Just got my first wringer washer, and it needs a little work so I need some help

[mstone]

Why thank you Eddie! You get it! I have tried it with water and it is really cool! I love the movement it has, and I could for sure see how it would really bash those clothes clean more than any other machine; even some other wringer brands.
And yes! It seems like it would be a nice experience!
And thank you! I see it as a piece of history too! I like that I am young and getting into having one. It seems like it would be quite rare hah, and I will be able to use this machine for decades. I will probably still use it when it turns 100 years old; and beyond that even!
I loved washers since I was very young. By 4, I had learned to climb up on the washer and stick my finger in the lid switch so I could watch the cycle, and I very often washed random rags that I found in a bucket outside, manually. Lol! And my uncle also gave me his broken washer to play with when I was a little kid, and I did. It sat outside haha! So I can imagine it being fun!

 

[mstone]

I look at these machines like I look at records and Polaroid cameras. It is not nearly as big of a thing, but it is old and cool and should be kept around because of it.

 

[mstone]

Ok so far I have out and cleaned the clutch pinion gear, the main shaft for the rack gear, and the rack gear. All 3 of them have some damage. I am most concerned about the rack gear, as it has bits of multiple teeth missing, some tiny pieces of metal stuck under the teeth of the gear, and the teeth of the gear have rough edges and little pits. The pinion gear just has one big chunk missing, and the main shaft has a weird shallow crater in it. What are you guys' opinions? Do you think I need to replace any of them?
Pic 1 is the pinion, 2 is the shaft, and 3 and 4 are the rack gear.
I just dont want any pieces to break off and cause more damage while I am using the machine. There is the same worry about fixing some of the issues with JB weld.

 

[tinkr]

In your video

I noticed movement after you pushed in the shifting rod. I wondered why it did that.
I certainly am no expert but it may be the damage you have on the gears.

I noticed (for lack of better word) a grinding when you pushed in the shaft.
Mine does that sometimes. And I'd bet that is what damaged the rack gear.

Ok JB weld I dont think it would be strong enough. The pitting on the shaft may be from metal stuck in one place and wore pits in it.

Best bet A phone call to Tuscon. Pick his brain. See if he has gears alone he will sell.
We didnt dissamble my broken gear box. I know teeth were damged. It would jam and not move.

Your machine was working. How far do you want to go with it?

It is sad to say, but I have the idea, that women that were tired of their wringer washers MAY have sabotaged them.
Believe me I know a few that have ruined perfectaly good items to get what they want.

 

[mstone]

My thoughts on the movement after disengaging the shifter rod is that maybe some old oil was in between the two pinion gears that separate when disengaged, or under the bottom pinion gear at the shifter mechanism stopping it from moving far enough away, or just being thick globby liquid that had enough force to turn the top gear slightly. When it was turning while disengaged, I could hold the agitator gently and it would be enough to stop it, so I think it was the liquid.
And yeah I noticed the grinding that happens sometimes too and it scared me lol. I will for sure be giving Mark a call about the damaged gears. I am sure he has them in stock, I just wanted as many opinions on it as possible.

And lol! That makes sense! But this does not seems like one of those.

 

[mstone]

Marks says to replace, replace, replace!
He also says those parts are pretty cheap.

 

[stan]

Think

That's best since you've come this far.
We old timers will enjoy this rebuild thread. So thank you for sharing it with us.
Wish I could be there to watch and help.
The day will come (after a little learning curve) that you will fire up a brand new looking Maytag.
Youl enjoy showing it with someone older that use to have one when they were younger.
(I have enjoyed seeing the smile it brought to a old lady.. that had one like mine that she used to wash all her kids diapers in. It brought her back to a certain time that she was happy in)
Youl probably have this machine your whole life.. You may get to the point that you no longer use it (years from now) but youl feel good about what you accomplished, and to know that you can use it whenever your in the mood.
Keep up the good work!

 

[mstone]

Well I tried the best way I could think to remove the worm wheel, which was to use a ratchet with a spade bit, and I stood ontop of the transmission to hold it down, and the stud for the wheel would not tutn. It is stuck! Anyone got amy ideas to get it out?

 

[mstone]

Yes, so true! And thank you! I am glad you are enjoying it!
That will be cool! It is also fun to show it to other people my age and have their reaction be "What is that!?!
I am so excoted to have a nearly brand new maytag! And I plan to use it my whole life when I need to wash clothes!

 

[tinkr]

Removing the gear

The service manual says use the handle of a spanner wrench. I don't know. If its really stuck PB blaster or liquid wrench. Oh I was warned about removing the plug with the plus sign not to do it difficult to adjust it from scratch.
And thats all I know Sorry.

 

[mstone]

I dont have the spanner wrench. It is not even in the parts diagram booklet weirdly enough. I tried PB blaster, and it is still sitting with some on it but I think I actually sprayed it in thw wrong place lol. So I wil try that again. I would just think I would get more leverage this way than with a flat metal object on its own.
Larry warned me not to remove that thrust bearing retainer also, but the manual says to just do it. I will have to read the putting it back together section to see what it says about that lol.

