Maytag Washer AA208, Made It Home!

[nuwash]

My previous thread in Shoppers Square showed i found this avocado set on FB Marketplace. The unspecified motor problem was further explained by the seller as 'it won't spin' and an 'electrician said it had a short in the motor'. That explanation seems unlikely since I discovered that both the drum and motor turn freely by hand but the pump won't budge! Its stuck fast and the belts are loose. Anyhow, other than a pump and belts what should I do on this machine?

 

[rp2813]

The drive belt is supposed to be loose.  The pump's belt should be tensioned so that when both sides are pinched together midway between the motor and the pump, there's 1/4" gap between them when motor movement is noticed.  Pump belt adjustment is made by loosening the mounting screws for the pump and positioning the pump to effect proper belt tension. 

 

Normally, belts last a long time on these machines, but considering the neglect factor in how it was stored, there may be deterioration issues.  There might be a trick to freeing up the pump, but I'll leave it up to the experts to address that.

 

What was the deal with the front panel?  Was it completely detached or was the bottom still held by the screws?

 

[bradfordwhite]

You're going to need some iron out to get rid of the heavy stains.

The water inlet needs serious cleaning. Take those filter screens out and soak in iron out.

Take the belts off, see what pulleys turn and what doesn't.

Pump is easy to change or remove to clean.

 

[lowefficiency]

First step is to just start cleaning things. It's a lot more pleasant to work on something when it has some of the crud cleaned up!

Since it wouldn't cost anything, I'd troubleshoot the pump you have. Check on the side- I'm not sure if all years have it, but for a long time, Maytag put a removable screw in the side so that the pump shaft could be oiled. If yours has that hole, some turbine oil would help free it up. You could also pull the hoses and see if anything is physically jammed in it.

Is that a spare timer in the bag inside the washer?

On the belts, do make sure you check what you have. The Maytag belts are a special type that is designed to slip, and not everyone knows this when they replace them.

 

[nuwash]

Cool, thank you all for the tips! Yes, that is a spare timer. The owner said they changed it when it wouldn't spin but it made no difference. I assume it probably works fine. The home definitely had hard water! The front panel had been removed by whoever looked at it trying to diagnose issues. The screws were still with it, just sitting in the holes. Does the 'transmission' in this thing require oil changes?

 

[lowefficiency]

>> Does the 'transmission' in this thing require oil changes?

Maytag didn't plan for it, no. There is no drain plug or fill hole, so changing the oil requires removing the transmission from the machine and separating the two halves of the case, which can be a significant amount of time and effort.

Most transmissions get some water leakage past the seals, and they accumulate water inside, which of course isn't good but they tend to last a long time regardless. Preemptively changing the oil might help extend the life of the transmission, but like I said, it's quite a process.

So I think most here would recommend working through all the rest of the problems with the machine first. The transmission would likely be left alone - you would only have a reason to open it up if it has obviously failed, or if you love the machine so much that you know you will keep it forever.

 

[rp2813]

Changing transmission oil is a very involved process, so no, the oil was intended to last the life of the machine but I guess Maytag had no idea just how well they were building these things since so many of them are still washing clothes with few or no repairs after 50 or more years. 

 

You might experience sluggish agitation with the old transmission oil if the machine is located in a colder environment like a garage or unheated basement, but it's a common issue and usually after a minute or two of operation the wash action reaches normal speed.  It used to happen to us when we had our Maytag in the garage (same model as yours, only a few years older), but only on the first load of the day and only on colder mornings.

 

If the water inlet valve doesn't clean up, replacements aren't hard to find, and with a little luck you can get the pump freed up.  If the belts are decent you'll have that machine ready for a test run after you give the rest of it a good cleaning.

 

[nuwash]

Has anyone considered drilling and tapping a fill and drain hole for the trans oil? Is something like that possible? I'll see how it behaves once I'm able to put the time towards testing it. I would like to give it its best lease on a continued life.

 

[lowefficiency]

Yes, that's been done by a few people. It's not entirely practical, as you then have to upend the entire machine (or lay it on its side and rotate the transmission) between draining and refilling. And because oil floats on water, the new drain hole has to be in a location where it can be oriented to be a low point, otherwise water will remain trapped. And you have to be careful drilling so that you don't introduce shavings to the interior of the transmission.

And even if you've done all of that, you're still kinda sidestepping the issue - that if there IS water inside, you have a leak in the main tub seal that needs to be addressed... which probably means you're either pulling the transmission anyway, or close to it...

 

[good-shepherd]

I bet that agitator is stuck on there but good.

Machine needs a major cleaning and going over.

New inlet valve, motor slides cleaned and lubed, damper pads lubed. Base plate sanded and painted, etc.

Best to just remove the cabinet, it will make working on it much easier.