Got a Maytag wringer today

[ea56]

Re: reply #17

That's the beauty part of a wringer. Once a week, about 1 hour's worth of time and the laundry is all washed, rinsed and wrung out. Now granted, it does take longer to dry, but if you a lucky enough to have a clothesline and good weather, you hang it all up, walk away for a few hours and take down. I used to really enjoy the whole ritual.
Eddie

 

[ken]

So its normal for the motor to just hum but not spin when plugged in? I grabbed the motor shaft/pulley and was able to turn it so motor isn't stuck. Pump lever is in off position. Agitator spins easily in either direction. When I heard motor hum I unplugged immediately. I didn't pull knob out. Will try that later.

 

[launderess]

What the man said

Like many vintage appliances with motors Maytag wringer washers do not have an "off" and "on" switch. Plugging the thing into outlet at once starts the motor, it is then the releasing of a "clutch" or whatever that starts motion. To cease motion one reverses whatever caused it to begin (switch, lever, button...).

My Ironrite ironer is the same way, no start or on button, just plug it in, motor starts, set the thermostat.....

If you are truly keen on knowing the why and how, download service manual for Maytag "conventional" washers from the library. It goes into detail and gives explicit instructions on how the motor and everything else operates.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Congratulations Ken! Love the red agitator! When I finally get this appliance mess here sorted out, I'd like to get 1930-33 model A.

 

[stan]

Somewhere around here

is a owners manual, with operating instructions. You may need to read through it.
Manual shows where to fill. Removing agitator. Setting the tension on the rollers. Releasing tension for non operation, agitating times, draining ect.
Plug that baby in and pull the knob!
Let us know

 

[ken]

But what I'm saying is the humming sound the motor makes when plugged in is the sound of being stuck and not turning as opposed to the sound a motor makes when spinning. Even though I was able to turn the motor by hand it doesn't make the sound like an electric motor does when energized. I will have to watch it as I plug it in.

 

[dermacie]

Try YouTube their are many Maytag wringer washer videos.

 

[launderess]

Yeabut

Ken, nothing will be known as to if this motor is operating normally or no unless or until it is plugged in and "clutch" released. If the thing then continues to "hum" and the agitator does not move *then* that is an indication something is wrong.

If the machine has been sat sitting for years or decades something very well may be "stuck" or works gummed up. But it could also be nothing more than just that; parts suffering from disuse.

 

[ken]

I know I need to play with it some more including pulling out the knob. Just trying to explain how its acting. Here is a good comparison. At 22 seconds you can hear the snap of the relay as the motor starts and then runs. Im not getting that at all with mine.

 

[stan]

Let us know

what happens when u plug in the machine and pull the knob.
Record/ Video it if u can.
Wel go from there..

 

[ken]

Had a little time last night to try again with pulling the knob out. Didn't make any difference. Motor makes same sound of being stuck. Guess I'll have to take it out and see what its problem is. I assume if I lay it down to get the motor out the oil would leak out of the gearbox? [this post was last edited: 6/1/2017-09:33]

 

[ken]

Was just looking now for the first time at the list of serial numbers provided by the link Laundress posted and Im a bit confused. Does the Q at the end of the serial number on mine designate a Q series machine? Would seem to make sense. But the serial number doesn't fall within the numbers listed in the chart for the Q series. It does fall within the numbers listed for a few other series though.

 

[e2l-arry]

Hi Ken

So if I'm caught up here, you can turn the pulley by hand and the pulley and the belt move? But when you plug the machine in the motor only hums but doesn't move at all? Also try this. Pull the knob out for the agitator. Even with no power in the "on" position you shouldn't be able to move the agitator. Just a test to see if the clutch is engaging. You're better off with a bad motor than a frozen up power unit. I see motors for these from time to time on Ebay. I wouldn't pay more than $40.00 for one though. You may have to wait or see if Phil or Dave have one.

If you lay the machine down, ONLY lay it down on it's front. The only position you can use to keep the oil from seeping out. Replacing a motor is a pretty easy job.

 

[ken]

Thanks. I'll try that. I did turn the agitator in both directions with the knob in but didn't try turning it last night with the knob pulled out.

 

[ken]

Larry

Tried turning the agitator with the knob pulled out and it didn't turn so I guess the clutch is engaging as you say it should.

And to answer your first question when I turned the pulley/motor shaft I don't believe the belt also turned. I think the belt just slipped on the pulley. It wasn't easy to get a good hold on it to turn it due to the angle to get my hand in there.

 

[stan]

Could it be

Linkage to to clutch? When the knob is pushed in or pulled out, you should be able to feel it.
You could look under the machine and watch the clutch while pushing the knob in and back out to see what's happening.
Has the pin fallen out? Dose the linkage need to be adjusted?
Hoping its that simple, so you don't have to do a motor swap?

 

[e2l-arry]

You could also try

Removing the belt. Plug in the motor and see if the motor spins while not hooked up. If the motor runs, it's good. While it's free, see if you can move the pulley on the power unit. If you can't then the power unit is frozen up and that's why the motor only hums when connected. That happened when I first got mine. The power unit would lock up, the motor would be overloaded and shut itself off eventually. If that's the case you need to rebuild or replace the power unit. A much bigger job then switching out the motor, but FAR from impossible. Let us know!

 

[ken]

I will have time to play with it more this weekend. Would the most likely cause of a locked up power unit be from a failed seal letting water get into it?

 

[stan]

If

Water has leaked into the PU then you'd likely see a goo driping out of the weep hole on the right angle drive. It's hard to tell until the machine is full of water and running.
Check ur clutch operation, just to make sure, then try what Larry has suggested.
Keep us up to date. There's a sucsess story here

 

[e2l-arry]

Could be a couple of things.

It's possible that water got in and rusted everything together. Possible all the oil leaked out as some point and it froze up. Could be a gear cracked or "chipped a tooth" and locked up. That was the case with mine.