Maytag experts, I need advice

[bajaespuma]

A close friend just called and asked me for advice for her parents' old Maytag washer which, IIRC is an A702.

 

It's making a slight burning smell and one of the people in the house says they "thought" they saw some smoke.

 

I'm going over there tomorrow for dinner and I plan to look at it in action...what are the possibilities here?

 

Yes, it's a 60 year old machine, but my 702 is still going on strong. Is this a belt issue? I expect if it's a tranny issue, that's the end.

 

Any advice is appeciated.

 

[turquoisedude]

Ken, I had a similar issue on my 1973 A407 recently.  It turned out to be the pump but here's the good news, it was saved by oiling it!   If you can see a screw in the pump body below the drain chamber, add a few drops of turbine oil (Zoom Spout) and turn the pulley a few times, add more oil, and turn the pulley again.   Start the washer up to spin then add a few more drops of turbine oil.  This worked for me so hopefully it will for the A702.

 

[qsd-dan]

The 02 washers didn't have a belt guard yet so you should be able to tip the machine back and remove the belts without removing the front panel.

Spin the water pump pulley and be sure it rotates smooth and linear, no rough spots.

Spin the transmission pulley counterclockwise for agitation. If it's hard to turn or doesn't turn at all, the upper sleeve bearing in the transmission is locked up. Spin the pulley clockwise and once you overcome the brake spring tension, the inner tub should rotate mimicking the spin cycle. If the inner tub doesn't rotate, it could be the tub bearing is seized up.

May still want to remove the front panel and check motor carriage operation. The rollers could be broken or disintegrated. The carriage tracks could be dry (silicone lube wasn't used until March, 1968) or filled with junk. Make sure both springs are still present.

 

[combo52]

Possible smoking Maytag washer

Hi Ken, when you go look at the machine, check the things that others mentioned above, but also be prepared to replace the main drive belt May tags of this age are almost always leaking some oil and the oil will become a gooey mess on the main drive pulley motor pulley, etc. if you take some light solvent
and some rags, you can clean it all up and replace the belt often the belt will get so gummed up with the oil that it won’t slip properly going into spin and you get a smoking smell from either the belt itself or the motor overheating and going out on overload It tries to get going to spin.

I had a neighbor up the street with an old Maytag that leaked oil and they were able to keep the machine going for nearly a decade by replacing the belt every couple years and cleaning it all up, it was an old A900 and they had about four kids the thing got run constantly.

John

 

[bajaespuma]

Thanks to all responders

When I saw the machine yesterday, the first thing I discovered was they had in fact replaced the old Maytag with a 1980's vintage Maytag Fabric-Matic, single speed, the same machine as the picture below but with larger tub.  Nobody but me noticed the difference. 

 

They had stopped the machine in the middle of the rinse. When I started the machine I could hear a little knocking during the agitation but couldn't tell where the sound came from. The agitation stalled. I tried to spin the water out of the load but the motor kept overloading and cutting out. The motor looked new, no soot visible, the polypropylene motor cover looked brand new and it moved easily on its carriage sled. Both belts seemed kind of loose and lumpy...

 

We'd wait a couple of minutes and restart it, it would go for about a minute and then cut out. It was then we noticed what smelled like rubber and saw some smoke in the air around the machine.

 

We let it alone for about 1/2 hour. I tried it again and got it to drain for about two minutes before it cut out again but it drained completely and we removed the clothes and tipped the machine back. The belts moved in both directions. I removed the front of the cabinet. There was no oil leaking anywhere. I ran another spin and we could see water moving through the pump housing and it continued to drain successfully. After about a minute I could hear the motor begin to click and finally it cut out and we could see a little smoke again.

 

This is exactly what was happening to my 1960  GE 855, smell and smoke after an unsuccessful spin wind-up. Don't know enough to say whether it's the motor or something binding up in the transmission causing the motor to strain and overload.

 

I suspect it's the belts and because it's a real Maytag I suggested it would be worth it to try to get it repaired. Also, now I'm curious and want to know the cause. I told them that Maytags were built to have the drive belts easily replaced.

 

[DADoES]

 
Run it on spin with the belts removed, that may reveal if the motor is at fault (although it'd be running with no load).

Manually turn the transmission pulley for several turns in both directions with the belts off.  Agitation direction should be easy.  Spin requires more torque, to release the brake then rotate the entire transmission & basket.

 

[qsd-dan]

The belts moved in both directions.

Gotta remove them and check all pulleys individually as stated in my post.

 

[bpetersxx]

late to the party as always

Burning smell and smoke is possible

My Harvest gold Maytag 806 did this

correct me on this

transmission can lock due to bad agitator shaft or is it what the shaft is hooked or attached to