MAYTAG TWO-BELT TRANSMISSION QUESTION

[jwpate]

Grease lube was only used on the flat surface of the metal plate, upon which the gears reside. I also greased the axis shafts and the holes where they fit in. Silicone grease being used for this as I have confidence it will do no harm to the plastic parts.

 

[jwpate]

This looks like a dangerous toy does it not? And, certainly we must maintain our concentration when messing about with such a tool.

 

[jwpate]

It does however, allow us to easily operate and observe the action of this little motor. Here it is running while a drop or two of turbine oil have gravity in their favor getting lubrication to the shaft.

While watching it you will be perhaps surprised at the slow speed of that pinion gear. Its speed, in revolutions per minute, is exactly one.

 

[jwpate]

If we peer inside through one of the case holes it is possible to watch that second gear in the train make is periodic advances. At exactly one minute intervals it advances by six gear cogs, as seen through the case hole.

 

[jwpate]

I suppose that is enough fun for now, with the control panel parts. Put the switches back where they belong, and hope they continue to perform as they have done these last 30 years.

 

[supersuds]

Following this with great interest

It's neat seeing the inner workings of the timer, and your exposition is crystal-clear.

 

[beekeyknee]

Looking good James. That jar of silicone grease would probably be great for your motor carriage glides, if you haven't already put it back together (better than Molykote). And also your new damper pads when you glue them back on. Where did you get that jar of grease, if you don't mind?

That's funny you mentioning paying attention when using the extension cord and alligator clips. I've caught my mind wandering while using one of those and then suddenly snapping back to reality.

B.

 

[jwpate]

Yes, that pure silicone grease isn't that easy to find, unless you have a scuba/dive shop nearby. I got that jar from amazon.

 

[jwpate]

Brian's recommendation to go back and change the motor carriage lubricant from molykote to pure silicone got me thinking. I finally remembered the photo on Brian's washer overhaul site dealing with the motor carriage and went back for another look. Sure enough, in the background is a jar of MAYTAG Poly Lube, and the label shows it is a silicone formula. So, now that I know what that little tube of lube in the carriage repair kit actually is, I dug it back out of the waste basket. For the third time now, I then took the carriage down, cleaned it thoroughly and re-lubed it using the Maytag Poly Lube. Also went online and ordered a couple of jars of the stuff for future needs.

Actually gaining a fair proficiency now with that motor carriage.

And, below a new brake assembly has arrived. Looks to be the same as the original, except the halves are no longer fastened using machine screws/bolts. With none of the innards being offered as spare parts, I suppose it makes sense to save a buck and just crimp the halves together.

 

[jwpate]

I had hoped though to take the new unit apart before mounting it, and satisfy my curiosity about what a new friction liner looks like.

The other thing I wondered about was how much, if any oil was inside the new units when they ship out. From looking there at the oily surface in the center of this image, it becomes obvious that they did lubricate the new brake unit. Still one wonders how much? Should I just mount it and carry on?
Probably, then if it starts ever to make noise, I will add an ounce or so according to the service manual procedure.

 

[jwpate]

A Tale of Three Bearings.

So turning my attention to the bearings and their condition/replacements, we look first at the most heavily loaded bearing in the washer, the radial or spin bearing.

At the top here is the original bearing, made by the respected Japanese firm NTN. It is a common size, stamped 6206Z. The first number (6), means it is a deep groove ball bearing designed for radial loads. The second (2) identifies it as a light duty bearing. The third and forth numbers (06) designate the bore size as 30MM.

The suffix (z) would have designated steel side seals at the time it was made (mid '80,s). Today some bearings have only one side sealed, and therefore the stamping system has expanded slightly. Today this bearing specimen would be stamped either the suffix 2Z or ZZ.

As I hold it and pressure the inner race back and forth in an axial direction, I can only just detect a slight looseness. It is certainly there though, and represents slight wear in the bearing cage. So I have decided to replace it.

