Maytag Neptune dryer restoration

[tecnopolis]

Might have to go back to the future and do a lil old skool. These "center dial" 'tags are way cheeeaper than either of those other two. This guy delivers and throws in a 30-day warranty.
The fastest way to get over a lost washer is to buy another!

 

[tecnopolis]

Like finding out that little red Pontiac Solstice in the used car lot has been sold, then seeing a cherry '69 Catalina Convertible and driving off the lot in that. Except it has nothing to do with cars.

 

[ovrphil]

who can argue with that analogy, except maybe one of my favorite Chinese proverbs:

A day of grief lasts longer than a month of joy.

I am just kidding over all this - wishing the new owners good luck with their new machines:

" Don't trip over the suds!"

 

[tecnopolis]

Just some facts I posted in another thread that I wanted to include here for the archives.

"This is only 1 of 2 dedicated front load all-in-one platforms that are available in the market. That is that they are not stacked individual units with a mounting kit. The only other one available is Frigidaire. So that makes it unique. The official name is the Neptune "Super Stack", or SS for short.
If there is something wrong with it, it would only be the familiar Neptune issues, as the stackable unit didn't have repairs specific to it.
I was fortunate to find a neighbor getting rid of his and got it for free with some repair issues.
The price sticker I found on it from Sears had a retail price of almost 2k.
Here is a page from a dealer price book I have."

 

[tecnopolis]

.Evil forces at work.

 

[tecnopolis]

I went to lowes the other afternoon and priced out all the pieces I would need in addition to the dryer conversion kit that yougitunes was gracious enough to send me to run my dryer off of LP.

I may or may not run 2 dryers off this supply, so this is for a single appliance hook-up.

First I wanted a fuel level gauge. $12.99.

 

[tecnopolis]

Next, I need a pressure regulator. $19.99. 

 

[tecnopolis]

..I would prefer to keep the gas cylinder as far away as possible from the dryer for no other reason than for my peace of mind.

A 10 ft. extension hose runs $18.99

This is optional, I'm sure heat is not going to be an issue for the cylinder as the area near the dryer won't get any hotter than the underside of a barbecue grill which is where ours sits. So it's just precautionary and it allows me some flexibility on where to place the cylinder weather it be outside or just farther away from the dryer than the short hose that comes with the regulator kit above. 

 

[tecnopolis]

I also will need to buy a special adapter that allows you to connect the LP hose to the standard gas fitting on the back of the appliance. It wasn't in stock, but I'll be back to check it out once they get them in and add the cost to the equation.

Apparently, they are quite popular in the area for the fish camps and lake houses around the area. 

 

And of course I will need an LP cylinder which runs $45, or $23 with exchange.

I don't know how many drying cycles I will get out of a standard cylinder, so the key is to keep track of how much drying i do first couple of cylinders to gauge it's cost.

 

 

[tecnopolis]

On a lighter note... I got an unusual Maytag keepsake.

 

[tecnopolis]

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[tecnopolis]

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[tecnopolis]

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[ovrphil]

When you finally convert to propane, and use the dryer on a regular basis(if you plan that)...would you post how long you went between propane refills and costs to refill from initial to second refill. Or maybe you have an idea already?

I've seen that character on tv, somewhere on the campaign trail...maybe in a debate. Beware the eyes lies.

 

[yogitunes]

Alex.....you may find the pieces cheaper at a plumbing supply store than Lowes or HomoDepot.....most times they are......and handsome/helpful pros that give great advice........shop and compare.....good luck

just a thought!.......

let us know how you make out.....

 

[tecnopolis]

Yogi, I'm going to take your advice and shop around now that I have a base line of what the costs are more or less.

 

Earlier in this thread I spoke of the Neptune riser, yea or nae. .

I found this on the web and although they look like they fit, it's not really doing it for me. Looks a little top-heavy.

Take a look.

 

 

[tecnopolis]

I picked these up recently to ad a little flair to some of the Maytags. It's a mixture of old and new style badges, some limited editions referring to Maytag celebrating it's centennial.

 

[yogitunes]

Unless your on a cement floor, the drawer risers can wobble excessively, and does look a little strange for this setup.....

probably why the original is a short platform.....

 

[tecnopolis]

This part is to blame for the "windowless" Neptunes

..The vibration damper suspended inside the Neptune Washer door.

 

[tecnopolis]

Just a note from me

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"> I  love Maytags and am absolutely sure I am depressed over the once great company's demise and having fallen into enemy hands.. </span><br style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">I hate Whirlpool Corp for their obsessive "Pac Man"-like absorption of other once great companies and running them into the ground with obsolete technology and indifferent styling, such as they have done to the "new" Maytag models. Hence, my efforts to keep the once great creations alive and well with this site and it's members help and combined knowledge base. </span><br style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">-Alex</span><br style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;" />

 

[ovrphil]

You have an audience

If this thread has been viewed 4000 times, you definitely have some Maytag Sports enthusiasts who drop their pants and would/do watch them tumble, in a window.

