wow...
I believe that this model (or something VERY close to it) are still being made. I've seen the square-door Maytags recently at all of the major retailers. Kind of like seeing a newer car in a junkyard, it's amazing how short the lifespan of what is considered a "durable good" is these days.
I'm betting cold washes were run on the majority of the cycles, and perhaps, little to no bleach usage. With this kind of abuse I'd consider going through the trouble to tear into the drum assembly to check the spider out and perhaps replace the drum bearing and seal. However, since it was free it's not a huge deal. If it breaks it breaks. If it doesn't, score!
Phooey on Whirlpool for not making the pump easily accessible. I totally agree with johnb300m's assessment a few posts above. The designers (not the engineers) or the bean counters probably collaborated together to nix an access panel on the front, 'cause it would either "ruin" the aesthetics and/or cost a few cents extra per unit.
Aesthetics doesn't really matter when the machine is sitting in a scrapyard waiting to be fed to the shredder due to the fact that it died a premature death because the manufacturer decided to circumvent a simple yet crucial opportunity to maintain the unit. It reminds me of the newer BMWs -- there is no dipstick on the engine, only a sensor. What happens when the sensor goes bad or it consistently registers a false positive for some reason? The engine will be starved of oil. I don't think we will be seeing those cars on the road for a whole lot longer past their warranty expiration dates.
Speaking of aesthetics, give me a "real" stainless steel washer with a simple, round porthole door made of heavy duty stainless and a simple control panel with no dials. Bring on access panels and function over form. Yeah, I know, I just described a hardmount washer...the domestic FLs look like toys.
I do have to say that I've never had anything in my pump filter on my LG/Kenmore unit, in fact I barely have a tinge of lint. Still, it is nice to have instant access when the inevitable coin, screw or some other widget makes its way out of the inner drum.
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