Maytag spin issues.

[volvoguy87]

I was out this evening trying to repair a friend's Maytag A112. The problem he is having is that the washer won't come up to spin speed. This evening I replaced the belts, motor glides (also cleaned and lubed the motor mount), and checked the pump belt tension.

I found a small puddle of oil (about 2 inches) under the transmission, so I believe the O-ring needs to be replaced eventually (how bad a job is this?). The bottom of the washer also has a nice coating of oil around the perimeter, but the only oil on the floor is the small spot in the center.

The washer agitates fine, but it just won't spin. Is this a brake problem, a spin bearing problem, or is there something wrong with the transmission? I disconnected the pump belt and was able to hold the motor against the belt and get it to spin faster. The bearing sounds like it could use some oil, but I've heard worse on better-functioning machines. I'm a bit stumped.

What do more experienced minds than I have think?
Dave

 

[redcarpetdrew]

When you replaced the motor carriage rollers, did you replace the springs? I know, it seems like a silly question, but... Also, how clean was the motor pulley? This seems funny, but I will sometimes take a fine grit sandpaper and lean the washer back a little with the belts off and turn the motor on and gently sand the pulley grooves a little. I also will do this to clean the pulley when a belt has burned rubber onto it. Something about slightly breaking up the face of the pulley when the belt's polished it too smooth... Sure some will disagree. I have also seen (but not done myself) people who have put a third spring on the carriage.

Doing a lower oil seal on a Helical transmission is a job to be sure. You might find it easier to find a clean donor trans and swap it in.

RCD

 

[bendixmark]

slow spin

Some of the later 12 series washers had a seal that is removable from the bottom with a special tool that is fairly easy.You will see it protruding out the bottom of the transmission if it does.If the basket does not come up to speed there can be something like a sock in the outer tub that the basket is dragging on,next the tub bearing and seal assembly has failed or in rare cases the brake package is actually holding the basket from spinning.If you see crud coming out the bottom of the tub bearing that is a dead giveaway.

 

[volvoguy87]

New springs.

Yup, I installed new springs. The motor pulley was quite shiny, but there is a noticeable ridge at the bottom of the part of the pulley the belt rides on.

When I turned the transmission pulley by hand, I noticed it spun easily for agitation but with greater difficulty for spin. As I spun the pulley in the spin direction, it was as if I had to rotate the pulley past a spot of greater resistance and then less resistance, then the tub would spin.

If something had gotten wedged between the tubs, would it have spun evenly at all? Once it got going, it was able to maintain a slow but consistent speed. I'd say it hit at least 300 RPM (should have been about 618).

Dave

 

[volvoguy87]

Tub bearing.

The washer had no leaks and had no evidence of a water leak beneath the tub. If anything, the tub bearing is just worn and in need of oil.

I think I may want to check beneath the tub boot. Can I put the old one back on if I remove it to inspect?

Dave

 

[bendixmark]

tub bearings

Tub bearings only wear out usually because water has gotten at them.If that machine still has its original stem and seal it should be replaced,If you pull the stem off and the bearing looks corroded underneath that is probably your problem.Try making the machine spin with no basket.If there is no sock and the bearing looks clean then you need to look at the brake package

 

[volvoguy87]

Problem Solved!

Upon closer inspection, there was a sock lodged in the outer tub. The washer is now back together and is happily washing a backlog of laundry.

Thanks for all your help,
Dave

 

[tomturbomatic]

Sock in outer tub

That happened twice with the SQ washers in the apartment laundry in Silver Spring. The tub would not even go fast enough to throw all of the wash water before it started the rinse fill. Bummer. Your friends out to invest in a mesh bag for the socks. That usually does not happen unless the tub is overloaded, but is more common with Tags since they did not believe in a clothes retaining ring. I'm glad for all of you it was a simple problem.

 

[MaytagA710]

You're lucky this was a simple problem lol. Maytag designed the the top of the basket to have that counter weight, and designed the shape specifically. The shape was designed to dampen the sloshing/waves of the water during the wash, and was supposed to allow the water to "curl" back into the basket if it ever started to slosh during drain. This design would work well if the tub cover was to be set as close to the basket as possible. But Maytag manuals tell you to set the tub cover as close as possible to the cabinet.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I'm sorry but I have to dispute the efficacy of the balance ring as a clothes retainer during drain. If you observe the machine during drain from a full water level, you will see that a wave of water rides on the top of the balance ring. When the machine is overloaded, particularly if there are small items in the load, they can escape over the top of the tub (and obviously, did). The only models in which this does not occur are the double-tub AMP design machines where the water is thrown into the collector tub like in other solid tub machines instead of being pumped out of the outer tub in which the perforated inner tub spins. I am not slamming Maytags here. I have a couple myself, but I recognize the limits of the design. As your friends discovered, the machine was not designed to handle overloading well.