Maytag A408S Rebuild

[drummerboy928]

Recently I became the owner of a 1978 Maytag A408S washer and was finally able to take a good look at it. Unfortunately the inside is in.... rough shape but i plan to rebuild it back to the best condition I possibly can. As someone who as never rebuilt a washing machine of any kind, I have questions as to what parts i should buy. I know it needs a new motor, pump, belts, and tub ring seal and clamp, but is there anything else i should purchase to either make the rebuilding process easier, or other parts i should replace? i’ve included some pictures as to the current condition of the inside

 

[scoots]

YouTube....

Howdy and best of luck.

I acquired a similar Maytag that needs similar work. In doing prep research if found a YouTube video that I think will be helpful and I pass it along to you.

The video is a strip down and restoration done by an appliance professional. It's recorded at an advanced speed, but I find if the play back is slowed down (25%) you can easily take notes and screen capture images.

Before pre-purchasing supplies, I suggest you start your strip down and discover what is needed first.

I'm certain there are a few specialty tools that you don't have. Try looking for them on eBay, but ask here for their name. (Either include a screen capture, or give us the time coordinate)

Good Luck

 

[lowefficiency]

>> I know it needs a new motor, pump, belts, and tub ring seal and clamp

You might not need even half of your list.
What are the symptoms of the machine?

 

[good-shepherd]

Oh faa..

Now understand why that agitator set screw was sheared off..

Most rusty motor I've ever seen.

 

[good-shepherd]

You might not need even half of your list

Probably needs most of those and more, IMO.

 

[qsd-dan]

Find another machine in better shape and part this one out.

 

[drummerboy928]

Running condition

Surprisingly, this machine was not the one with the sheared off agitator bolt. that was my other maytag that’s in much better shape. This one other than the rust surprisingly runs flawlessly, and doesn’t leak a single drop of water!

 

[lowefficiency]

And there we go. That's why I say not to jump to conclusions and go on the parts buying spree until a diagnosis has been made.

If you're restoring something special, intending to keep it for 20 years, that's one thing. But so many people go way overboard, and in the process of "cleaning up one more thing", end up with a pile of parts and a machine in pieces that is beyond their ability to re-assemble, and just ends up scrapped. Sometimes a little restraint is all a machine needs.

My "not even half" statement is based on the tub clamp being stainless and not being failure prone, the pumps that seem to last forever, and the belts that, from what I've read, are rarely the reason a machine fails unless a prior owner used non-Maytag belts. You're not going to need the replacement tub cover seal unless you take it apart, and likewise the motor is a large purchase if unnecessary. So firing it up and testing a fill, agitation, and spin/drain goes a loooong way into narrowing down what is *actually* needed.

We're 2+ years in now on our free A408 that looks like a shipwreck inside. It too was called a parts donor, but it's been our daily machine the whole time. A little rust isn't the end of the world for these.

Good luck!

 

[drummerboy928]

Future Plans

After everything i’ve read and been reading, i think the best thing to do for now is to go through it with some cleaner and some towels and remove as much of the old dust and stains on the outside of the tub, as well as the stuff on the inside of the cabinet. I was surprised when i took the front panel off the first time because it ran so smoothly when i was testing it! I guess the plan of action is to clean it up as best as possible, and let it run until something for sure needs to be replaced. thanks everyone for all the help!

 

[macboy91si]

Not All Bad

It looks like corrosion from that bleach hose possibly. I've seen far worse looking machines still perform fine. This just can be cleaned up considerably and as long as the base plate isn't completely rotted away, the rest is negligible. you can remove the motor and clean it up and get a new set of belts while it would need anyway probably. you can take a wire wheel on a drill and clean a good bit of that up and get some rustoleum or an epoxy paint to paint it up.

It all depends on what you are willing to tackle and your level of storage space to start hoarding extra machines. If this machine runs fine and isn't leaking, I'd say go for it. I doesn't need a complete teardown if it still works and you want a classic machine to use.

MY 2 cents...

Tim