HELP WITH A MAYTAG A606 WASHER PLEASE

[soberleaf]

i picked up this maytag a606 washer in 2010 on a trip to buffalo. it worked great when i got it home and tried it.

i have stored it for the past couple years and recently got it out and put it in my laundry room to use periodically. when i tried it tonite it will not agitate. it spins fine and the pump works fine and both belts are intact.

but on the wash phase i notice the belt does not turn the center pulley like it does when it reverses direction for spin. and i can smell a burning of the belt ofcourse as it is grinding against the motor pulley so i turn it off really quick.

i don't know much about maytags at all and would appreciate any ideas and help!

and as you can see in this pic it agitated fine when i used it last in 2010.

thanks

 

[waterwitch]

Hmmm...

My guess would be the motor glider. Having the glider function properly will deliver the right amount to tension needed to both agitate and spin. I'm having the same issue with mine. It'll agitate sporadically, and without much strength.

 

[Ultramatic]

test

 

[combo52]

Poor Agitating Maytags

Welcome to the world of MT, hopefully your machine will be savable, but the biggest thing that kills 1970s MTs are transmission issues, These machines will not last forever without major rebuilding,

 

NO washer will.

 

[kenmore71]

I agree with John here. This doesn't sound like a motor glide issue. Burning belts on a Maytag in agitation phase with no issues in spin/drain USUALLY means a seized transmission. Sorry.

 

[rollermatic]

that's what i was thinking

as well. something in the transmission has seized up. i'm assuming a complete overhaul would be what is required to fix it.

i know a lot about frigidaire rollermatics but nothing about maytags. i have 2 more rollermatics just patiently waiting for me to work on them this year. so i guess the best thing to do is to store this maytag away and replace it with one of my rollermatics that i do know how to tear down and put back together. bummer! i like that maytag!

oh well, that's the way it goes in appliance collecting!

 

[kenmore71]

You actually have several options. You can tear this one down, crack open the transmission and take a look and decide if it's worth rebuilding. You can find a donor transmission from ANY 1966-1989 machine OR you could even replace the transmission with the later fast-stroke transmission as long as you also change out the agitator.

 

[rollermatic]

thanks kenmore 71

i'm sure if i took the time to learn and tear into it i could probably fix this machine with help from guys like you who know these machines. but up till now the only washers i have completely torn down and rebuilded are frigidaire rollermatics. that's why i won't get rid of this machine, i will store it in my barn out back and will come back to it at some point.

i was hpoing for some easy fix when i posted this thread. i thought maybe if i turned the machine over and really put some force on that center pulley i could free it up, like said the last time i used it all was well! that was 2 years ago at least.

do have a question. does the agitator just pull off, i don't see a nut or anything holding it on?

 

[kenmore71]

In theory it just pulls off.

As long as it is the post-1967ish agitator (which 99% of them out there are) with the integral spline it should come off with some persistent persuasion.

 

[rollermatic]

found a thread 38714

that details a maytag transmission rebuild and it was excellent for it's pics and info.

however it's not something i can see myself ever doing. like said above i have several rollermatics i have bought in the past 3 years still waiting on me to tear them down and rebuild them and this i do know how to do well! my time is pretty limited when it comes to appliance work anymore so i'm gonna concentrate on my frigidaires, not this maytag.

so i'm gonna do this. i will turn washer over and see if i can free up the center pulley that drives the transmission. who knows, maybe it will loosen up for me, stranger things have happened in my "appliance miracle" experience!

if i cannot get it freed up and agitating i will store it in my barn out back and it will be free for the taking to anyone who wants it here! however i will not part it out. someone may want it and put the time and care into it to get it running again. i will know in a couple days if i am giving it away or not.

thanks for all the info and if anyone is interested e mail me at [email protected].

 

[rollermatic]

"DAN" thank you very much

just found ur e mail to me today. this is exactly what i was thinking too. maybe a siezed up pulley due to a frozen bearing. as i said above i'm gonna tip washer back and get to this pulley and try to loosen it up.

also thought i would check oil in transmission itself if i can find where it goes in and comes out.

i agree in ur e mail i don't think transmission itself is bad, it worked great until i stored it in my appliance room here in the house for about 2 years!

will not be able to try any of this till next week, my weekend is booked solid with work and non appliance stuff i must get done! thanks again, will post a reply here when i check it.

 

[rollermatic]

APPLIANCE MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!!!

IT WORKS!!!! and i didn't even have to tip it over or move it!

all i did was fill it up tonite and turn it on and off a few times to try and break that drive pulley bearing loose or whatever was frozen. i saw the agitator attempt to move a tiny bit with each try. then, with motor off i pulled back on the motor tightening it's tension on the belt and turned it on and it broke free and began to agitate. i am doing a load now!!!!!!!!

gonna use this machine frequently to keep it loose.

question???? would it help if i did tip machine over and remove drive pulley and attempt to put some oil or wd 40 on area where drive pulley shaft enters transmission, oiling that bearing???? if you tip machine completely over will oil run out of top of transmission?

 

[electronicontrl]

Wow I'm impressed

I have an A806 (1976) and an A712 (1987) both with seized transmissions. I'm going to play with them tomorrow.
I've had Maytags on their sides in transport. No tranny oil leaks but I would advise against the WD-40 idea.

 

[70series]

I'm glad you were able to get it working again. It must of read your mind about it going back to the barn. LOL.

James

 

[goatfarmer]

The bottom bearing usually isn't the one that causes the problem. It's the top bearing that seizes.

 

[rollermatic]

thanks for the info on

that bearing goatfarmer! and yes 70 series maybe i did put the fear of God into her! once they go to the shed (barn) out back they usually don't come back in!

and it's running fine! i lubed the motor slider and i'm thinkin maybe the belt is worn but i am using it everyday to keep it active and it's running great! i love that simple design for the spin clutch, mounting the motor on a slider!

electronicontri, good luck with yours! maybe try turning that pulley with some type of home made wrench apparatus, i have worked wonders on washers with 2X4 lumber before!

as for mine i'm not flipping it over as yet. i just got it installed in my laundry room next to 3 other washers and don't want to have to pull it out if i don't have to. i'm gonna keep using it almost everyday with a small load to keep it active! and i will replace the belt later this year, i found them on partselect.com where i get most of my stuff.

 

[qsd-dan]

The bottom bearing usually isn't the one that causes the problem. It's the top bearing that seizes.

The smaller bottom bearing is for agitation. The larger upper bearing is for spinning. His machine spun fine but refused to agitate properly. I've never heard of the lower bearing seizing but if it was kept in a very damp environment or submerged in water, it could possibly occur.

 

[rollermatic]

i absolutely love

your profile pic qsd-dan!!!!

it's so, jackie kennedy! i bet she washed her dishes like that for jack!

i haven't laughed that hard in ages!!!

as for the maytag being stored in a damp location, not really. it was in an unheated room for the last couple of years here in the house and i do live in a very swampy section of cincinnati (goshen ohio) and there is some moisture in the house but not that bad. i think it just stuck a bit from lack of use and the belt is probably worn and the motor slider wasn't oiled up yet so maybe the belt tension was too loose. as said it's working fine now!

 

[maytaga806]

It looks like it was agitating in the picture?

 

[frigidaireguy]

Your Tub Shot

Your tub appears to have some iron stain on it. If so, you can get a product called "Iron Out" and it will remove the stain. I had a Maytag years ago with iron water stains and that is what I used. Just a thought !!!! Glad you got the machine back into operation.
Bob