finally got my maytag 806 washer & 808 dryer!!!

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

OH WOW!!!

thank you so much:
lawrence, kevin, tennblondie78, gansky1, turquoisedude, DADoES, goatfarmer, bajaespuma, appnut, bigalsf, A440
for all your responses & for the congratulations!!

i am very happy with this set. although, i don't have the dryer hooked up yet, i have used the washer. this was a set that i had ultimately made my mind up that i wanted, but after missing out on so many that had been posted because they were too far from me, or i was too late, or something. i finally got a 608, that i was pretty satisfied with & it does everything that i need it to. but i said to myself "the only way that i would try to get an 806, is if one were to pop up here in my own backyard. i was so burned out on driving over 3 hours to pick up a washer or dryer. and i thought, the 608 is it. but low & behold, this set was posted here in tucson. but at $200. i thought about it & figured, "it's here in my backyard, i may as well at least go & look at it. and that way, if it's been abused or used hard, i can walk away. but if i don't at least go & look at it, i would never know the condition of them and it would really eat at me. so, i decided to contact the seller to see if they were still available. i just got lucky that when i contacted the seller/luke, he had just lowered the price a couple of hours before!!

washdaddy/rick:
the stars & planets were lined up just right, & i was definitely being blessed!
you know, these almost didn't become mine. there was someone else who was also interested in this set & calling the seller about them. but i got lucky & contacted luke/the seller, first and he was an honorable guy & kept his word and let me put a $100 deposit on them & held them for me until i paid him the rest. he said that he "never thought so much interest would be generated over, of all things, a washer".

phil:
as for moms, well, she still hasn't seen the set yet (even though i have the washer inside the house next to hers)!! but the weekend will be here tomorrow & we usually do laundry on weekends. so eventually, she is going to see that there is a gold washer in place of where the white 608 washer used to be. and i'm sure she'll ask me where this gold washer came from. but i think i can smooth everything over when i tell her that my dad is taking the white A608 washer & DE308 dryer. so everything should be groovy.
or else she's gonna kick me out, along with my maytags!!!
LOL.....

you know, i did "make" a load of towels, so that i could use the washer with HOT water, to see if that would free up the agitator. but no luck, that agitator is pretty stuck on there. roger even tried tying rope through the agitator and looping the rope on a metal pole and we tried lifting the agitator out, but no luck! that thing is really stuck on there!!
i'll have to try the boiling water, as soon as my back is feeling stronger. and hopefully that will free it up and i can pull it off....

DigAPony:
thank you for the links. i've just purchased the 2 listings you linked for me. i can't wait until they get here so that i can "fix" that drip. thank you again for posting the link of the parts i need. much appreciated!!

mom11:
oh wow, twin boys!!?? send them on over. we'd have a blast playing in the backyard getting all dusty & dirty!!! i have a doberman that we could chase around too. i bet we could really kick up some dust back there!!! ha ha ha.....
just be patient love, you will find your dream set too. it doesn't happen over night, but if you put it out there in the universe, they will definitely come to you. it just takes time & patience. and with phil's help, posting the craigslist ads, you are definite to find a set!! ;o)
they may not come together from the same seller, but that's ok. you can always find a mate at a later time to complete the set.

marty:
welcome to the group. the members are a GRRRRREAT bunch of people who often become friends that feel like family. everyone is so helpful, friendly, and resourceful!! i'm pretty new to the group too, compared to other members who have been part of the group longer. ;o)

you know it's funny, i knew i liked older washing machines, appliances & things. they always peaked my interest & i really dug on the look & style they had. but never did i actually think that one day, i would ever own or buy a vintage, working, washer. and then, i joined this group & toyed with the thought until, it finally happened & became a reality. man, what a trip!!! WOW!!

thank you guys so much. you guys are so awesome.

much love to you all.......

WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

:o)
 
Congratulations!

Christina, if an expert like Roger gave those machines a going over and deemed them capable, you can wash with confidence for years to come.

 

Ralph
 
Congrats Christina!
I know you will enjoy using them! The harvest gold, chrome trim, console lights are all so nice. I have still not got my console lights working on my 806 pair. Your pictures are added incentive to get them sorted out!
 
Christina...they searched long and hard...the timing was just right, and they finally found you, and are two happy campers......

I can see you now doing a Happy Dance and 'raising the roof'.....lol

are we giving them names?.....they are Golden!

you are blessed without a doubt!
 
Maytag Heaven

Is what you have landed in Christina!  Congrats girl!  I have been involved with center dial Maytag's since I was a child.  Gotta tell ya, based on the pics posted, these are very "Low Mileage" machines.  Oh I have rebuilt bunches from the ground up, and these are in very good condition and NOT abused by whoever had them before your accusation.  Enjoy and take good care of these everlasting work horses.  Love them!

