Maytag Dependable Care won't spin - Bad Tub Bearing?

[lincolnr]

My circa 2000 Maytag Dependable Care top loader (model LAW9406AAE) burned up its belt last week. At first I thought the problem was a stuck brake but the brake appears to operate fine. I can rotate the drum if I spin the pulley all the way clockwise to disengage the brake, but it's not very easy to rotate. It's very easy to rotate in the counter clockwise direction and the agitator shaft moves back and forth as expected. Is this likely to be a bad tub bearing? I don't see any evidence that water got into the bottom of the machine or into the transmission. The lower transmission lip seal had failed at some point. I've already replaced that but when I opened the transmission the oil didn't look like any water had been mixed into it.

I'm pretty sure I will end up needing a mounting stem as well since mine looks corroded and I had to chisel off the tub nut. They seem hard to find these days but I found a source on Amazon. These look like they might be an aftermarket reproduction part, does anyone have any experience good or bad with them? The Amazon reviews are mixed but I don't place a ton of faith in them. I'd like to get this machine working again if I can reasonably get the parts I need.

Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Parts-Washer-Repair-6-2095720/dp/B09PN23GL2

 

[good-shepherd]

but it's not very easy to rotate.

Sounds like the tub bearing could be binding, it should turn relatively easy. Another cause could be the motor slides hanging up and putting too much tension on the belt. That is easy enough to check.

My A712 burned a belt and the tub bearing was making noise, a new bearing and stem kit fixed the problem.

Either way it's not be bad idea to replacing the mounting stem and tub bearing while you can get the parts, both are common wear items.

However, I wouldn't trust the aftermarket mounting stem, reviews are pretty bad.

 

[coldspot66]

I have some OEM stem & seal kits.

 

[lincolnr]

Probably not motor slides

It's hard to turn even with the belt disconnected, so probably not the motor slides. Any thoughts on where to find an OEM mounting stem kit? There's someone on ebay in Australia selling what might be OEM ones (though the boxes don't say Maytag or Whirlpool) for something like $170 once you throw in shipping and taxes. I posted a picture of the current stem, the cork has came off the stem and it's either corroded or covered in hard water deposits. I'm hoping I can get it to come off without having to resort to the sledgehammer and chisel again.

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[lincolnr]

re: I have some OEM stem & seal kits.

coldspot66, if you'd be willing to sell me one let me know the best way to get in touch with you.

 

[good-shepherd]

without having to resort to the sledgehammer

A cutoff wheel is another option if you're careful.

You should start using 20 Mule Team Borax to soften up the wash water and boost the detergent.

https://www.amazon.com/Borax-Mule-T...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583520396258833&psc=1

 

[coldspot66]

Hi Lincoln,

My email is [email protected]. Email me your address.

 

[lincolnr]

New parts are here. Anything else to check while I'm at

The new tub bearing and mounting stem arrived today. I'm still waiting for the correct size spanner wrench to get the old stem off to come in, are there any other parts I should be looking at while I'm working on this? I'll check out the damper pads when I have the tub out. If anyone knows the dimensions of the agitator shaft O ring maybe that one is worth replacing too.

I did notice that the bottom of the box the tub bearing came in was oily, hopefully this doesn't mean it was stored somewhere hot enough for oil to seep out of the oilite bronze. The bearing kit box had a date in 2020 on it, things like this and the lip seal still being available makes me wonder if maybe they're actually just off-the-shelf parts from some third party manufacturer that Whirlpool is continuing to rebox, as opposed to things like the mounting stem or the bearing that goes between the brake pack and pulley that were actually made at a Maytag plant.

 

[good-shepherd]

from some third party manufacturer

I haven't seen any aftermarket Maytag tub bearings yet, they all seem to be genuine OEM either Whirlpool or NOS Maytag. Stem kits are another story.

As for the oil on the box I wouldn't be too concerned, when you install it should be lubed with Zoom Spout turbine oil anyway.

The damper pads can be re-lube with Silicone grease if they are intact and in good shape.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?25520

 

[qsd-dan]

The tub bearing and brake package bearing are engaged during the spin cycle. Both bearings produce their own unique sound when they start to fail.

 

Here is a very brief sound of a tub bearing that's on it's way out:

 



 

This is what a brake package bearing sounds like when it's failing. I never heard of this bearing seizing up but it's a possibility if ran for a long period of time.

 



 

Other areas to check while the machine is apart:

 

Damper pads. If no damage has occurred, re-lube them.

 

Motor carriage rollers/glides. Check for wear or damage. Clean the tracks and re-lube.

 

If you have some Zoomspout turbine oil on hand, it wouldn't hurt to lube the pump. I would personally remove the pump belt and test the pulley to check for abnormal operation. When these fail, the pulley will be difficult to turn. Sometimes it will hang up in certain areas. This is from a lack of lubrication but sometimes the damage is too great re-lubing it.

 

Check the belts for wear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[good-shepherd]

from some third party manufacturer

I haven't seen any aftermarket Maytag tub bearings yet, they all seem to be genuine OEM either Whirlpool or NOS Maytag. Stem kits are another story.

As for the oil on the box I wouldn't be too concerned, when installing it should be lubed with Zoom Spout turbine oil anyway.

The damper pads can be re-lubed with silicone grease if they are intact and in good shape.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?25520

 

[lincolnr]

re: from some third party manufacturer

Ah, what I meant wasn't so much that I thought the new tub bearing might be aftermarket, it did come in a sealed Whirlpool parts box. What I meant was that the original bearings Maytag used (as well as the ones Whirlpool will sell you today) may have been made by an outside vendor for Maytag rather than by Maytag themselves. That would make it a lot easier for Whirlpool to just keep ordering that part and sticking it in a box, versus having to keep the tooling in one of their own factories to make a part.

The brake package bearing is definitely an off-the-shelf part, a standard 6206 bearing made by NSK. I replaced mine because it felt a little bumpy when I spun it. I might have been able to regrease it but prying those seals out without damaging them is hard. The other bearing that goes between the brake and the pulley I did clean out and repack with automotive wheel bearing grease since that one actually has a big enough gap in it to do so.

 

[lincolnr]

Got the old mounting stem out and pulled the tub

It definitely looks like water got into the tub bearing, there was crud all on top of it and visible scarring on the inside of the bearing and outside of the metal sleeve that sits on the transmission. The carbon rings on both the mounting stem and the rubber boot looked intact from what I could see but water has clearly gotten into the area the seals should protect. I noticed some rust/pitting on the agitator shaft where it goes into the rubber seal on the top of the stem. Is that likely to be the source of the leak? I suppose I could try to clean that up with emery cloth and then paint back over it, or try to find another agitator shaft.

In other news I cleaned up the lint/hard water deposit mess inside the tub. I see a couple of small rusty spots that didn't rust through but I assume I still want to clean the rust off and paint over those with something? Maybe something like black appliance touch-up paint?

 

[good-shepherd]

try to clean that up with emery cloth and then paint

I'd start looking for new a new agitator shaft.

Sanding and painting isn't a good long term fix, it will just be a matter of time before the lip seal starts leaking again. Not worth the risk with price and availability of new stem kits these days plus your labor.

 

[lincolnr]

looking for new a new agitator shaft

Not a bad idea if one can be found, though it looks like those are also no longer made.