Maytag questions

[constellation86]

Hi everyone, I'm new here. I have been on Vacuumland for a long time, but now I have a dryer question.
My wife and I bought a house a month ago. Included were a Maytag washer & dryer. I was pretty sure they would be better than the GE w/d we had in our appartment. Boy was that good timing! A week before we moved the GE washer died.
Anyway back to the Maytag. A couple days ago the dryer quit mid cycle and wouldn't start again. I knew it was getting power because it has a pilot light and I could hear the timer running. The next morning the dryer started and ran fine.
Did it just trip an overheat sensor? Should I be worried about this? I still have the GE out in the garage, should I just put it in? My wife doesn't care which one we use but it must be reliable and we need to get rid of one of them. The Maytag is a model DE407 center dial. The GE is a newer bol model.
What do the experts out there think?
Thanks,
Nicholas

 

[keithelong]

Maytag Questions

I would run it and if it fails again check these things, is vent and lint filter clear of lint? Did it dry ok the first time? If was there any noise when it ran? If it occurs again I would disconnect the power, take the back off and vacuum the dryer out paying attention to the motor area where airflow is drawn into it on the sides. It is possible that lint buildup caused the motor protector to open shutting of the motor.

 

[bobbyderegis]

Nicholas:
This is a fine dryer, better than any new GE. It sounds like there was an overheat. It probably needs to be cleaned out well, including all ductwork. If you need manuals, I would be glad to loan it to you. It is tinkertoy easy to tear apart and fix up, assuming you have a decent set of tools.
Bobby in Boston

 

[toggleswitch]

It had the turquiose back-panel.

My mother's gas dryer that was purchased around 66/67 and did the same thing beginning around 1990.

After 5 or more loads in a row, it woud get "tired" and stop until the motor cooled down. (took a few hours). Sorry I don't know what was ailing it! I just assumed the motor was not receiving enough air to cool it or something needed lubrication.

 

[volvoguy87]

Lint buildup

Clean the exhaust duct and inside of the dryer. It doesn't matter what dryer you have, if there is too much lint buildup inside the duct or dryer, then it will dry poorly, overheat, and become a fire hazard. Also, check to make sure your dryer (and washer) are level.

What dryer do you have? If it's a Halo of Heat, the lint filter is in the back of the drum. If it's a newer design, it's in the lower left part of the inside of the door opening.

Good luck, and Maytags are great. (What kind of GE did/do you have, Filter-Flo or plastic?)

Dave

 

[constellation86]

Update

Thanks for the help. The dryer is a halo-of-heat model. I took some pics, but I can't find the cable for my camera
The bad news is it shut down again. Both times were with a full load of towels. Anyway I'm going to tinker with it this weekend. Hopefully it is just dirty.
I found a pic on this site that looks just like mine.
Nicholas
P. S.
The GE washer and dryer are about five years old. The washer will spin but not agitate. I thought it might just be a belt slipping, but when we moved it there was a ton of heavy sticky oil on the floor. So I figured the gears must be toast.

 

[qsd-dan]

The dryer motor is probably caked full of lint. When I took apart the motor in my 64 DE750 after I picked it up, it was packed full even though it still ran fine.

Pick up some turbine oil (use this oil ONLY!!) from a Maytag dealer and oil the motor bearings, fan bearing, and pulley bearing. These dryers are very easy to service. If you run into any problems, or forget how to put it back together, don't hesitate to ask!

Junk the GE washer. A few years back GE went to a totally inferior transmission design and they fail within a couple of years. It's a inherently bad design that can't be tweaked to last.

Your best alternative is to purchase a Maytag washer from the years of 64-86. These were the most robust, reliable, and longest lasting design ever made in ANY washer. Parts are still easily obtained and the 1966-1986 models years share more than 90% of the same parts, with the only exception being the control panel.

By the way, don't be surprised if you see this after removing the rear panel!!

 

[qsd-dan]

Better angle

 

[qsd-dan]

This is how Maytag intended it to look.

 

[constellation86]

Thanks for the pictures. They should come in handy when I take it apart.
I do have a Maytag washer that came with the house. But it's much newer than the dryer. It's a model LAT9635AAE. Anybody know about how new it is? Will it have the good parts like the older ones? It works great but if it gives out I think I'll restore my mom's old green Maytag washer.
Nicholas

 

[qsd-dan]

Well, the new maytag has a different transmission. Some aspects of it are good, but overall, it isn't quite as reliable as the older models. Restoring the older green washer would definitely be a better move in the long run. The newer maytag certainly has its place as a back up during the restoration of the older washer.

 

[volvoguy87]

Maytag

The old green Maytag would be more gentile on your clothes and is definitely built to last. After 1986, Maytag changed to a different transmission which, while still pretty high-quality, was harder on clothes and less effective. The old transmission design had a long slow stroke, the new one had a short fast stroke. The new one does 2 90 degree sweeps in the time it takes the old one to do one 180 degree sweep.

So far as new washers go, the newer Maytag you have is probably among the best. The GE is among the very worst, both in terms of cleaning ability and durability. Post a picture of the new Maytag just to be sure because Maytag had 3 designs of conventional top-loading washers in the last few years, but only 1 was really good. I think yours is the good design, but I'm not 100% sure without a picture. The good ones were called "Dependable Care."

Before you dive into servicing your dryer, ask someone to post some pages from a Halo of Heat service manual, or at least write some good instructions, hopefully with pictures. From what I have read, Halo of Heats can be a bit of a challenge to work on, but well worth the effort. It's not too difficult, but good instructions before you start will make the process easier and quicker.

Have fun,
Dave

 

[constellation86]

Update

I took the dryer apart and found it to be very dirty. It seems to work fine so far now (fingers crossed). At least I found a $1.25 inside
Here's the before picture.

 

[constellation86]

I think the packed vents could be a problem!

 

[constellation86]

Here's after I sucked out the lint. Notice you can now tell that the motor is a Maytag!

 

[constellation86]

Here's a picture of the happy couple ready for action.
Thanks for the help guys!

 

[qsd-dan]

YAY!!

Looks great!

Has the problem seem to be resolved now?

 

[constellation86]

So far we have only done a few loads. But it seems to work fine now.
Another center dial saved from the scrap heap!
Thanks for the help.
Nicholas