Maytag A106 - Slow Agitation

[DADoES]

 
Have you confirmed the pump belt is at correct adjustment?  It's looser than may be expected.

Take off the front panel and pull the motor forward so the transmission belt is at full tension with the carriage springs, release it.  With the machine properly upright (not leaned back, so the weight of the motor doesn't work against the carriage springs), reach beneath and squeeze the pump belt together in the middle between the pulleys.  The motor carriage should not move until 1/4" space between the pump belt loop.  The pump belt is too tight if the motor moves at more than 1/4" gap.

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

Reply 16

The original Capacitor blew on spin when I first brought it, the most recent time was when it was with agitation, what would be the best thing to lubricate the motor Mount? if it’s potentially the transmission oil, I could try and give it a shot
When it comes to washing machines I always try and repair them if I know you can still somewhat get spare parts on the used market

 

[drummerboy928]

Reply #19

I checked the belt tension and it seemed a tiny bit over tensioned. I loosened the tension to be within specification, but it did not seem to change the way the machine behaved much if at all. However, how freely should the pump spin? When I try and turn it by hand, it seems to stop very quickly, and seems to be "tight" if that makes sense. It doesn't seem to bind, but it does not spin without a little bit more force than I would think it should take. I will be out of the state this coming week, but what should I use to oil/lubricate the pump and see if it frees up any?

 

[qsd-dan]

I've successfully freed up most pumps that were getting tight/seizing up by lubricating them with turbine oil but there was a couple of situations where the damage was permanent and no amount of oil was going to fix them. It's very difficult to explain over the internet about the proper drag these bearings have when the pulley is spun. It should be very easy to turn with no rough spots but these don't contain roller bearings that keep spinning when the pulley is spun with the flick of a wrist....if that makes any sense.

 

[drummerboy928]

Back to working on this

After longer than I anticipated, I’m finally back home and able to put some more into this thing. As far as lubricating oil, I’ve heard good things about Zoom Spout turbine oil. Should I go for that, or is there a different, recommended brand?

However I intend to, eventually, go through this machine right. I’ve been going through and finding parts I will need for when the time comes and I can rip this thing apart and change the trans oil. So far I’ve been able to find

203956 - Damper pad kit
6-2040130 - Tub Bearing Kit
6-2095720 - mounting stem/tub boot kit
205000 - motor spring and slide kit

A) are these all the correct parts and part numbers needed for this washer, but also B) what else will I or might I need when going through this machine. If I’m going to be going super deep into this, it’s going to be the furthest I’ve gone into one of these Maytag’s, so I’m not sure about a lot of the things I May have to replace. Any help is great

- Henry

 

[qsd-dan]

If you are going to go that far into it, you might as well crack the transmission open and get that old oil out of there which is probably dragging its speed down. Also, replace the lower o-ring that WILL leak, if it isn't leaking already (I'm sure its). You'll need a pick set it remove and install the o-ring. It's up to you if you want to replace other parts since they're getting hard to find. When I crack a trans open, I replace the Delrin pinion gear, both clutch washers, and the lower o-ring. I also disassemble the upper trans housing but I would not recommend doing that since it's very involved and getting the groove pin out is a royal PITA. The groove pin is almost impossible to find now. Just flush the upper housing out the best you can through orifice in the housing.

 

I'd also add the older A4298 seal and install it under the triple lip seal as insurance.

 

The transmission top gasket is impossible to find now but you can use a good quality Permatex gasket sealer as a replacement. I used Toyota FIPG on my daily driver almost 15 years ago when the new trans gasket fell into the new oil and I didn't want to order and wait for another gasket to arrive. Still 100% leak free.

 

As far as the pump goes, Zoomspout turbine oil is the only oil that will pour through the very tiny orifice. You won't be able get a thicker non detergent/non paraffin oil in there such as the blue can of 3 in 1 without making a total mess of things.

 

Not sure I'd put that much work into a lowly 106 but if you're happy with the machine and want to keep it forever, it's worth the effort. It's definitely a good machine to start out with and learn on, making mistakes along the way. Then you can use your newfound knowledge on nice, higher end machines without fear of messing up/destroying them.