 

[mstone]

I dont have the spanner wrench. It is not even in the parts diagram booklet weirdly enough. I tried PB blaster, and it is still sitting with some on it but I think I actually sprayed it in thw wrong place lol. So I wil try that again. I would just think I would get more leverage this way than with a flat metal object on its own.
Larry warned me not to remove that thrust bearing retainer also, but the manual says to just do it. I will have to read the putting it back together section to see what it says about that lol.

 

[stan]

Maybe

Let the PB blaster soak for a day..then some heat.

 

[mstone]

I tried it again today, but still stuck. Will let the PB blaster sit. And heat? Hmm. I dont havw a torch so idk what I would use for that. I think tomorrow I will just try smacking it with a hammer! And if that doesnt work, I will try to cut the wheel in half with a dremel saw. I have no patience for that BS lol. Especially since the wheel is being replaced, and the stud comes with it. Also, those 4 gears add up to about $111 from Mark. I cant imagine a new power unit from him being much more than $180, in case I cant get it.

By the way, I got my box of parts from him!

Also, I looked in the manual about the thrust bearing retainer, and it sounds very easy to put back in and set the thrust. All you do is tighten it then back off barely, and then do it once more when the whole PU is put back together and installed.

 

[tinkr]

There's always one bolt

In every project. I was thinking heat also. I would think the gears are hardnend steel. Will a Dremel blade
cut that?
And in the past my experience , in the instructons it sounds so easy.
In actual life it's anything but.

Yea on the parts. Concentrate on something else and let the other soak.
At least you know your making progress.

 

[mstone]

It has been soaking all night so I will try it today.
It isnt a regular dremel tool with a small blade, is is specifically a dremel saw with a 4 or 5 inch diameter metal saw blade. Not sure if it will cut it, but I will try that if bashing it with a hammer doesnt work.
I guess there are a couple other things I could do while I wait.
And yeah, it is always harder than it sounds lol! Instructions: "Remove the stud for worm wheel by inserting the handle of a 38111 spanner wrench into the slot of the worm wheel stud and turn clockwise to unscrew."
There is no 38111 spanner wrench even in the parts catalog, and the thing does not want to move at all! So that means hammer time!

 

[mstone]

I put enough torque on that thing, that it twisted off the butt end of the drill bit in the socket.

 

[mstone]

Ok so I tried hammering on the stud, and it came off with the worm wheel. Problem is that it wont come off the worm wheel, no matter how much I hammer the stud, and the two together do not fit to come out of the power unit as a whole. The possibility of just getting a new power unit draws ever closer.

 

[mstone]

The dremel saw cut with ease but was not deep enough.

 

[stan]

New

Power Unit.. Sounds like a plan!
Can you get one? If you can and you get new one..maybe you can drop that one from a second floor! Wonder if that would break it loose! LOL

 

[mstone]

No not yet. I got to talk to Mark a bit more, and he convinced me not to buy one as they are around $280 from him, not counting shipping and tax. But again that is for a fresh power unit and center plate attached to it.
He suggested trying soaking the whole thing in solvent for a day, but I am gonna look for the router saw in the garage, and get a metal cutting blade for it and try to cut through the stud rather than the worm wheel and hope that works. And you would habe to drop it from 10 stories and smash up the housing to maybe come close to getting that wheel to come off. It may as well be one piece.

 

[mstone]

I bashed it with a hammer A LOT!

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Post more pics if you can.
I really want to see what's going on.

 

[mstone]

OMG! I finally got the worm wheel and stud out of the transmission. I had to cut the worm wheel into pieces and hammer and chisel at it. Evrn with a big chunk removed, it still would not come out, but here it is! Hopefully the housing isnt too badly damaged. Now it is on to the thrust bearing retainer, worm wheel, and shifter cam!

 

[mstone]

*Worm gear, not worm wheel.

 

[tinkr]

Perserverience

Pays off. Holy moley. Speechless.

 

[mstone]

Haha! Yes it does! Thank you! It took me days to decide to just go ahead and cut it up, and I had to get a thick metal cutting blade for pur sawzall, and use two metal cutting wheels on my dremel saw.

Now the thrust bearing retainer is stuck on and so is the thrust collar to the worm shaft. The shaft keeps turning so I cant really grip it. Will try using a piece of the worm wheel to lock teeth and hold it in place, but i still gotta gett of the retainer.
And the instructions are actually a bit wrong on this part.

 

[mstone]

UMM...

 

[mstone]

Ok i got it all out, just have to get the parts separated now.
Instructions "tap down on one end of the retainer to loosen it." But it does not do anything. Real life, hit the other end of the worm shaft with a hammer to poo it out.

 

[stan]

Can u

Get a new part for that broken one?
You doing really well with this! You've got the same deternanation that Larry had! And you have a great attitude
Your problems are a bit unique to your old gal, but thats they way if it..with these old girls
I'm staying tuned in!