Jet Cone Removal for 1968 Rollermatic

[mayken4now]

In trying to remove the tub etc. to get my washer cabinet painted, more trouble has arisen.

The jetcone nut will not come loose due to the agitate shaft turns as well. Anyone know why and what could I do to fix that problem. I see that the machine has been tampered with before, near the agitate arm.

The only reasonable fix I could come up with is to take the agitate arm off, hold the agitate shaft from under the washer with channel lock pliers and then take the jetcone nut off?????

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

Steve

 

[westytoploader]

Stuck pulsator nuts are the hardest to deal with, IMHO...especially on the 1-18s! Not sure how it would be on a solid-tub Rollermatic like yours though. Do you have an air impact wrench by any chance?

Why would the agitator shaft be turning? I know on the 1-18 it doesn't and the solid-tub Rollermatic agitate arm configuration is pretty much the same. Did you try putting your foot in the tub to hold it still?

 

[christfr]

OH BOY

I WAS TOLD TO STICK MY FOOT IN THE TUB AS A BRACE BUT I ENDED UP USING A VICE GRIPS AT THE END OF THE SHAFT RIGHT ABOVE THE COUPLER AND WENT FROM THERE..THEY ARE A BITCH

 

[gyrafoam]

The problem is---he is saying the whole agitate shaft is turning so it doesn't matter if you use an impact tool, stand in the tub, etc. The nut and the shaft are turning together!

The only thing I can think of is that maybe somehow the little "key" in the groove of the agitator shaft has lost its grip somehow---perhaps through corrosion----and it is allowing the shaft to turn freely.

I would think you would have to either get someone to grip the shaft from underneath the machine while you try to unscrew the bolt. Or maybe somehow disconnect the shaft from the agitate arm----hmmmmm What a hassle!

 

[gyrafoam]

Ahh-Haa!

Steve got an E-Mail from one of our members who said he thought the key was stripped away somehow.
He suggests from experience that the agitate shaft be disconnected and pulled straight up through the mechanism with the agitator still attached. Of course, this also requires removing both bellows with the agitator still attached----that will require a steady hand!

What a GREAT piece of advice! I'm glad to know it if I ever have this problem!

 

[mayken4now]

And now, we have SUCCESS! Part one anyway.

Many thanks to Steve (Gyrafoam) and Jimmy (Filterflo). Their expertise is much appreciated. And, so quick with response.

Here ya go. Jetcone on steriods, no doubt.

Steve

 

[mayken4now]

I am happy to have come this far.

Steve

 

[mayken4now]

Here were some instructions as to what I did:

Once the agitator shaft turns, it means the brass keyway inside the spin tube has broken the teeth off of it. The brass keyway is located at the end of the spin tube near the bottom of the washer, and is meant to keep the agitator shaft from turning, which when it turns, would wrinkle and destroy the bellows...

Step #1
Do you know how to unscrew the agitate arm from the agitate shaft? That is what must be done next. The agitate arm bearing is about the size of a walnut, and you must grip it with a pair of channel locks and give it a good tug downward to unscrew it. Someone might have to hold the agitator for you to keep it from turning since the keyway is now broken and it spins freely.

Step #2
Once the agitate arm is unscrewed from the agitate shaft, you pull up on the Jetcone as far as you can and reach UNDER the Jetcone and unhook the bellows clips with a small flat screwdriver. First the BIG bellows must be unhooked, then the SMALL bellows is unhooked.

Step #3
Once the bellows clips are off and the bellows are unhooked, then you can pull the whole Jetcone AND shaft UP thru the washer. At that point, you can put the agitate shaft in a vise and hold it while you unscrew the hold down bolt.

Dont feel too bad about this, I have had this happen MANY MANY times, as sometimes its just impossible to get the bolt off without breaking the keyway. The keyway is very important as it keeps the agitator in one position and keeps the bellows from getting all messed up if the agitator turns. The agitator in a Frigidaire is NEVER supposed to turn because it will wrinkle and destroy the bellows..............


Hope this helps.............. even a little bit is progress..


Jimmy

 

[filterflo]

Hi Steve, glad I could help with the removal of spin shaft. Also glad you edited the profanity @#$!!@###XXS out of my email above! Next step is to get the agitator nut off the shaft. Shouldnt be too hard, so far youve done great. Its really not hard to get the JetCone and shaft out from the top when you use the method I described in the previous post. Im sure your Rollermatic will be up and pulsating soon!

 

[Unimatic1140]

Great job Steve! I'm so glad you were able to get the agitator out. Hopefully the rest will be easier now.

 

[helicaldrive]

Look at that garage!

Spotless windows, painted floor so clean you could sit on it...and......and unlike all those other lonely Maytag service men (yeah right), he lays a cloth over the machine before chucking his tools on top. This is a picture of someone who knows how to do things right!

 

[helicaldrive]

And be sure not to overlook...

Every machine is levelled so the control panels are all at exactly the same height and angle, and look behind that water softener! The drywall is cut absolutely perfectly for the inlet and outlet pipes.

Steve, looks like you'd be the man to hire for any home improvement job. Betcha you've got word-of-mouth referrals out the yin yang.

 

[rocky2]

Yay!!!

Did you celebrate with an Agitator Dance?

 

[mayken4now]

Thanks for all the help and nice gesture.

Not nearly complete yet. Have to figure on getting the nut that holds the tub in place off. Jimmy (filterflow) has now given me suggestion and help on that subject matter. I will have Monday 07/03 to work on it, then on vacation to Tampa for the week. I really wanted to get that cabinet to the paint shop before I left. Oh well.

Yes, we will do a dance with that jetcone.

Steve

 

[trainguy]

So Steve...

how about an update on your progress?

Rich

 

[mayken4now]

Ok Rich

I have been on vacation for a week, and this is the latest.

Thanks for asking.

Steve

 

[mayken4now]

And the parts are everywhere in order and I do have pics as to how they came off, not to leave out wiring.

 

[mayken4now]

The cabinet, which was the reason for starting this project is at the paint shop now.

 

[mayken4now]

I may have made some mistakes with Sno Bowl, but hey, I tried. This machine that was donated in my favor, was certainly an iron, calcuim, and hard water deposit. OMG, I cannot tell all how bad this was, behind the scenes. Unbeleivable. My partner Jeff said several times,"Steve, just throw it away and find another one" I aint a quitter, so guess what the answer was. I will post more as time comes along.

I will have it up and running in it's glory for the August 5th wash-in.

Steve