Maytag 608: No Drain

[Wobbly]

I just replaced the belts on our Maytag 608. The washer was working fine until the replacement. I replaced the motor mount springs and the nylon wheels. The new pump belt seems very loose, but the old one was too. It's easy to touch the belt together at the mid span. The instructions called for 1/4" separation, but there seems to be zero now. I moved the pump to its extreme position to increase the belt tightness, but it still seems rather loose. Now the washer doesn't drain.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[DADoES]

 

 

As I recall, the pump adjustment should be such that 1/4" midpoint separation of the belts is the point at which the motor carriage just starts to move against the spring tension. Leaning the machine back throws the spring tension off-kilter against the motor's weight, so it should be set down in normal position on the floor when checking the belts ... leaned back for access to adjust the pump as necessary.

 

[Wobbly]

Thanks for the info. So when I "corrected" the tension with the washer tilted up, I probably over tightened the belt. Would an over-tightened pump belt cause the no drain problem?

 

[combo52]

NO DRAIN PROBLEM

A too tight pump belt would not cause the machine not to drain as long as the motor could start and run. But a too tight pump belt will cause a poor or no spin problem as the tight pump belt pulls the motor toward the center of the machine and reduces the tension on the main drive belt. It wasn't the best system for drive belt tensions but it did work if everything was set correctly.

 

[Wobbly]

Thanks for the replies!

Just rechecked. The belts are not switched and the deflection of the pump belt at mid-span is less than 1/4" when pinched. The discharge hose had a pretty good kink in it, so I repositioned the hose. The motor base slides freely when the transmission belt is squeezed. I refilled the washer and it agitates strongly. However, when the dial rotates to where draining should start I hear some clicks, but no draining. With water still in the tub, the motor tries to get the tub spinning, but kicks out before the tub spins. The motor is hot, if that is significant.

Since it was the belts that I replaced, I thought they were the problem area. Now I'm wondering if it's the motor.
Is this an example of the wisdom of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? I thought it might be prudent to replace the 40 year old belts. Actually, they still looked good!

 

[macboy91si]

Just a question...

Did you put on actual Maytag washer belts of find a suitable belt elsewhere?

 

-Tim

 

[Wobbly]

The replacement belts are not Maytag, but came in a package labeled with the Maytag part number. The package included two belts, rollers, and springs. One of the rollers would barely turn even after lubing it. I reused one of the original rollers instead of the new one.

 

[Wobbly]

Not sure how draining works. The pump is always rotating. Does it only develop enough head to pump when the motor is running at high speed? Seems like the problem might be that the motor won't run on high now. I hear clicks and the motor attempts to accelerate, but then kicks out. Could this be due to a bad speed switch, capacitor, or motor?

Thanks!

 

[qsd-dan]

Did you remove/install any wires at the motor while replacing springs/rollers? You may have accidentally swapped or crossed wires to the start switch.

 

[cfz2882]

motor overloading

if the motor is overloading and tripping off while trying to spin,there is
something wrong with the belt(wrong type),melted rubber in the motor pulley
groove,or way to much tension on the drive belt-the belt in a maytag and
a few other brands is meant to be a"clutching"belt that has a special slip
coating on it to let the belt slip as the water drains and the tub gets up
to speed.If belt does not slip enough motor will overload and trip thermal
protector before tub can drain. The pump in a maytag is a turbine style and
pumps either way,depending on direction of rotation-motor reverses direction
to switch from agitate to spin,and pump pumps out in spin direction.
if the "clutching"belt is working properly,the tub can be held stationary
while trying to spin and the motor will not stall.

 

[Wobbly]

Bargain Belt Buyers Beware

CFZ2882,

You hit the nail on the head! Took off the new belts and put the old ones back on and it now drains. Macboy91si also hinted that this was the problem.

Wonder if the new belts would work if they were sprayed with silicone? Perhaps they would work for a while and then get gummed up with dust and grime.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[cfz2882]

maytag belts

sounds like whoever put that kit together just supplied a standard drivebelt
of the same dimensions of the maytag special"clutching"belt not realizing
the genuine belt has special characteristics (the pump belt is a typical
non-clutching belt BTW)

 

[Wobbly]

The subject of genuine Maytag versus aftermarket belts was discussed here.
It sounds like one poster bought the same EBAY kit that I did.
Like to know if his worked better than mine:

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?27555

 

[Wobbly]

The belts have Maytag part numbers, but no logo or other identification. They are made in Mexico.

 

[Wobbly]

V-belts used for clutching applications are covered by at least one patent: 4244234
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4244234.pdf

Graphite is impregnated into the side walls to reduce the coefficient of friction between the pulley and the belt.

DAYCO was the patent assignee.