Giving up on my Maytag A606

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New SQ Top Load Washer

Will clean and spin and last far longer than a 1970s MT and it is just 251/2" wide. It also has a better warranty than the MT ever thought about when it was built.

 

Just like the new cars of, today compared to cars of the 1970s there is little comparison. Materials and quality control today are so good that manufactures couldn't even imagine that there would be so LITTLE service required on today's appliances. Myself and a few of my other appliance repair buddies have become millionaires fixing 1970s and 80s appliances as people would fix them again and again. This will not be nearly as easy today as newer appliances just do not have as many real problems now, a big percentage of the things I fix everyday are dumb problems and installion related issues but far fewer real failures of the machine itself.
 
Ok. We know the SQ is a great machine and all and it beats the Maytag seven ways to Sunday but...

It sounds like the young lady is at least trying to make an effort to try to fix what she has first since it was a solid performer before making the leap to new. I DO agree that the new SQ is pretty cool and has a warranty that shames anything else on the market. If I had to buy new, I'd go Speed Queen. But it doesn't hurt to try fixing the Maytag if possible and reasonable, right? :^)

RCD
 
Fixing The MT A606

Hi Andy I hope I will get to finely meet you at Kevin's in April.

 

My first advice is to get an accurate appraisal on the MT and if the transmission is not the problem and the damper is not shot it may have a few more years in it. I fix MTs this old every month I am all for getting the longest reasonable life out of any decent appliance.

 

One other good option if the owner really likes the look of her current MT washer is to buy a good used 1980s - mid 1990s working MT DC machine and do a cabinet transplant using the newer drive line. The number 1 reason that we are trashing 1970s MT washers is top transmission bearing [ agitator shaft ] is binding in the top housing 2nd is probably snubbers that have lost there pads and are in a metal to metal condition for a long time. And while it is certainly possible to repair either one of these conditions they are not simple or cheap repairs.
 
If you are the least bit handy with tools,

What you might want to do, if you decide to replace it, is take the machine apart and sell the pieces on ebay. I know lots of people who might pay well for all  of those valuable parts. The buttons alone seem to fetch a lot on line. Recycling is less of a sacrilege than the crusher.
 
That's more like it...

It sure will be nice to meet you as well but how will you survive being surrounded by all those classic Maytags at Kevin's? The line from Indiana Jones comes to mind. "My boy, we are pilgrims in a unholy land..." LOL!

You have come up with some very acceptable options for this 606. Doing a cabinetectomy is something that a homeowner with decent skills can do without getting over their heads and save the washer's classic looks.

I'll have to touch bases with you via phone sometime as I have a Agitub needing a motor...

RCD
 
Back to the Speed Queen

Well, with a good deal of reluctance, we are giving up on our old Maytag. Time to let go of the old and turn to something newer. We went to check out washing machines this morning. No question, I want a Speed Queen Top Loader. Problem is that Speed Queen is backordered to end of May!!! Called the factory and talked to their General Sales Mgr and he told me it is because demand is up 4 x over last year and they just can't keep up. For example, they have one critical machine running a full three shifts. Luckily, he told me there will be a small delivery to the wholesaler in this area in about two/three weeks and each store will get about 4 machines. I'm signed up for one of them.

THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT HELP!
 
Speed Queen

If you're persistent, you may find a SQ top loader readily available through a small independent dealership.  A member here was recently facing the same issue but after spending a little time calling around, he found a SQ at an appliance store not far from him.

 

If there's an issue with fill level once you get your SQ, there are threads on how to increase it, and people here who can help guide you.
 
Speed Queen

We purchased a new Speed Queen set about a month ago. It is the best washer/dryer set I have ever used. My wife loves it. She has told several people how well it works and what a good job it does. It is a very well made solid machine. Very old school, but modern too. I haven't raised the water level on mine like some have because I think it works great if it's not over loaded. We bought the basic 2 speed model and it handles all of our needs. I think you will be very happy with your purchase. I'm glad to hear that Alliance Laundry Company is doing so well. Very refreshing in this economy.

Tim
 
Are the new SQs designed to agitate with the traditional long slow stroke just as their grand predecessors did? Kudos to them if they are.

James
 
Well AW.org if its not the springs is it the dampers or damper lubricant? I had a couple of "medium loads" today  to have everything done for the weekend.  I always use the A106  for partial loads,  approx 22 minutes and laundry is perfectly done. Echo i think the "worn" belts" and resulting slower speed probably disguised the wear of the dampers or springs, now that the speed is back these problems are surfacing. I would still fix it if you can.  I know many here love the new Speed Queens but  it will interesting to see how well they are doing at the 40 year mark.  My old Tag came from an estate sale the grand daughter told me it had never been worked on.   Apparently the matching dryer was electric and a lightining strike finished it off years ago.   alr
 
O.K. I'll tell you what's the matter with this machine. In 1973 that transmission was filled with 80-90 gear lube. Now it's 50 yrs later and the lube has changed to "peanut butter" and the motor can't achieve speed against this load. New slides, new rollers, new belts, new motors...etc won't help. Personal experience from 35 yrs ago: I split the transmission, removed the stiffened grease with a putty knife as best I could, cleaned it with kerosene/ diesel fuel...whatever; added new seals & gaskets where needed, added new gear oil, reassembled and I had a new washer. That's the problem with all of the aged Maytags of that vintage. Good luck. Let me know if you take this tack...and the results
 
Do combo52's posts hold true 10 years later?

Everything I have read on these forums until now gave me the impression that the 1960-1980s maytags are solid gold compared to most modern washers. I know SQ's are the king of modern washers due to their oldschool build quality but are they that much better than the old maytags? Is it worth it for your average user to toss their late-century appliances for something new and shiny? Are vintage maytags more akin to a classic car rather than a timeless competitor? Something for an enthusiast to restore and appreciate for the novelty of it but otherwise falls short to quality modern products in most ways?
 
Long gone..

Even some of the replies on here are by people Ive never seen comment the few years Ive been here, and they had lots of comments under their belts at the time. I wonder why they left?
 
Reply #36

Sometimes I wonder why there are people who joined this site then left. A lot of the green user names in the archives either left, didn’t pay their membership, or simply got deleted.
 
Had this post been written today...

I feel like the original author might have felt more compelled to keep trying with the old Maytag, or might have paid really whatever they had to so someone would come do the repairs. At the time when this was written, 2012, Whirlpool direct drives had very recently stopped production, and the switch to VMW and other high-efficiency designs was well underway, but there were still many, many traditional top loaders available. People weren't as desperate to hang onto their old appliances when they could still get something like a Speed Queen with dial controls, or even a really good Whirlpool direct drive machine. Heck, even if this person would have wanted to stick closer to what they had, they could have probably found a used 12 series Maytag from the 80's. That is not the case these days. I think people are really working to keep their old top loaders in service as long as they absolutely can now, as in, they are much less willing to sell or scrap them then they were even a few years ago, because there just aren't good options to replace them with unless one wants to get a front loader, which is out of budget for many.

Times sure have changed in 10 years.
 

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