Help; Neptune filling, not washing ?

[petek]

I jsut got off the phone chatting with my good friend and she happened to mention among other things going wrong lately that her washer wasn't. When I asked her what it was she checked and it's one of those big original FL Maytag Neptunes which she's owned for 5-6 years. She loaded it up, it filled, then did nothing, no motor sound, nothing, just sits there. If it was an older belt drive I'd go have a look even for what little I know but these I know less than nothing. So on the offchance is there anything simple it could be?

 

[appnut]

could be the motor controller board has gone out.

 

[brettsomers]

isnt this the kind of behaviour Maytag Neptunes are famous for?

 

[mattywashboy]

in my local laundromat they use commercial maytag neptunes (original ones with big doors). I notic they are quite silent when they wash. I only seem to hear a slight whirring and the sloshing of the clothes and the liquid in the balance ring around the drum. Not sure if i like using these tho, used one today to wash a load of heavy solied camping clothes and it would not balance right on the final spin so it gave up and span anyway, making for a very dramatic and loud final spin.

 

[petek]

Well it seems she's gonna have to roust Old Lonely and get him over there for the tune of a few hundred bucks no doubt. I'd be major pissed off if my washer quit after only a few years, that's what scares me about all these electronic control boards. The electronic "hour" digit on my KA stove faded out a few months ago so it was difficult to tell the time after 10pm, then all of a sudden it worked again, then out again, so I gave it a good thump last week and now it's working again.LOL

 

[frigilux]

Petek---Good for you! I think all this modern stuff needs a good, sound thrashing now and again, just to keep it in line. The printer in my office has been acting up and when I pound on it a bit, then lift and drop it a few inches, it works well....for a day or two.

 

[johnb300m]

percussive maintenance

 

[sudsmaster]

It could be a toasted wax motor door lock. Unfortunately, when they go they take the main control board with them. There was a free upgrade offer from Maytag to prevent this sort of problem a few years back, and then more recently an offer to settle a class action lawsuit with financial compensation for out of warranty repairs. But as I understand it, both offers have long since expired. Still, you might try calling Maytag and asking nicely if there's anything they can do to help out without costing you an arm and a leg.

 

[gansky1]

I have a MAH5500-AWW in the garage that has the exact symptoms you describe, Pete. The first thing I checked was the motor control board and what to my rolling eyes should appear, but a resistor burned to a crisp on the board. I think a call to Maytag might be in order, you may at least get them to send you the parts for nothing and it would be an easy repair - Neptunes are relatively easy to work on.

 

[panthera]

electronics and water

Ok, I apologize for climbing up on my soapbox here - in advance.
Here in Europe we have used electronic controls extensively since the 1970's. With very few exceptions (earliest times) they are reliable and almost never the source of the troubles. They are nearly always diode and fuse protected...so when a wax motor goes or some such, it does not take them with it. US manufacturers could build just as good quality...they do, after all, export a lot of outstanding stuff to Europe and elsewhere. Why do folks in the 'States put up with it? Over here, when a company makes junk they get punished for it by consumers (think about Siemens/Bosch/Constructa washers in the '80s and how they rebuilt entire factories because folks stopped buying their trash. Now they build excellent stuff.)
The neptunes have been nothing but junk from the beginning - but as long as folks don't pressure Maytag they will stay junk.

 

[sudsmaster]

Panthera,

Well, for what it's worth, we didn't just "put up with it". Lawyers got wind of the problem and Maytag was slapped with a successful class-action lawsuit. The upshot is that Maytag not only offered free upgrade kits for the worst offenders, but eventually offered cash or credit settlements to those who had to pay for similar repairs.

And, happy to say, the last round of Neptunes (7500 and 6500, maybe the 5500b) eventually had upgraded components (motor/motor control on mine) as well as solenoids instead of wax motors, etc, that pretty much eliminated the many problems (knock on wood).

Add to that, the solid door Neptune is the only front load washer I know of with a reversible door, and save the Speed Queen FL, is the only extra large capacity FL in the US that can have the washer door hinged on the right. The Speed Queen is a mixed bag - with ridiculously short wash times (about 10 minutes max) that may make it suitable for laundromats but not the home, coupled with solid, servicable construction. No other 27 inch wide washer will fit in my laundry closet. The only other option is a top loader, or a 24" Euro washer with associated issues of capacity and cost.

My Neptune 7500 was one of the earlist of that model produced, and it had a number of problems hit when it neared the 3 year mark - most notably a toasted motor/motor control board, and a cracked spinner support. The replacement motor was an upgrade to a more powerful design that also required a new controller. I noticed some intermittant failures after that work and Maytag replaced the main control board as well, which was also an upgrade to latest firmware. The spinner support issue was perplexing - it was a clicking or knocking sound when tumbling heavy loads of towels. At first I thought it was a belt issue, but the Maytag man diagnosed it correctly as a cracked support, and said it was good that it got replaced before it failed catastrophically during a high speed spin. All repairs were done for free under the extended service agreement I purchased, and two years later it appears that these pretty much resolved any reliability issues for the foreseeable future. In other words, no problems since then, and the washer gets regular heavy use.

 

[panthera]

glad to hear it

Hey sudsmaster, I am glad to hear your Neptune is running like the Maytag it is. I gave them a very careful going over that horrid day when I just had to buy a machine immediately. The salespeople in three stores made it very clear that they weren't ready yet. Bummer, 'cause I really like the design.
I rag on about these things because, living between two countries, I have had the chance to see just exactly what US manufacturers are up against on the global market. Sure, Haier and the others from China are not yet up to snuff. The established non-US players like LG and Bosch/Siemens/Gorenje are expensive imports...But they are all getting there very very fast. They want to make money, so they are actively engaged in satisfying consumers. But the "put up with it" was not meant individually, I meant why do the consumers today in the US tolerate performance which their grandparents and great grandparents would have never accepted? The price point for appliances which last three or four times as long and don't break down is the same in Europe as for cheaply built and poorly serviced stuff in the 'States. Americans aren't dumb, now that the imports are getting their feet in the door (bad metaphor, sorry) it is only a question of time. The 24" Eurowashers have smaller capacities in general than the 27" US models. That is one of the limitations. Mine (LG) washes just over 15lbs/cycle, it takes a few hours. But it uses not even 1/3 as much water and with a spin of 1200 r.p.m. the drying time is so short (and the dryer is what really costs money for the electricity) that the total laundry time is only about 30 minutes longer than at my parent's house. But much cheaper and cleaner.
Enough - we can't change history and now that Whirlpool has poor Maytag in their clutches it is only a question of time before this great brand is nothing but re-branded junk.

 

[irishwashguy]

My Neptune was a nightmare!!!

And I did say was. I bought brand new in a box, and it never did work right. i had nine service calls in two years.What you are decribing is the very thing that was wrong with mine.I had Ole Lonely over so much that I wanted to rent him a room.I complained to Maytag and finallyit seemed to be working right when it would not spin things out I had Maytag come out and look at it.This was a factory guy from Maytag;he really badmouthed this product.I was hearing it from him. I was so upset that after it was repaired, yet again, I put them in the paper and sold them,It is true that alot of American things can and have been good. The last Machine that I bought was a Miele and have never looked back.