Maytag A 210 leak!!

[unclejim]

Hi all -- New member, and first-time poster....

First off, a shout-out to "Webmaster Robert" (thanks) for helping me with my log-on difficulties....

I was raised in a Maytag family (AND IN Iowa), and took possesion of my mother's A 210, and accompanying DE 312, before selling their house (to settle estate) in 1995, and they have performed flawlessly...until lately.

The washer has begun to exibit a slow leak (under the left side) during the inital fill cycle. I removed the fill valve, cleaned the screens (i was there, anyway), and it is not leaking, so i suspect the hose to the drum fill outlet.

I poked around the front/top seam, and got a putty knife to the spring clip on the right side, but it feels really tight!!-- If this is not the proper way to remove the top, i don't want to do any damage.

SO--can someone tell me how to access this hose, AND as long as i'm in there, is there anything else i should service/ clean/ inspect/ grease / degrease while i'm in there?

Thanks in advance-- i'll check back, and will report on my progress. I spent a lot of time here the other nite scanning threads and photos-- you guys (and ladies) have some great old machines!! Nice to see the care given to great, old, METAL appliances. (I have a Chambers "C", but that's for another day).

Will await feedback-- ([email protected])

 

[bobbyderegis]

Oh boy, Unclejim:
You have come to the right place. Your fix should be an easy one. First of all, forget the spring clips. Take the two philips head screws out from the bottom of the front panel, then swing the front panel up and out. The spring clips act as guides and only hold the front panel to the top. Once the front panel is off, remove the two bolts from the front underside of the top cover.( just inside the top front of the side panels) You should see the fill injector hose at the back left hand corner of the tub, and the hoses connecting it to the fill valve. Your leak is coming from this area most likely. You can see how easy it is to diagnose where the leak is coming from and how you can repair it. The rubber on the injector(inside the clear plastic holder, mounted with two screws to the side panel) has probably hardened or is covered with calcium build-up. I soak these parts in white vinegar for a couple hours, clean them with an old toothbrush, and everything should work great again.
Hope this helps, and welcome to the club!
Bobby in Boston

 

[unclejim]

A 210 leak

YIKES!!

Bobby--didn't expect a reply so soon!! I understand, and will begin, armed with my newly-acquired knowledge--will update in a couple of hours.

This is great!! I own a couple of rentals, and a little cabin in the woods, so will become a regular here--back soon

unclejim

 

[unclejim]

OKAY, Bobby--I'm in!!

The front and top came off, as promised--found the little opaque plastic part (your name "injector"), took the hoses off both ends, removed black rubber part inside, and the plastic center from the tube.

There is a certain amount of crap and corruption, but the rubber is still pliable, and does not appear to have any breaches. The inlet-side hose appears good, and the outlet-side hose appears to be of more sturdy tubing, but not brittle.

I have soaked and cleaned the injector innards. I noticed via a site-thread that the insert tube in the agitator center is a lint filter, so removed to inspect--i guarantee ya', there ain't no lint gettin' thru THOSE holes!!!--they're jam-full--will clean that while i await your inspection, and approval before re-assembly. unclejim

 

[volvoguy87]

Maytag.

I'm not familiar with your model (it's just a little too new). I am, however, familiar with the previous generation, which is the same as yours from the lid down. If your model has a bleach dispenser (in the front left corner under the lid) be sure to reconnect it before you reattach the front panel. I forgot to reconnect the bleach dispenser tube on my A208 once and it spilled a little water on the floor. Your leak is probably from the place described above, it's pretty common. The bleach dispenser is just easy to forget on reassembly and can then cause a small leak.

I love Maytag and Chambers,
Dave

 

[bobbyderegis]

What's going on unclejim? Did you diagnose the leak?
Bobby in Boston

 

[unclejim]

help, bobbie (NOT to exclude others who care to chime in!!!)--

i cleaned everything up as described above, and re-assembled:

it still leaks!! around the black rubber piece inside the opaque plastic slotted cylinder-(you're calling this the "fill valve"? looks like it is supposed to expand w/ water pressure to block the slots, channeling the water through the fill valve--yes?

the water flows freely thru the slots-- what now?

anybody here have one, or is it something my local appliance parts wholesaler will have? full # A 210 01 046261 GL

thanks in advance unclejim

 

[unclejim]

bump!!

