Maytag Update...

[tennblondie78]

I thought I would share an update with everyone on my Maytags. I have named them: The washer is Ethel and the dryer is Fred. Those names just seemed fitting for some reason. I have had Ethel running; she has done 6 loads of laundry flawlessly so far. She is so smooth and quiet! Not a hint of cabinet shake or noise during the cycle at all. I see no signs of her damper pads showing, and I got on my hands and knees. I couldn't believe how smooth and silent the spin was compared to my Whirlpool Ultimate Care II washer I am using now. I took some videos of the maiden wash. I ran it with quite a bit of bleach for my own peace of mind and washed the rags I used to clean her up with. I then ran regular laundry loads. I took pics and videos. I am going to treat her to a new Maytag belt set, but she doesn't know about that yet. It's a surprise! She told me to ask if everyone could please keep an eye out for a new dial face for her and buttons, as she is slightly vain. Ethel is naked right now, her cabinet and base has been painted. She asked Fred to turn around until her cabinet was back in place.

But... Much to Ethel's enjoyment, I took Fred apart, too. He hasn't been tested yet because I don't have a way to plug him in anywhere in the garage. He was full of the usual dryer junk: gum wrappers, buttons, pony tail holders and LINT. Holy Mother of All Things Combustible, was that thing a FIRE HAZARD. I have never in my life seen such. I swear lint has permanently embedded itself into the plastic parts. (Just kidding, but still...) I don't think it has been cleaned out since 1976. If I had the lint tested I'm sure it would contain a high amount of polyester. LOL! I have cleaned him out thoroughly. I scrubbed the drum out in the front yard while getting very strange looks from passers by. I have replaced his rollers, axles and glides. It looks like I may have put the glides on turned backward, with the tabbed portion toward the inside of the drum rather than toward the edge. Will that make a big difference? Do I need to drill the rivets back out and turn them around? I did find that the grid portion on the inlet duct that the filter slides into has a broken area. I haven't had any luck so far finding a replacement. I'm wondering if that, coupled with the missing light lens, was part of the cause for all of the lint buildup. (I have a new lens, BTW...)

Anywho, let's get to the good stuff... Pics and videos!! Yes, there are some "girlie garments" sloshing around in the videos, but I figure our inner 4th graders could use a snicker... LOL!

 

[tennblondie78]

Here's Fred

How do you upload videos? Don't hate me 'cause I'm stupid...

 

[tennblondie78]

Here's Fred

How do you post videos? Don't hate me 'cause I'm stupid...

 

[goatfarmer]

We had a newer Maytag dryer, a DE 511 that was missing the lens for the interior lamp. I couldn't believe how much cr@p was ingested into the guts of that dryer through the small hole that was there.

 

BTW, I didn't know you needed any buttons. I have the wash/spin speed buttons, in better shape than yours. Send me a mailing address, and I'll send 'em out.

 

[tennblondie78]

Thank you, Kenny!!!! You are awesome!! I would be glad to cover the shipping.

 

[yogitunes]

Congrats....Ethel May(if I am correct is her maiden name on the show) is a perfect name for the washer....

a little clean up now will pay off in years of service for you....

if you have a compressor, that is best for cleaning out lint and dust from every nook and cranny on Fred! ....

keep us posted.....

 

[danemodsandy]

Hi Stephanie:

I'm going to leave the roller question to someone who knows more than I, but I can help on a couple of things, so here goes:

YES, that missing drum light lens can let incredible amounts of lint into the cabinet, so that's a lot of your problem right there.

BUT - that still leaves the filter/duct assembly on the front bulkhead, which from your description, does need replacement. The problem is - so far as I know, the part is no longer available.

I hope someone here can help you with a good used one. It's not anything horrendous to change out, just a little time and a nut driver.

The filter/duct assembly terminates down at the blower wheel, so having all that out will be an excellent opportunity to clean out the blower wheel if you haven't done so already.

Sounds like you're making excellent progress! Keep us posted....

 

[tennblondie78]

I have tried to find that duct assembly, but there are none to be had on ebay right now. I did see that when they still made a replacement part for that, it was white. Mine is gray. I guess it's just cheaper to make the replacement parts all in white. The lint filter has been replaced at some point, because it is white instead of the correct gray. I eventually want to replace it with one of the correct color. I don't think that will be as hard to find. I find part of the fun is finding the parts you need.

 

[e2l-arry]

Ethyl May Potter is her maiden name

As mentioned on their trip to California when they stop by her childhood home in Albuquerque. "Ethyl May Potter, We never forget her!"

 

[tennblondie78]

Ethel May

I like that! Now she has a middle name. Thanks, Martin!

 

[yogitunes]

Parts warehouse.....

if this helps......may not hurt to call and ask....worst they can say is no.....

you may also do better to use the part number more than just the model specific alone.....for these dryers, parts like a blower wheel or shroud were all the same thru most all models....

a pic may help them as well locate one.........

also if your on ebay, and find a seller posting a lot of Maytag parts, just send him a question, they may have one, just not listed at the moment...

http://lancaster.craigslist.org/ppd/4407050859.html

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Warms my heart when I see old machines being brought back to service. Great work Stephanie!

 

[launderess]

Later On When They All Moved To Conn

In the episode where Lucy thinks she lost her wedding ring when mixing the cement for the BBQ that was being built (in truth Ricky found it and hid it to teach his wife a lesson), the next morning seeing the thing put back together totally wrong all heck breaks loose.

After Ricky is finished with Lucy, Fred turns to Ethel and says:

"Ethel May Mertz, were you in on the shenanigans"? Trying to sound all angry and authoritative.