 

--Steven 
 
thank you:

ralph, dave, steven, searsbest.

i have taken some more pictures and have an update to follow.

tagok:
at first, me & roger didn't think the lights worked on either machine. first becaus the light didn't come on, when i went to check them out & plugged in the washer and set the time to spin, and there were no lights. and when we got them home, roger notice a darkening on one end of the dryer's lightbulb tube. but all the washer's lightbulb tube needed was just to be twisted into position & we had lights! as for the dryer, roger twisted the lightbulb tube (for good measure) but didn't really expect that it would turn on but, low & behold, the lightbulb tube came alive when we pushed the knob in!!!
so hopefully your lights are something simple like that too!!!
keeping my fingers crossed for you...

yogitunes:
"are we giving them names?"
you know, i've thought about it & i still haven't came up with good names yet. i don't know if i want to do guy/girl (like tennblondie78's "fred & ethel" or maid/maid ("alice" {brady bunch} & ???).
i'm also thinking here....
maybe i'll just name them "peace & love"???
i do plan to decorate them with some vintage "rickie tickie stickies" flower stickers.
hm hm hm.....
but whatever i decide, i will definitely let you all know!
;o)

thank you again everybody, for the words of encouragement & cheering. i really do appreciate you all!!!

update to follow
(& more pictures)....
 
update & pictures....

THANK YOU Dan Pieslak,
for emailing me & sharing a tip with me.

i was finally able to pull out that stubborn & stuck agitator!! instead of doing the boiling water method (which is time consuming and pretty risky, having to lug them big, heavy, hot pots full of steaming, boiling water), he shared with me his way of removing stuck on agitators. he said to remove the filter & fabric softener dispenser cup, out of the agitator, and to take a hair blowdryer and turn it on to the highest heat & the fastest speed and point the blowdryer down into the agitator's barrel. to set the blowdryer down in there and walk away for about 15 minutes or so. and that, that should do the trick.

well, i did this with my "vintage" of course, sears blowdryer. and after about 5 minutes, the blowdryer overheated & turned itself off. so, i went over to unplug it and i felt the agitator and it was warm. so i thought, let's give it a tug and see if the blowdryer helped any? well, after like 2 tugs, the agitator popped up and i was able to remove it!!!

this was last night. and this morning, i cleaned the underside of the agitator and also scrub the bottom of the washtub and also the agitator shaft.

here are the before & after pictures i took, to share with you all....

i also took a picture of the inside of the lid, to show you how clean the underside of the lid is. the lids on the 208 & 608 that i got, both had a circular pattern of dullness on them. i'm assuming that it must've been a layer residue from powder detergent being used in the washing machine? but i wanted to show you how shiney & smooth the underside of the lid on the 806 is. the only bad thing about this lid is that there are some chips of paint missing in all 4 corners. not bad, but there is minor rust where the paint chips are, in the 4 corners of the underside of the lid. but no biggie.

:o)

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_1.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_10.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_11.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_12.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_13.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_14.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_2.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_3.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_4.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_5.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_6.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_7.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_8.jpg

hippiedoll-2014110913333605544_9.jpg
 
The Old Hair Dryer Trick

Well, we learn something new every day.  I've had success using a blow dryer to heat/loosen up stuck receiver and transmitter caps on old bakelite telephone handsets, so hey, why not use the same method on a stuck agitator?

 

You did a fabulous job of cleaning up the post and tub!  That machine is literally a shining example of why the original Maytag Man was such a lonely guy.  You're going to enjoy many, many years of dependable service from it.  Roger can advise (if he hasn't already) on any parts you might want to stockpile to keep your golden girl going.

 

I think the paint issues on the lid corners aren't all that uncommon.  You might be able to find some vintage old stock harvest gold appliance touch-up if you have an established appliance parts retailer in Tucson that has been in business for a long time, or on line, but I have a feeling the missing finish won't spread any further on the lid so if you can live with it as is, your restoration work at this point is all done!

 

Great job!  Enjoy the solid sound of your Maytag thrumming away!
 
Coat the agitator shaft with vaseline to prevent it from getting stuck again. Apparently, no one ever bothered to since the washer was built, you were lucky to get it off without a major struggle.

By the way, if you really want to make those machines gleam a light duty automotive polishing compound on a damp soft rag will remove or minimize most scuffs and scratches, follow with a coat of wax. I takes some elbow grease but the results are worth it.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiar-s-Ultimate-Compound/16550255

 
Congratuilations

Just like the set I got last June only in avocado green! I love them, they were also from 1979. I had a few little issues but with new belts the washer runs like a dream. I love being able to do a load of laundry in under 30 minutes!

I also don't have the dryer hooked up because only have gas connection in house, but looking forward to using it some day!
 
I know I'm late to the party, but congratulations! The 806 is, for me, is the ultimate Maytag washer. It has a lot of cycle and option flexibility. Thanks for taking the time to post all the photos.

Many trouble-free loads to you!
 
Christina,
The tub cleaned up beautifully. Was it hard to get the crud off? I still am thrilled you got the agitator off. :-) Good show!
R
 
Congrats on that pair and thanks for the tip about the hair dryer, I'll give that a try. I've got a DE 606 and an A107/308 in harvest gold also. Still looking for my dream pair of lighted consoles!
I brought the lid of my washer to the paint store and had it scanned so I've got a full quart of harvest gold if you need a small amount for some touch ups let me know,
Rob

mandorob-2014110919473303962_1.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top