Maytag a606 with spinning issue and oil leak.

[diego88]

Hello all, This is my first post here. I'm hoping that someone has info on older Maytag washers. I just got an a606 model for free that isn't in working condition. I was told that it needed a new belt which made sense since the old one was very frayed and had come off the drive pulley. I noticed that it also had a fair amount of old oil all around the bottom underside of the machine. I just liked the look of the washer so much that I hated to pass it up. I've repaired another broke down Maytag before but it was much newer so I can't be sure if this one is still fixable. I put a fairly decent used belt on it to try it out and was at first very pleased that it worked great. It filled, stopped and agitated well. Then however it stopped for the spin cycle and when it started spinning it only went a few turns and then cut out. A little while later it did it again and stopped again. It kept doing that until I unplugged it. It would pump out a little water each time. I checked how easy it turned and it wasn't too difficult so I don't think its jammed. It could be possible that it's out of balance since it's sitting in my yard on wood blocks. I feel like this issue is unrelated to the oil leak. Possibly it's an overload switch or something. I'd also like to remedy the oil leak but I'd like to get it through a cycle before I bother with that. I have most of the parts off of a similar washer that I scraped a few years ago so if anybody knows what to replace it would save me a lot of time. Thank you, Diego.

 

[brucelucenta]

Your transmission is leaking oil. That can be quite an endeavor to repair.

 

[goatfarmer]

Almost every Maytag of that era leaks a bit of oil, that I wouldn't worry about. Get the machine on solid footing, and then try it again.

 

[akronman]

and

check underneath the motor, those little plastic wheels wear down, and the tracks they ride in get filthy. There are kits sold for the wheels and springs, very necessary to replace on older machines. And Easy!

 

[DADoES]

 
May be the wrong type of belt.  Did you get a genuine Maytag belt?  Or did you match the size to a typical lawn mower or automotive belt?  The belt serves as the spin clutch and MUST slip on the motor pulley during spin acceleration or the motor will be under too much of a load and likely cut-out on thermal overheat.  Proper genuine Maytag belts have a special surfacing to allow the slippage during spin acceleration.

 

[turquoisedude]

Hmmmm... Not sure about a Maytag of this era, but I learned the hard way that a jammed pump can prevent the machine from spinning.  Mind you, the pump on that machine was jammed but good with a handkerchief.   

 

[eronie]

Must use a clutching drive belt

 

[mrb627]

Agree

The first thing is the belt. Make sure it is a factory belt.
Secondly, secure foundation under the machine is needed.

Malcolm

 

[speedqueen]

First, you can only use a Maytag branded belt and not an automotive or power equipment belt with these machines, Maytag belts are designed to slip while the tub gets up to speed and are impregnated with graphite as such. For temporary try the old frayed belt.

Secondly, if you used an OEM Maytag belt, take the front panel off and try to engage the spin cycle. When the motor starts, quickly give it a shove forward with your foot, if the motor accelerates greatly to normal operating speed and the spin cycle completes, all is well with the mechanism but the motor carriage and track bracket is not allowing for movement and will likely need grease and/or a wire brush to remove rust. The motor is mounted as such that it only slightly tensions the belt and all allows for slippage when ramping up to spin.

 

[diego88]

Possible belt issue.

Thank you for all the helpful feedback. Since I last posted I've done a bit more testing. I tried leveling the machine better. Still probably not perfect though. Everything seems fine at first. It goes trough the agitate cycle then when the spin starts it is fine as well. The pump pumps water well and the drum starts spinning also. About 5 seconds later however it shuts off. It sits like that for about 20 seconds then it will try to start again and cut off again.

I decided that it must be overloaded so I tried to run it without belts to see if it would work. It did but I forgot about the motor being on a track and it rattled against the the housing which freaked me out at first. I jammed the track to keep it in the middle and it them worked fine. I was able to take it through a whole cycle by gravity draining the tub to mimic the pump. Now I'm pretty sure that it's not electronic. The belt that I tried using came off another maytag that I found dumped by the side of the road a few years ago. I scraped it for parts for another machine that I had fixed up. I can't be sure if it was the right size belt however. I can't remember if it had come of the pump or the transmission. I seem to recall them both being the same size but it could be that it was a different machine. I'm guessing that that machine was about 5-10 years newer and had a smaller drum. Do the a606 models have two different sized belts? It did seem a bit tight to me. The tracks under the motor were a bit oxidized as well. I'll try cleaning them.

It could also be that it is not slipping as it should because of the old oil thats on the pulley. I also tried to spin the transmission by hand and it seemed kind of stiff to me. It's equally stiff trying to spin it in either direction. I guess that could be the break or something. I was able to turn it and it felt and sounded smooth but it took a bit of effort. I'm willing to try buying a new set of belts but that's about as much as I'm willing to spend if I don't know if it will work. I do feel like I'm getting closer to figuring this thing out.

Thank you all again, Diego.

 

[diego88]

Belt type?

Hello again, It seems to be indeed true that there are supposed to be two different sizes of belts. I've done a few searches for replacements. Also I've noticed a big difference in price for replacements belts. There are genuine OEM Maytag belts and then there are much cheaper generic Maytag belts. Should I get the more expensive ones or would it be okay to use the generic ones? Thanks, Diego.

 

[jimmler]

I just went thru this exercise with a Maytag A212. The previous owner put the wrong belts on it. Ultimately they ended up burning out the timer contacts because they kept trying to start the washer after it tripped the breaker in the motor. After I replaced the timer and put OEM Maytag belts on it, the problem was solved. Put the official Maytag belts on it, you'll be golden!

-Jim

 

[diego88]

It works!

I found one of the proper sized belts in my workshop from a pile of old used ones. I also cleaned out the tracks on the motor with a toothbrush and compressed air. Also a little WD40 helped get it moving smoothly again. I just tried it out and it works great. Still off balance of coarse seeing as how It's on gravel in my yard. Next I plan on making a drip pan for it so that I don't get oil on my floor and I'll be using it to do laundry with. I've ordered some new OEM belts as well but at least now I know it will be worth it. Thanks everybody, Diego.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Also replace the rollers in the motor carriage. The new ones are square blocks that slide on special lube. I installed these in my A407 last year but dont think they work as well. I found some NOS rollers and will install them instead soon.

 

[tolivac]

Check with farm equipment suppliers-If the Maytag belt isn't available-farm equipment suppliers carry clutch belts.You would have to provide the size belt you need.