Maytag A606 (300227DW) Knock/Tick Tock while Agitating

[truespan]

I have a Maytag A606 (s/n 300227DW) washer and its matching dryer (DE606?) in white. These were purchased in the late '60's and have been operating in the same location ever since.

I performed the last significant repair on the washer 15 yrs or so ago, using a wrench borrowed from a shop to deal with a leaking tub seal - I only vaguely recall that project.

I have just become aware that the washer is making a knocking sound during the wash (agitation) cycle. This knock is similar to the tick .... tock of a clock and the frequency coincides with reversal of the agitator.

I found out from family that the machine had recently shut down because of an imbalance condition. I do not know whether the knock started following this incident or preceded it.

1) Can the machine be operated with the front panel removed for the purpose of diagnosing the problem

2) Although the noise suggests play or looseness between the transmission shaft and the agitator, I have read that for other machines there are mounting bolts, brake shoes and suspension springs that can be at fault.

For this A606, what areas should be inspected first.

3) While the machine is open and has my attention, what routine maintenance and part replacement is recommended?

Thank you
Ken

 

[goatfarmer]

1) yes

 

2)yes

 

3)check the belts, the damper pads, lubricate the rollers on the motor.

 

[sel8207]

front panel

You could pull the front panel off and use one of those stethoscope type engine diagnostic tools to see what general area the noise is coming from. Try unplugging the machine, put it up on some type of blocks and rotate the main pulley slowly to see if you can find out where the noise is coming from. Good Luck. les

 

[truespan]

Thank you for the replies.

The noise can be recreated by reaching in and rotating the agitator CW/CCW. During this manipulation, the noise changes to a snap - like a blade of spring steel snapping into a slot.

I have removed the front panel and run the machine with a tub of HOT water. Interestingly, the knock heard before during operation is gone, there is no hint of the snap noticed during manual movement, either.

The HOT fill was an attempt at freeing a stuck agitator - which didn't work. Because of recent surgery, I am restricted to how much I can lift for a number of weeks. Despite this, I did make a good effort at gripping the bottom of the agitator and trying to tug it out before and during the hot fill. I will try the cord and slide-hammer method on the weekend.

A load of laundry after the efforts mentioned above resulted in a resumption of the knock/tick tock sound during the was cycle. The tub was only filled with partially warm water - perhaps temperature plays a part.

 

[truespan]

I meant to include that conditions behind the front panel seem to be in good shape. A small presence of seeped transmission oil, no sign of rust or moisture, no sign of looseness. Still need to tip the machine up to inspect the belts.

As mentioned earlier, the noise seems to originate from within the interior of the tub.

 

[mayken4now]

Run her till she quits.  Mine has been doing that for about 10 years now.  It's related to the transmission nylon gear that is in there.  Major for a person like you with no experience to go forward with that type of repair.  Not being ugly, but the questions you asked would render no experience.  

 

 

 

[combo52]

Knocking Maytag

I would also just keep using this washer if it appears that the noise is in the transmission, the noise may not hurt anything for years and fixing it now will will be the same as fixing it later. It might be best to grab another MT washer for a spare transmission if you want to keep this washer going another many years.

 

[ The nylon pinion gear will not cause a knocking noise, the steel agitation output gear could if it is coming loose, the noise could be an agitator that is loose on the shaft, but if that was the case the agitator would likley pull off easily ]

 

[truespan]

A follow-up to thank those who added comments since my last post.

The advice to ignore and operate is pragmatic. The assessment about direct experience is fair comment.

If able to create and post a video with audio that conveys the sound, I will put this up here for consideration. A look at exploded diagrams raises a question about whether the shear pin #10 that holds spur gear #20 in place on transmission output shaft #1 might be partially/fully broken. Seems a stretch, but if the pin sheared enough to allow the gear to shift, yet not entirely spin freely on the shaft, this behavior might also be a source of the metallic noise I have described.

Can someone reply to state the size of the wrench necessary to remove the large nut. It has been nearly 20 yrs since I had to deal with this before, I think the nut in question is on the top end of the output shaft and needs to come off to remove the drum? A small shop which has since closed lent their wrench to me to R/R this nut back in the day.

Still have to remove the agitator. I'll need help before trying a slide hammer (due to present medical limitations). I haven't come across discussion about using a heat gun to warm the core of the agitator, but this is a technique I intend to try. As mentioned, water HOT enough to turn my forearms lobster red was insufficient, even with ten minutes agitation time to help loosen things.

Regarding sourcing good used parts, I am heartened to see several W machines and W/D pairs offered locally. No one lists their model numbers in these listings, but I can see that at least one is very similar to mine and while the others might be a bit newer with a different feature set, I suspect that the transmission and other core drivetrain parts will be compatible.

Thank you to all for your interest and assistance.

Ken