Maytag Neptune MAH5500BWW

[dustin92]

I picked up a 2001 Neptune a couple weeks ago off of a facebook freebie group. The owner said they had just bought the house and the previous owners had left it but said it worked fine. I drove about 40 miles to pick it up, and expected it to need some kind of work. Nope. Works perfectly and is in excellent condition! Even got a huge brand new dispenser jug of Arm and Hammer detergent with Oxi Clean that they said they wouldn't use. It Was extremely smelly and orange inside, so after a very long hot wash with a LOT of bleach, and a very good scrubbing of the boot and bristle seal it was ready to wash. No more smelly. This thing works amazing! I've never had cleaner clothes from a front loader, and it spins super smooth and quiet. After a few loads in the basement to test everything out, it got moved to the upstairs laundry room and it's staying! Controls are super versatile and it will do anything you ask it to, and it cleans amazingly. Doesn't mess around going into spins, rinses great. When I set it for extra rinse (only when I do whites with bleach), almost no bleach smell is left in the clothes. I do have a leaky hot fill valve, over 24 hours, it fills with 2-3 inches of water. I just shut the faucets off when I'm done with laundry, no big deal but I do plan on changing it eventually. I also have it plugged into a switched power strip so the door can be left open to dry out inside. Are there any major issues I should be watching for or is this machine as solid as it seems to be? Bearings sound great at this point. I'm getting a slight, intermittent knock during wash (usually only hot) and at slow spin speeds (as it's distributing for spin probably). The only thing I've done to it was replace the drum light which was burned out. Other than that, It works amazing and I really enjoy using it.

 

[washdaddy]

You could ask Martin (Yogitunes) if he has any advice. He has quite a few Neptune machines in his collection and uses them frequently. I'm sure he would be happy to give you a few pointers for your machine.

 

[yogitunes]

the knocking, during wash, apparently it still has the original bearings/seals, and something that comes in the new packet when doing a bearing job, is a flat washer to replace the one with the protruding slot, this holds the pulley on the shaft, I have never had that issue, but for those who have, this somehow corrects it....

knocking during distribution is just the whole mechanism sort of bouncing around as its revving up, no concern really for either one, could be annoying, but its only intermittent...

a bearing job is nothing to do in one of these, roughly about an hour or so, I take it completely apart, never used a Tonytool....once you do the first one, its a breeze from there....

your exceptional cleaning is coming from how it proceeds through the wash, in the beginning, water is added, but at a minimum, a very high concentration of detergent lather, a massive pretreat for grungy clothing, as the wash progresses, more water will be added in stages...bleach is added during the first rinse....

more or less, I favor the cotton/sturdy cycle, basically its a normal cycle for everything, hot or warm wash.....just pressing 'start' will repeat the last cycle, over and over, the dryer is the same...it is as simple as, load clothing, add chemicals, close the door, press start, walk away.....and come back to clean laundry!

I may have a fill valve, but I would need to see yours first, as they used a few different designs through out the models...

'max extract' keeps the final spin at HI for all cycles.....

I have gotten my share of grungy gunked up machines.....for the initial cleanout, I used a heavy dose of chlorine for pools, and sprayed all the interior and hidden areas with bathroom type mold/mildew cleaner....after that, regular washing and keeping cold washes to a minimum will not only keep it clean, but also preserve the seals and bearings....

Rick has jokes, having quite a few is an understatement...LOL

any other questions, let me know.....but if it ain't broke, don't fix it....polish him up, and he will keep on humming!

these are Maytag's traditional design to simplicity, easy to service and operate.....I just worked on a Samsung VRT Steam with foam....never again!

 

[swestoyz]

Daily Driving a Neptune

About 10 years ago I picked up a fairly early 3300 with a matching gas dryer. It needed a new motor/control board/door lock wax motor/boot. I also did general cleaning during the "restoration" and the machine lasted as my daily driver for probably about 7 years. I loved it.

Eventually touch-screen fever hit pretty hard and I found a 7500 that was originally owned by a corporate Maytag employee. She had gotten it on a factory discount/employee deal, along with an Atlantis dryer. It needed a new boot and general cleaning. I parted out the 3300 and built up the 7500 and I absolutely love it. I've never had bearing or funk issues with my Neptunes, but I typically do hot wash and bleach loads often and allow the machine to air dry with the door open.

The original pump failed on the 7500 last month and I recently replaced it. It owes me nothing, considering it turned 15 years old recently.

I'm with Martin - they are great washers and they are easy to work on. It truly is a shame this platform is eventually what tarnished the Maytag name (well, we won't get into the Amanatags). With all the improvements that came into play by the 5500B/7500 machines, you wish they would have started with those from the get-go, but we can't change the past.

Martin - it looks like you could use a touch screen. Those LED displays are yesterday's toys!

Ben

 

[yogitunes]

I have thought about a 7500, but not too many come along.....tempting is for the higher spin speed...

the 6500/7500 with heaters was not an impressive feature for me, I was expecting serious temperature gains, but it only raises/holds at 140, my water heater delivers much higher than that, but this may be an advantage for someone else...

5500 series seemed plentiful, many parts interchange....

thinking of adding a 'drying cabinet' someday, although a Norge design, and parts are scarce, but would still be unique to add to the lineup of the Neptune series..

Ben, that GE is killer!

 

[swestoyz]

7500 and 1000 RPM speed

From what I've observed, the 1000 RPM speed is only used within the last minute of the final spin. It typically kicks in with "2 Min Remaining" on the display, and kicks off within the last 30 seconds before it lets the tub speed coast down. The effectiveness of that last burst of speed over the 800 RPM it spends most of the final spin in is probably subjective, at best.

However, the coolness factor of 1000 RPM is pretty awesome.

Considering most washers made for the US use are only 110v 15A, the little heaters aren't great at boosting much, but for most household that keep the hot water heater below 140 I'm certain it helps for those bright white loads.

Ben

 

[yogitunes]

I noticed that on a few FL machines with the stepped spin.....disappointing as I would expect a 1000+ spin for a full time spin....

had a Kitchen Aid TL do a stepped final spin....almost like a 1-18....just seemed odd....

true, 110v doesn't seem like much, but it is only heating a few gallons, like a vintage dishwasher, and those were hooked up the same....was always hoping for a 'boil wash' of sorts....

 

[dustin92]

I don't think I'd particularly like the earlier models with buttons and dials, I really like the flexibility of the touchpad controls on the 5500. I'd really like a 6500/7500 but I've never actually seen either. I'll post an update when I'm ready to tackle the water valve, the next couple weeks are going to be extremely busy. Will probably barely have time to do laundry, let alone repair washers lol! Oh and it also came with all the original manuals and documentation from 2001, neatly preserved in a big zip baggie. I'd love to find a matching gas dryer, we will see though!

 

[askolover]

There's a Neptune for sale in my town cheap and I'd love to have it.....but I just don't have the room dang it!