Maxima Mold Maytag

[stricklybojack]

.
Picked this up for free.
The pictures tell the story. Clogged drain: coins, gunk, and black mold galore.
That hairy rust was from a decaying wood screw lodged in the boot drain weep hole.
The door boot is so stained with mold i may get a new one if the price is right.
This machine was a free replacement from Best Buy after the first one croaked while on extended warranty. So he dumped it to me after the repair guy said, “$200 minimum to open it up”, after the drain code was thrown. He now has a new LG. I updated him (with these pics!) on what went wrong with his old one. Suggested familiarizing himself with the self clean feature, leaving the door ajar, and cleaning out the drain with some kind of regularity.
WTF is wrong with Wirlpool/Maytag designing the machine so the owner, unless skilled, cannot possibly access the drain? Criminal. [this post was last edited: 3/4/2018-18:13]

 

[lorainfurniture]

Soak it

Fill up a 5 gallon with the bellow, hoses, and drain screen. Add hot water and 1 cup of bleach. Let it sit overnight. The results will amaze you

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Right now I have the door boot on the Heavy Duty / Sanitize setting in the dishwasher with plenty of Cascade powder.
If I am not satisfied with the result I will try your bleach idea.
But you are probably right that the hoses too should be removed and treated.
I will pull one for a look see.

 

[appnut]

What model Maxima is this? 

 

[yogitunes]

well, first and foremost in any instruction booklet, then again, common sense would tell you to empty all pockets of coins and foreign matter....

with proper use, that mold/mildew issue will clear up on its own...

but actually, thanks to people like this, you get more machines with a simple fix...

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Here’s the model tag info.
5.5 years young...
It's always older than the owner says it is.

 

[DADoES]

 
Must wash in cold water to save our clothes! /s

 

[appnut]

Cycles  very similar to my December 2011 Duet. 

 

[mark_wpduet]

I agree

I trust WP more than any other appliance manufacturer (aside from SQ or Miele) for durability. However, I've been ranting and raving about them and Electrolux not having a drain access door like the others. I check pockets like crazy but I've still managed to wash a small screwdriver and will find the occasional dime in the drum. I'm not worried about mold because I know that's usually a user fault. But that no drain pump access annoys me like crazy and it makes me lost some trust with the company.

@ APPNUT - if you come back to this post and read this, is your Duet from 2011? Have you had any issues? Thanks

 

[askolover]

That's so disgustingly gross!  I'll bet it smelled great too!

 

[appnut]

Mark, no I've not had any issues. 

 

[rolls_rapide]

Filter Access

It must be those Corporations' twisted idea of generating extra money from the simplest faults.

It wouldn't be so bad if the pump had no access, but was of the 'self-cleaning vortex style' - like we had on the 1980s Hoover machines.

This in comparison, is just sheer bloody-mindedness.

 

[johnb300m]

I'll take a stab.
If there's any marketing people at WP who are similar to our marketing group, I would not be surprised if someone there had a little tantrum overriding Engineering, demanding there be NO access doors on the front, ruining their design aesthetic.
It's not uncommon for silly artsy types with too much power to override important, functional elements of a product.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Well she's all buttoned up awaiting it's test run.
The overnight bleaching worked good enough, I was thinking of adding more bleach and soaking another night but I needed that sink back. The rock in the tub kept the boot submerged.
It's really just down in the deep crevasses of the boot now, where it was worst to begin with. Now there is a comparatively small amount still showing. And of course all the gunk is gone, and the boot had A LOT of that. Rust stains were unfazed by the bleach. Can't tell much from these pictures but I will add them anyway...somewhat out of order by the looks of things.
The whole machine is aged/scuffed up just enough that I wouldn't get top dollar even with a new boot ($80) so I figured I best keep my costs down. If I was keeping it or giving it to a friend I would definitely have sprung for the boot. The machine does have the drawer/stand, that may be attractive to some buyers.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Rust stains on gasket

Can be treated with citric acid solution, or lemon juice, on a cloth.

But first of all, make sure any chlorine bleach is well-rinsed away.

The machine doesn't look too bad from a distance.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Failed test...BADLY.
Giving codes to replace one or both computer control modules.
Never turned a revolution or opened the inlet valve to a single drop of water.
Just sat there and eventually threw codes...like all modern machines with electronics do sooner or later.
Will try to sell for parts unless i find cheap boards...unlikely.

 

[henene4]

Sure all connections are tight?

These boards are finiky with that.

Reconnect everything. Check the hall sensor. Check both boards for visible damage.

It's funny how all controlls throw faults of them.
None survived. None!

Geeze, what made you country so great, huh? So unbeatable... But that's not topic here for good reason.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Lower board has visible brain damage...

 

[lorainfurniture]

Does the door lock?

Generally speaking if the door locks, not rotation, the mcu is at fault. I’ve got in a lot of those alpha platforms with bad mcu’s. If you pull it out you will likely find a cracked thermistor on the board. It’s a black disc shaped part about the size of a dime.

I’m trying to locate that specific part as I have a few of these boards waiting for repairs. If you find that part, you will still have to solder some burn spots on the board. Buying a new board is expensive, and I believe they are back ordered for a while.