..not sure how the Whirlpool phenomena will change - do consumers vote with their wallets or just go on being trained to expect less, pay more, and get ready for the next candified solution? I enjoy this thread and the graphics- and hope fewer are taken to the cleaners and hung out to dry.

 

[tecnopolis]

I sincerely believe that if it hadn't been for Sears and Lowes offering their 0% or delayed payments credit scams, Whirlpool would not have the dominance in the laundry market.

 

[electronicontrl]

Maytag's demise.

Tecnopolis,
I love your appliance collection. Maytag is alive and well and in my basement, I like to think. The appliance industry is so different now. It is no longer fun to go "window shopping" at appliance stores. When Maytag came to an end, it was like someone died. I sometimes wonder why couldn't Maytag get a gov't bailout? But then again a philosophy that has consumers pay "more" for a better product doesn't work anymore.
Back in their day, Maytag manufactured their own rubber hoses, their own electrical wire, essentially everything down to the screws they used because they could make the components to a higher standard - "theirs". With the exception of timers, motors and die-cast consoles they made everything. Fast forward to the year 2000 when outsourcing as much as possible was the norm.
Then what if they stayed focused on laundry and dishwashers? Would they still be around? They had ZERO debt through 1986 until they acquired Magic Chef. I know they paid cash for Hardwick Stove Co in 1981 and perhaps they did finance Jenn-Industries in 1982. That gave them quality cooking products. But the Magic Chef thing - that was major. Then Chicago Pacific in 1989 for Hoover and a European market that almost bled them to death. They were already on different path before the Neptune was put on the market. Of course not "field-testing" the Neptune, was a strike against their name. Then with the Amana washer-transmission massacre they were probably at the point of no return. I've read many takes on the death of Maytag. Emotions ran high here on this site. Folks were angry. But no one ever mentioned the African-american president of Maytag (Lloyd Ward) who left his position at Maytag completely unannounced. Their stock price plummeted by $79 in 1 day and never came back. That sure didn't help! I still remember the day in 1985 when I interviewed at Maytag Ahh, the plant tour and the merry-go-round. Yes one of the finer moments. So today when I want to recapture a bit of the past I go to my basement - where Maytag is alive and well. (Did i say I love your Maytag collection)?

 

[tecnopolis]

@electronicontrl

I love your lighted Maytags. I always wanted a set with that feature and I don't know why it ever went away.

 

[tecnopolis]

Here's a technical bulletin that came with my bearing kit that talks about addressing "bearing knock" complaints. Not sure how you can detect bearing knock over the failed bearings, but I guess it's meant as a preventative measure.

 

[tecnopolis]

Another Maytag Neptune clone....this time from Amana. (looks like some goon was real aggressive with the hand truck and dented her door)

 

[tecnopolis]

. A little pixel surgery.

 

[ovrphil]

Reminds of me of one of my favorite movies - Uncle Buck: "c'mon open up, what do I have to do , talk dirty to you (bangs on the washer repeatedly)..."c'mon, c'mon, that's it...I'm going to shove my load in you, whether you like or not..c'mon...(banging and pounding continues)..." Yep, this was probably just "manhandled", a wittle bit too much..

 

[whirlcool]

Last week I did two belt replacements for neighbors. One on a Kenmore dryer circa 2000 and another one on a circa 2000 GE dryer. Inside both dryers looked alike.

The Kenmore had 80% of the airflow in the lint filter chute blocked(between the filter and the squirrel cage fan) of hardened lint. I had to use a screwdriver to break it up. And there was some lint past the squirrel cage fan too. I vacuumed the whole thing and washed everything in hot water with some dawn. All the parts in the airflow loop were very sticky like someone put glue in there.

The GE dryer was much worse. The chute from the filter to the squirrel cage was 100% blocked, the squirrel cage was completely packed with lint. I removed the tub and must have filled two vacuum bags with general lint all inside the bottom of the dryer. The motor was even more linty than yours was! But I noticed it was not sticky nor clumped together. Guess who used fabric softener and who did not! The exhaust tube was only 2 feet long to the outside and was completely clean.

While talking to the owners of these dryers I asked them if they had heard of dryer fires before. One said a house two streets over had the back half of it burn down a few years ago from a dryer fire. And the second person had heard of dryer fires but never thought to do anything to prevent such things. I certainly let them know how close they came. But they didn't see that phased by it all.

A few days later I asked one of the neighbors how her dryer was performing. Has she noticed it is drying faster than before? Her response? "I haven't really noticed any difference, I'm just glad it's working again!"

I know in our Whirlpool manual it states that every three years the external cover should be removed and the entire unit vacuumed out. But how many people read the owners manuals? I knew of the possibility of the lint fire but never knew how many people are living on the edge with these things.

 

[tecnopolis]

Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but I'll bet she'll notice a difference in her electric bill.