the tub to the very top on the largest load setting, and has a 2nd rinse option...

I've never had the need for the extra rinse, and tend to prefer the HE detergents, as I also have a Westy...

 

George