Just one of those days continued

[48bencix]

So last Saturday my Maytag LAT 2500 leaked about a quart of water. I opened up the front and this is what I saw.

 

[48bencix]

I decided to have it repaired

I took it to the local Maytag dealer where I purchased it in 2001, and had it repaired. It cost $280, $140 for parts and $140 for labor. So here it is back where it should be.

 

[48bencix]

Tub seal and Bearing

The tub seal and bearing were bad, and were replaced. The guy said I used too much soap. I denied this and hopefully could place the blame on my partner. (Who was standing there at the time) But he also said that cold water rinses could cause the build-up too. Cold water is defined as 75 degrees, and most of the time is much colder than that. Well, I am the one who uses cold water rinses, so the guilt shifted back to me.

I have been using powdered Tide, Free, and with Bleach, since I got this machine. We think we will switch to Liquid Tide.

Here are the parts that were replaced. You can see the white coating of the three parts in the middle of the picture. That is the mounting stem and boot seal. I think the mounting stem rotates above the boot seal. Personally, I think it should have lasted longer. The lower pieces are the bearing, which is a tube that slips inside of the upper rubber piece which is what goes under the outer tub. That bearing is just one tube inside of another.

Anyway, I am glad to have it back. At least it was repaired, not tossed out. I would have had to buy a new set, because of the location in my kitchen. Next time it fails, in 8-10 years, or hopefully longer, I will get a new set.

Martin

 

[repair-man]

very common

I don't know what has changed in the later Maytag's but I change these two parts all the time. When I had my two Maytag stores (from 1995 to 2006) I sold thousands of these machines. Now I go back one at a time and change these parts. You made a good decision to repair. It's still a good machine. My customers almost always choose to repair. At first I thought maybe that modern detergents are the cause but I almost never see this problem on models built before 1996. Ed

 

[keithelong]

Tub seal and bearing

That might sound like alot of money for a repair but the machine should last a long time. I always recommend this repair unless there are other problems. I worked on a Maytag today that was 22 years old and all it needed were belts. By the way you could use those belts on any Maytag dependable care made from 1956 to their last washer made last fall in their Newton, Iowa plant.

 

[48bencix]

Spin slightly off center

I can't remember how balanced the spin was before the repair. If I watch it spin now, empty, it does spin a little off center. Is it possible that the original assembly order was balanced and if not put together exactly as before it could be a little off center? Or should the balance ring eventually correct that?

Overall I am happy with my decision. I could have bought the parts, but for $140 for labor, I think it was a fair deal.

Martin

 

[tomturbomatic]

If the tub was not centered exactly before the nut was tightened and not held steady or checked a time or two while the nut was tightened, the tub could be off center and off balance. The Maytag balance ring is static, not dynamic, meaning it is solid concrete not water-filled like in the WP DD machines so while it will stabilize the amount of swing at the top of the tub, it's not able to actively correct the tub's balance. If you notice the inner basket striking the outer tub with a fast clicking noise when spinning with a load of laundry, you should call for an adjustment.

As for the cold rinses, when the tap cold is very cold, you can set the machine for a warm rinse and then turn the hot water faucet almost off after the wash fill, if the faucet is easy to reach. You will have to do a little experimenting to find the right amount of hot water, but it is possible to achieve a cool rather than a cold rinse temp this way unless your pipes run through a concrete slab which will cause the hot water line to cool to a degree that a reduced flow will not bring enough water that is hot enough to temper the cold. I hope you have many more years of service from your Maytags.