MAYTAG TWO-BELT TRANSMISSION QUESTION

[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".

 

[jwpate]

Next order of business will be these damper pads since they require time to dry also. The tube of MAYTAG glue was used here and there must be enough left in the tube for another hundred or so of these jobs.

Try to get the joints about equal in size and place the pads down about 3/32 from the lip. Easy to do, cause that is where they fit best.

Oh, and I sanded the new powder coat lightly first, with 180 paper.

 

[jwpate]

Thanks very much to both beekeyknee and DigAPony, I was actually able to use both a new nylon pinion and new clutch washers in this transmission. Those parts are scarce now, but those forum members made it happen.

I changed those parts out, and filled it with oil. That container of MAYTAG transmission oil looks like a quart, but actually contains a bit more at 34 ounces. Directions on the container instruct us to use all of it on this transmission type. It fills the lower case just about to the brim.

 

[jwpate]

These are unmarked, 5/16-18 hex screws, and such mild steel fasteners generally receive about 11-12 pounds of torque. I don't remember them being tight when they came out either.

So I started them down evenly with 7 pounds, and them went up a pound at a time, stopping when I reached 10 pounds. I would have gone another couple of pounds except for the aluminum case threads. So 120 inch-pounds just feels about right to me.

Other opinions?

 

[beekeyknee]

Looks good to me so far, James. In the order of your posts, the dryer vent looks close to the ground. If possible, you might want to consider digging the ground out a bit underneath the vent to give the air more room to exhaust and also to be able to reach into the bottom of the vent to clean out lint deposits. It's hard to tell. It may just be the way the picture looks.

If looks are any indication, that tub looks like it should hold up well and the base looks nice as well. On a side note, the hole in the base is to help install the main drive belt. That isn't there on older models.

The fill in the transmission looks right. After the machine has been run a few times you can check the tightness of the bolts again with a wrench. I've found after the transmission has been back together for awhile, the gasket compresses a bit and the bolts can be tighten a tad more.

Out of curiosity, what did you put the transmission in while working on it? I've seen people use different things. One of my manuals says to drill a hole in your workbench for the purpose, but that's not always an option.

 

[jwpate]

Thanks for following the progress Brian. Yup I think that photo may distort the distance a little. There is over seven inches from the bottom of the sheet metal to the rock surface. I checked it out with the dryer running and the air flow seems unrestricted.

I used a stout, steel sleeve mounted tightly in a vice. Then the transmission is just setting loosely inside the sleeve. I noticed that suggestion in the service manual about cutting a hole in the bench top and mounting an old brake plate under it to accept the transmission. That would certainly be secure and a pleasure to work with. Not for me though, this may well be a one-time effort.

Will be sure to remember and check the transmission bolts after a few days of use.

 

[DigAPony]

container of MAYTAG transmission oi

Very interesting. That Maytag transmission oil looks a lot like regular gear oil, not the brownish goop that one usually finds in vintage maytag transmissions.

What viscosity did appear to be?

Some say 90 wt. is acceptable, others say Maytag used 120 wt originally.

 

[jwpate]

Yes, that MAYTAG HEAVY DUTY TRANSMISSION LUBRICANT looks like, and pours like 90 wt gear oil.

 

[jwpate]

After powder coating, I especially wanted to clean the threads of that little 8/32 hole which provides a chassis ground for the motor circuits. While at it we may as well clean these four other threaded holes, then coat the threads with anti-seize.

 

[jwpate]

Next I lubricated those three damper pads which had been left for their glue to dry. The pads come with one little tube each of MAYTAG Poly Lube, which we now know is a silicone grease. It it surprising how much grease they absorb, and the three little tubes were just about right.

Then looking here, at the damper surface where the pads will ride, it took a little while to really get this surface clean. It did have little sections of damper pad glue from the original fitting, but that came away with acetone and a soft cloth. Now I have lubed this surface also with silicone grease. The inside threads will soon accept the brake assembly, so they were coated with MAYCOR center seal grease.

 

[jwpate]

Now, lubricate the radial bearing surfaces and tap it down until it bottoms in that brake assembly recess. Then lubricate the brake assembly threads and also those splines which will engage the transmission lower case shaft.

 

[jwpate]

Take the brake assembly down by hand until you can feel it snug up to the bearing. Then use the removal tool and tap it with a hammer a couple of times. No need to really whack it, all we are doing here is providing a firm grip on the outer race of that radial bearing. Then replace the retainer clip to prevent it backing out.

 

[jwpate]

That's about all the weight I can handle before the base plate would become awkward for me. So I put it back where I found it.

 

[akronman]

Well,

I know it's a NOSY question, but can I ask the price to powder coat a wash machine base? If I don't ask here, I'll never have a clue that it will or won't fit into the hobby budget.

If you answer, thanks. If you don't ,I know it's darn nosy to ask, sorry.

Thanks
Mark

 

[jwpate]

Not too nosy akronman - I sent a PM so we don't go off topic here.

First order of business today was to level the washer. First I took it to the same plane with the dryer and then adjusted it to level and with no wobble or rocking.

Then the transmission is to go in. Lubricated the splines with central seal grease, and also did the helix threads for they will soon need it too. Replaced the upper shaft O-ring and placed the transmission back where it belongs.

Position the transmission so that it will not interfere with planned actions, for the brake assembly will prevent it moving for now. [this post was last edited: 2/10/2014-18:40]

 

[jwpate]

Lightly lubricated the outer tub bearing with Dow Corning 111 and it slipped into place without issue.

Then lubricated the bronze bushing with turbine oil.

 

[jwpate]

Here I am lubricating the transmission case with central seal grease, in hopes that it will inhibit the bearing sleeve from corroding to it the way aluminum and steel tend to do.

Used the same grease to lubricate the inner surface of the steel bearing sleeve.

 

[jwpate]

Slip the bearing sleeve in place on the transmission and then lubricate the outer sleeve surface with turbine oil.

 

[jwpate]

Bring the outer tub into action, pausing in this position long enough to attach the water level sensor hose. Then slip it down into place.

 

[jwpate]

Now, while attaching the three tub mounting bolts, I realize why the longer bolts are needed in the two rear support arms. With new lock washers being used there is still just enough length to start the nuts a thread or two.

I coated the new rubber washers inside with DC 111 and carefully kept them from turning while tightening down the three nuts.

Here the caution note being replaced, as the original was blown away in the powder coating process.

 

[jwpate]

I used again DC 111 to lube the inside of the lower sealing ring, then slipped it on the tub mounting flange with no problems, and being careful not to touch the teflon sealing ring on top.

Then, carefully libricated the aluminum mounting stem threads and those here on the transmission case, again with center seal grease.

 

[jwpate]

I used the old style shaft seal in conjunction with the three lip seal on this new style mounting stem, as recommended by redcarpetdrew and beekeyknee in their step-by-step instructional threads. Both seals were packed with central seal grease.

Here I have taken the stem down hand tight and marked the positions of the three drain slots seen earlier in the transmission case. I will be tightening counter-clockwise another hammer blow or two, which will leave me in good position for set screw placement. The right leg of this tool is where the set screw recess is located.

This tightening will lock the steel sleeve of the tub bearing in place with the transmission case, and we only need to take out all slack. No requirement here for a heavy whack.