First off, I ordered a replacement from one of the Whirlpool parts retailers and it has arrived. It is seen here on the left side. It has rubber side seals, and that difference is a debatable departure from the original specification. Generally I believe it is fair to say that the rubber sides will seal better, at least for a while. The steel sides though, will have less rolling resistance and generally longer life.

The real issue with the Certified Replacement Part from Whirlpool however, can be seen by looking through the clear plastic cover and reading CHINA.

So, today I went across town to the Belt and Bearing firm and purchased the bearing on the right side. It is a direct replacement of the original, being stamped 6026 2Z. This item is made in USA by SKF, and will be the bearing I plan to use.

 

[jwpate]

Here, with the brake rotor bearing we find a somewhat more limited choice. The 30 year old MAYTAG bearing actually still seems sound enough to me. It is tight, smooth and looks well made indeed.

And, this is not a common bearing size but rather it is a special Maytag bearing.

The item inside the Certified Replacement plastic looks to be the same cheap quality we have seen before, calculated to just make it past the limited warranty period.

Given this choice, I have decided to clean and repack the original for further service. I expect to keep the replacement part, and have it as a spare if needed later.

 

[DigAPony]

Nice to see such remarkable attention to detail and done quickly as well.

Good info, but going forward other high wear replacement parts will fail long before one of those original bearings.

 

[jwpate]

This is a new set of outer tub mounting bolts with sealing washers. Both long and short bolts are still available, with the short one in the middle here.

The real story though is the sealing washers. My old ones were so hardened they looked more like polyurethane. These new washers are clearly a rubber seal, and they also are shouldered to extend down into the tub holes.

 

[jwpate]

The so-called water injector system is next on the list. Notice the old system had most hose clamps in the single band style which we have seen earlier, and still wonder at how they went on. Only one of the clamps was a screw style, which allowed for adjusting the hose orientation at that fitting.

The new arrangement has all the clamps adjustable, and all in the open-slot style which will be replaced with higher quality clamps. Note also that the two at the nozzle housing are on backwards, and would have to be turned around anyway to prevent the screw mechanism from fouling with the washer sheet metal.

The plastic nozzle housing is a slightly different design, which would seem to allow some water drops splashing from the nozzle and sleeve arrangement to be captured without falling on the sheet metal side and base plate. Looks like an improvement over the old style.

 

[jwpate]

And it goes in place with ease. leave the hose clamps loose till the nozzle housing is fastened in place and then the clamps can be tightened with no strain on the hose sections.

 

[jwpate]

While waiting for the last of the parts to arrive, I decided to have a look inside the dryer also. About all it seemed to need was cleaning out thirty years of dust and lint buildup. It is a model DG303 and I am regularly watching eBay every few days hoping to locate a service manual.

After cleaning it I again had a case of guilty realization that I have never really given that dryer a fair shot at getting its job done. The exhaust vent which came with the house required the use of flex hose and two 90 degree bends to exhaust the dryer.

So I did the only thing I could think of to do, and removed that built in exhaust vent and ordered a replacement. By carefully getting the height of the vent pipe about right, one can then adjust the dryer support legs to achieve a perfect line up.

Now there is no flex hose, no bends whatsoever, and just a straight path outside, which is only a foot or so away.

The patch for the original vent has only the first swipe of sheetrock mud, and will need at least two more before painting.

 

[jwpate]

Outside, the patching is much larger because the original vent was in place before the stucco went on. At least two more stucco batches will have to me mixed up too, and look how damp that first one still looks after a full day to dry. Will take a while in this winter weather, but easy to do and no rush as the wind and critters are already barred entrance.

This stucco, like the sheetrock, had no backing here except for paper and insulation. So it was necessary in both cases to cut out plywood semi-circles and use them for screw anchors. Glad I did it though as this solution is much more satisfying than flex hose.

 

[jwpate]

While I was diverted on the dryer effort, some more parts have arrived. The tub and base plate are back now with their powder coating completed. Here is one of the primary reasons for taking this route.

This is the main drain pipe, again protected from further rusting. For how long? Time will tell.

 

[jwpate]

This sealing lip was the other problem area, and like the drain pipe it seems "good to go".