Maytag 806 Frankenstein Machine Thoughts

[sprog]

Hey Gang,
Thinking about swapping a Maytag 806 top console/lid/wiring harness (circa 1979) onto the body of an 80s a412. I'm pretty sure the 806 2 speed motor would also need to be switched (2 speed). I thought I saw a thread where something similar had been done. Is this possible?
Chris a.k.a Sprog

 

[eurekastar]

I did something like that by converting an A407 (1-speed) to an A606 (2-speed).  To make it work, I had to rig a new wiring harness, which wasn't hard to do.  It simply required carefully reading the wiring diagram in order to switch some wires, and add a new wire for the 2-speed.  You may have to swap the entire top of the A806 (and not just the console) over to the new machine because I think the tops of the 80s washers changed at some point to accommodate the new style console.  I'm not positive about that, and others would know for sure.

 

[qsd-dan]

Is this possible?

You do need to swap the entire top over to the cabinet. Pre 1980's console will not bolt to a 1980+ cabinet top. Other than that, plug and play.

 

[yogitunes]

done this with a few machines....really nothing to it....in your case, you have to swap the whole top, sometimes you do, sometimes you dont....

found it best to take the whole wiring harness over to the new machine...basically plug and play...

and if there are things like a 2-speed motor, or sudssaver valve, you have to swap that with it....

Maytags are easy enough, if you had to, swap the whole cabinet over....

keep us posted of your progress.....we like pics!

 

[sprog]

Thanks Guys!

Context: there's a free a412 down the street from my house.
It's not in bad shape.
It has a 4 slotted turquoise Power Fin agitator, but a blue enamel tub... which I thought was employed by smaller tub machines?!

So: other than aesthetic reasons, are there any disadvantages to a blue tub over a white one?

Thanks again for the advice!
Chris a.k.a. Sprog

 

[combo52]

Hi Chris, The agitator with 4 holes is the larger agitator and tub,

 

It would be neat to have an A806 with a blue tub, once you add LED tub lighting it might really look good.

 

John 

 

[sprog]

Well I grabbed the a412

Thanks John, you inspired me. On the way to work today, I grabbed the a412. It's currently sitting in the back of my CRV.

At first glance, the belts are missing.
The transmission has no obvious leaks and the movement... good.
The water pump was bound up... really needed some force.
It will be interesting to see if this simple problem led to the decommissioning of this machine.
I have no interest in restoring this machine, however, some parts may prove useful in getting my 806 back online (faulty lower transmission seal).

I'll perform my usual diagnostic when I get it home.

 

[lowefficiency]

Would it be easier to just pull the whole tub/transmission/brace/damper out of the A412 as an assembly, and swap it into your A806 that way? Then you wouldn't have to mess with the motor, pump, or any of the wiring. Just the brake assembly, three springs, popping out the fill hose, and the drain hose on the bottom of the tub.

 

[sprog]

The Plan...

Here is my plan for harvesting parts from this donor machine.

I'm going to reuse the baseplate, transmission (helical), brake assembly, body, and blue tub (yes... an XL capacity blue tub... unusual).

Basically, take everything apart and clean/replace whatever is needed: replace the damper pads, center post bearing, tub seal, rebuild the transmission, yada yada.

Then, as Martin mentioned, plug and play the legacy 806 parts into this experiment.

I agree with John L., that a blue enameled tub would be a unique feature for an 806. I'll add LED lighting for the tub. Maybe some other hacks, e.g. Eugene's sound proofing.

So, as Forest Gump once said, "Stupid is as stupid does", so let's see some action...

 

[hippiedoll]

Very cool...

Good luck with your Maytag Frankenstein-fix 806! I can't wait to read your progress and see a video of your finished product in action!

Keeping fingers crossed everything goes smoothly for you.

 

[maytag85]

A short tub Maytag A806, will definitely have the washing and rising performance like the early 60’s Maytag washers since the standard capacity Maytags seem to wash and rinse better for some reason.

 

[lowefficiency]

>> and blue tub (yes... an XL capacity blue tub... unusual)

Several other models would have had the same size blue tub - A308, for example.

My understanding is that through the 06/07/08/10/12 models, Maytag only ever made the same two tub sizes - they just changed (inflated) the naming of them somewhere along the line for marketing/competition reasons. (Standard became Large, and Large became Extra Large, without any actual capacity change for either.)

 

[good-shepherd]

other hacks, e.g. Eugene's sound proofing.

I don't get sound proofing a long stroke Maytag washer?

The "woo-woo-woo" agitation sound is a major part of the appeal.

 

[eurekastar]

Blue Tub

I think I read somewhere that the blue tubs were installed in models which were sold through non-Maytag retail outlets (e. g. Sears?).