Avocado Maytag KA606 / KDG606 Parts Machine Pair

[combo52]

Reply number 37

If the Maytag washer just squeals, as the tub comes to a stop, it’s not the belts you have a dry brake assembly.

Usually adding an ounce or two of oil will solve the problem even though the brake lighting might be worn away, that will usually make it work for many years, this condition does not hurt anything if you want to keep using it and it’s kind of a nice signal the first time at screeches go put fabric softener in the second time you take the clothes out and put them in the dryer.

John.

 

[lowefficiency]

Thanks guys. I've been trying to figure it out - do you think the damaged water pump, perhaps much earlier in its life, might have been a contributor to its demise? I'm wondering if the machine became incapable of fully pumping out the water, basically leaving water (and detergent and debris) in the tub every time it ran... ?

These machines don't owe me anything - I got my money's worth just from the two-speed motors. And they aren't sentimental, and no laundry is piling up waiting for them to be fixed, so that all makes the teardown more enjoyable. So it's just practice for the future, and basically anything salvageable is a bonus.

I *do* now have a better understanding why service technicians will no longer work on these. Even if a customer was OK with the labor time, there's just no telling what you will find inside, or how many parts you will ultimately need to replace... [this post was last edited: 12/6/2022-10:17]

 

[lowefficiency]

A few more pictures - the spin tube has some heavy scoring on it, so it's been running dry for a while. A lot of crud buildup too, both of which are mirrored on the inside of the outer bushing as well. The agitator shaft isn't the worst I've seen, but I'll have to wire brush it to see what is crud and what is rust. I don't remember feeling any lateral play in the top bushing.

I have no plans to rebuild this transmission anytime soon, if ever, but I might split the case at some point just in the name of discovery. Either way, I'll hold onto it in case I need an internal part in the future (such as the gear that shattered its teeth in my parents A308).

In-Place Maytag Helical Transmission Servicing?

Quick question for the gurus: In all of the guides for helical transmission servicing on the Maytag washing machines, the bulk of the servicing effort seems to be the process of removing the agitator, tub, brake, etc, to actually get the transmission out of the machine... and then the...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[lowefficiency]

Here is what remained of the upper seal on the agitator shaft. The rubber and the spring were both destroyed. (They were like this inside the stem - the spring was in pieces before it was removed.)

That half-missing flat washer in the upper left corner of the photo - does anyone recognize that? I found it on the floor when I was cleaning up, and have no idea where on the machine it came from?

 

[lowefficiency]

Here's the base plate. I haven't cleaned it at all in this picture, so at least some of what looks like rust is lint/detergent/debris buildup. I'll keep this for sure for future projects - likely swapping it and a two-speed motor into the A408 when I do the eventual A806 conversion.

 

[lowefficiency]

Close up of the damper pads. The prior owner mentioned replacing these, but I'm not sure how long ago that was done. There is a section where the pad is missing (or perhaps just a gap from where they were installed), but it looks like the surrounding pads were thick enough to compensate - I don't see any evidence that the metal in this section had rubbed?

 

[swestoyz]

The half missing washer is the remains of one of the leaded washers for the three outer tub supports. Not surprised to see it in such poor shape.

Seeing the remains of the agitator shaft seal is yet another reminder for anyone putting one of these in service from the wild to check and replace this seal immediately, including all Maytag wringers. Many of these are well over 50 years old now and most will look and will crumble like this one.

Ben

 

[lowefficiency]

Close-up of the damper itself. I don't see or feel any damage to it - nothing is rough, nothing particularly shiny, and no difference in the profile as you follow it around. The dark spots are bits of the damper pad material, glue, or something else stuck to the surface that I'll need to clean off. Is there anything else I should look for?

The rusty debris from the large bearing will need to be cleaned out. My understanding is that the outer edge of that bearing is captured/located by the brake assembly - and this damper only needs to press on the edge of the outer race to lock it in place, correct?

 

[lowefficiency]

Thanks Ben. Those washers would have been between the arms and the outside of the outer tub, correct? I didn't find any others, just that one...

 

[lowefficiency]

So it's been a while, but we tore into the KDG606 dryer this week...

It had clearly been in the process of being worked on, but it's tough to say what spurred the repair attempt, or (like the washer), which fault took the machine out of service.

Both belts were off, and the idler pulley was on the shaft, but installed backwards, and the sliding mount was jammed in place. The belts were in very poor shape, with large chunks hanging off.

The brush holder and carbon brush were missing, with the wire lug from the drum paddles just hanging loose. No fresh wear on the slip rings, so this might have been disabled some time ago, but I'm not sure how the dryer could have been used in this state?

There were two felt strips loose in the bottom of the machine - one a thin one (about an inch wide?), and then the thicker felt that goes around the outside of the halo, which was still partially attached, but otherwise also bunched up at the bottom of the machine.

I was surprised how much corrosion damage there was inside the dryer. The crimped on electrical connectors just snapped when attempting to remove them.

Mechanically, it seemed fine. The drum spun OK, as did the motor and the blower. The drum and blower bushings/shafts were completely dry after disassembly, so it hadn't seen oil in quite a while, but still spun fine. Very little rust on the base at all, other than the light internal corrosion.

The dial was missing the plastic piece which creates the detents, so the knob position is just free spin, but otherwise seemed to be complete and could be operated. The cycle end solenoid would take some cleaning to make it move freely.

Lots of lint and debris, but a 1976 nickel was the most interesting thing found in the base or bottom of the halo. (Anyone know why the nickel didn't get a bicentennial version?)