Maytaf A512 Refurb

[DigAPony]

I'm rehabing a Maytag A512 helical washer I picked up off Craigslist for a friend.

This one fooled me, I thought it would simply need a good cleaning. The interior was spic and span, no rust, water or oil leaks anywhere. The seller claimed it hadn't been run in 5 years. It was outside, so no test wash, I knocked the price down to $30 and thought I got a fair deal. However, there was evidence of hard water usage. I pulled the inner tub and found lots of hard water deposits and some rust spots but repairable,

Unfortunately, the upper shaft was badly pitted where the agitator seal sits, agitator seal was in bad shape as well. Also, the tub bearing and bushing was seized, had to spilt it off with chisel. Now, I noticed a crack on the upper half of the trans casing, I don't know if I caused that removing the bushing.

Anyway I'd prefer to used this trans as the lower oil seal is leak free. I'm thinking I'll swap over the upper half from a spare helical trans, replace the oil/gasket, a few other items and be done with it?

Sound good?

 

[gansky1]

Sounds good!

I just did this with a '69 A606 a couple of weeks ago. If you have the spare tranny top, that's about the only way around the corroded shaft. Good luck!

 

[DigAPony]

So the pitted shaft is definitely a problem then and therefore the agitator shaft seal will probably leak?

 

[gansky1]

I have used an epoxy filler and sanded the shaft smooth with success having it seal again, but if your tranny case top cover is cracked, why bother?

Is your friend going to use this as a daily driver? If so, it should be as good condition as possible.

 

[DigAPony]

Well, that didn't work. The donor spare helical trans is an older '70s unit and has gears that are held in place with snap rings rather then by the top cover on the 512 trans.

I should have just swapped swapped over the whole trans, oil was a nice dark green color too, compared to the reddish brown on the 512 trans, looks like some water may have got in that one.

And, wow is Maytag trans oil thick, granted its about 40 degrees out but it pours like molasses and does have a slight have sulfur odor, I think I'll used Gl-4 gear oil after all.