To wit Ethel responds striking a mighty blow for 1950's housewives across America:

"Yes, I was in on the shenanigans, and I am dead tried from lifting those heavy bricks all night; and if you say just one more word to me Fred Mertz I'm going to take *YOU* apart and put you back together the wrong way..."

All Fred could say was "just asking honey bunch" as he turns meekly away jiggling his keys in his trouser pockets. *LOL*

 

[gansky1]

Nice restoration work, you have a good set there! Your delight and enthusiasm for your first vintage washer-dryer set is infectious, it's fun to see the "x-mas morning" in others but we'll have to wait for candy in the stocking until later, ok?

Is the broken part on the filter in the grille facing inside the drum? If not to large of hole, just file the rough edges so they can't snag clothes tumbling by and it should be fine until you find a replacement.

(You can post a link to your vid in the text of your posting, or in the link to share box right below the text-entry box.)

 

[tennblondie78]

Infectious...

Yes, I do feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I'm very excited to have them and I love working on them. I have to struggle to not let myself get too "perfectionist." I have wanted a set like this for so long, I just want them to be perfect so they will be nice and happy for a long time. I just found out last night yout have to put the videos on you tube first to be able to link to them, so I will work on that tonight. I don't have a channel on there yet. THe hole is on the grille facing the inside of the dryer. I will do like what was suggested and smooth the edges down until I can find another.

 

[lorainfurniture]

I'm missing something

What's the problem with the duct assembly?

Good job on getting those machines back in action

 

[tennblondie78]

Lorainfurniture,

There's a place where there's about 4 squares in the grille that faces the inside of the dryer broken out in the top corner of the duct assembly. There's also some pretty deep hit marks on the rest of it, like something heavy and solid, such as shoes, were dried in there at some point. This dryer was packed pretty full of lint, and I'm worried that hole was part of the cause.

 

[tennblondie78]

I also saw some evidence of the blower fan rubbing the front of the housing. What would cause that? I saw nothing that looked out of the ordinary...

 

[danemodsandy]

Stephanie:

That whole filter/duct assembly is prone to heat warpage if the dryer is poorly maintained and packed with lint; heat doesn't vent out properly, and the heat buildup warps that assembly. That could be the cause of the rubbing if the assembly is deformed. My Almond 806 dryer had that problem when I got it. A new assembly cured the problem, of course. I was lucky in that I had a parts machine available with a good assembly.

My dryer was so packed with lint that the blower wheel would not turn; its housing was packed solid with it. The heating element was burned out, as well. All better now.

The dryer has run over four years now without further issues.

 

[yogitunes]

I would not, if possible, to place both machines so close to each other, for during use, they vibrate, and can rub against each other, and cause premature wear on the side panels, leading to a rust situation....

been there.....from now on, I always leave at least a 1 inch gap....

 

[tennblondie78]

Thanks, Martin, I will look for a blower assembly. I noticed one of the insulators was cracked on the heating element. I got a replacement insulator, but afterward I saw I could have gotten a whole new element for just a few dollars more. Since this washer is a few inches narrower than my current washer, I will have no problem keeping space between Fred and Ethel. Lol!

 

[danemodsandy]

Martin:

I've had that situation on floors supported by wooden subflooring, but if you'll look at the Almond pair above, they're on concrete, and they're dead level, with damper springs in good adjustment and good damper pads.

There hasn't been any rubbing in this instance. When the washer is in spin, you can hardly tell it, things are so smooth and quiet.

I think the rubbing problem has to do with tiny problems that combine to create vibration.

 

[DADoES]

Machine spacing

 
I have also advised a couple times that washers & dryers should be positioned with a bit of space between.  For a while back in the day I had our Whirlys positioned touching each other.  They were on a concrete slab (garage).  When they were moved some years later, abrasion was found to have had occurred on the panels.

 

[goatfarmer]

Concerning the marks on the housing, it's possible the blower itself went out at one time, and was replaced. Move the blower wheel, and see if there is any play in it.

 

[lorainfurniture]

Lint in the dryer is usually an airflow problem, or the drum felt seals are worn. Also the blower housing felt. The light cover as mentioned above would contribute too.

The hole in the grill is not your issue with lint build up. The lint buildup was more likely the previous owners neglect.[this post was last edited: 6/4/2014-21:21]

 

[d-jones]

In that first post at the start of this thread as you go through the photos the washer looks really well preserved, that is until you get to photos 16 and 17. That is a shocking amount of corrosion on the base plate. I can't help wondering how well that cleaned up.

 

[hippiedoll]

what a beautiful job you're doing there

tennblondie78, with the restoration of your fred & ethel may!!

thank you for keeping us updated on your progress. i'm hear on this side of the computer, cheering for you!!!! and i hope to see some videos of fred & ethel may in action soon!!!

love seeing your progress!!

;o)

 

[tennblondie78]

They are done!

Here's some pics of them all snuggled in their new home. They got a q-tip detail and a wax job on the porcelain tops and console chrome yesterday. I will also include some before and afters. The severe rusting on the washer base was caused from the injector tube. I pulled the flume completely out and replaced it with a solid piece of PVC. Any and all rust was sanded and painted with rust converter before the enamel was applied. They really light up my little laundry room!!!

 

[ken]

Excellent job Stephanie. I see you get into the details. Got to remove all that nastiness. Your work should return you many years of trouble free service and excellent cleaning results.

 

[revvinkevin]

YAY STEPHANIE!!!

 

 

Wow awesome job on the machines Steph!

 

Question, how did you go about rust removal on the base plate?   Did you use Navel Jelly or similar?

 

Kevin