 

[redcarpetdrew]

You are correct. That is a antisyphon injector. Water pressure expands that rubber valve against the sleeve. When the rubber gets too old or deformed it won't seal right and leak.Your injector assy comes in three pieces. I highly recommend you replace all three as 1 or 2 pieces have been revised.

203015 Nozzle
216201 Valve
22213057 Sleeve

The sleeve now has a nifty little 'box' above the air vents to catch dribbles. The nozzle slips inside the black rubber 'valve'. Remember to tuck the lip of the valve over the flange on the nozzle.

By the way, your washer was born in Newton in June, 1981.

Good luck.

 

[unclejim]

bobbie, volvo guy, and red--

thanks so much for your time--i'm on my way to eBay in search of parts--will up-date

unclejim

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Remember that these are current production parts so any Maytag Auth. parts distributor should have them if not on Ebay. You'd be surprised how much is still available for your unit.

RCD

 

[unclejim]

RCD--
Appreciate the hand-holding--I've found the nozzle and valve, and have an e-mail query into the vendor re: your suggestion to up-grade--Probly won't reply now until business hours Monday--Will get whole assembly if he has it.

I was crest-fallen after I cleaned up the old parts, and they leaked so badly--it was probly all the C&C in there that I cleaned out that allowed it to function as well as it did.

Can anybody suggest anything else I should do while I'm in there? Thanks in advance--will update after new parts in place, probly mid week next-- uncle jim

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Don't forget your damper pads!

One thing to check is the condition of the damper pads. I've seen many a Maytag owner face the consequences of not paying attention to these. These pads are glued to the baseframe underneath the aluminum damper (like a upsidedown bowl with the three tub support arms attached.) These pads allow the tub mech to move around during spin without transferring vibration to the base. You should be able move the whole tub assy with minimal effort. If it takes alot of effort to move the tub to the side, then it's time to lightly lube the pads with Maytag Polylube. Otherwise, the pads dry out and then come off and then it's metal on metal and a potentially expensive Damper&Pad Job.

RCD

 

[qsd-dan]

Thanks for the tip RCD!

Can the damper pads be lubed without disassembling the washer?

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Kind of...

Remove the two bolts that hold the top down. Take off the three nuts that secure the springs to the base. (first note how much eye bolt is sticking thru the nut so that you can cinch them back when putting the nut back on.) Take a soft wood block (two-two by four pieces) and postion under the trans pulley. sit washer back down and the blocks will raise the mech just enough to expose the pads (there should be three). Lube the pads lightly with PolyLube (P/N 203959 for a 3oz. jar). Reassemble. It's easiest to start the nuts on the back eyebolts first, then pull the tub forward to start the front nut. Then tighten down but not overtighten! Too loose and the tub flops around. Too tight and the mech mashes down on the pads and shortens their life and the washer shakes. (remember noting how much eyebolt was showing thru before you started?). If tightened evenly, your tub should be centered as you look down thru the lid. If all goes well, you've just lubed your pads, something ALL Maytags of decent age will eventually need.

Good luck.

RCD

 

[bobbyderegis]

Uncle Jim:
Your rubber sleeve may be dried out and not pliable anymore, thus causing the injector to still leak. (My God, this sounds like Toggleswitch talking!) If you replace these parts which are fairly cheap, your problem will most likely be solved. This is especially true if you have high water pressure.

RCD:
I just lubed my damper pads on the A612 a couple weeks ago. They were dry as a bone, and I had noticed the machine liked to "walk" on a fairly unbalanced load. I need to clarify the lbs. that will trip the unbalance mechanism. I think 3 lbs. is supposed to trip it, but I'm getting mixed answers. In the old manuals for the 06 models I think it was 3.
Bobby in Boston

 

[unclejim]

RCD, bobby, et al--
FORTUNATELY, my parts arrived this morning, and solved the problem--no leaks!!, and re-assembly went well--found a couple of rusty clamps on the pump hose, so replaced them--
UNFORTUNATELY, I haven't been back here since my last post, and didn't see RCD's bit about lubing the damper pads--SO, I'll get some lube from the local parts guy, and I have another rainy-day project!!
Thanks again, guys!!

unclejim