Maytag washer

[pappasteve]

My mom has a washer Model HA606 Serial # 656650SU. She bought this set when I was a kid and still uses them. Just recently the washer has started to stall out at the spin cycle. By stall I mean that it will start to spin for a about 5 seconds then stop. after about 30 seconds to a minute it will start back up again. It only does it at the beginning of the spin cycle.

We have replaced the timer and the motor and it still does this. What else could it be?

 

[cfz2882]

possibly belt?

presuming motor isn't getting up to speed and tripping the
overload protector,could have the wrong type,faulty,or too-
tight belt-from what i understand,intead of a clutch,maytag
uses a "slippable"belt with tension maintained on the roller
mounted motor carrage by springs. Just run with front panel
off to see if motor bogs down when spin starts;if it does
bog down,belt is not slipping properly.

 

[pappasteve]

original belts

This has the original belts on it. Only in the last year or so have we replaced anything on it. We do have a spare belt for it. I could try and clean everything up on it and put the new belt on it and see what happens.

Could you tell me when this was made? My mom seems to think it was the early 70's when she bought them.

 

[yogitunes]

just by chance....is it plugged into an extension cord of some sort?

low voltage strain would be my guess

 

[pappasteve]

voltage

No it is plug directly into an outlet. I even tighten all the connection on the back of the timer to make sure it was getting proper voltage. The motor does seem to get pretty warm ( can't keep your hands on it).

 

[qsd-dan]

Make sure there's genuine Maytag belts and not some aftermarket auto belt. Maytag belts are lined with a cloth like material that allows them to slip during the initial spin cycle.

Also, make sure the rollers and springs are intact and the sliding carriage glides with ease when pushed forward/backwards. I've seen carriages where all 4 rollers are missing and the carriages beating itself to death every time it goes into a spin cycle.

 

[pappasteve]

Belt

Yes it is a genuine maytag belt. We bought one but never had put it on.

 

[cfz2882]

i'd try that new belt and see what happens,observe motor to
see if it is bogging down-motor should get to full speed in
a second or less as belt slips as intended and tub starts to
accelerate up to speed,motor should be able to run at near
full speed with tub held stationary.

 

[qsd-dan]

Yep, throw the new belt on. When the belt gets old and worn, the cloth wears and the belt starts gripping instead of slipping during the spin cycle. Usually the belt will break under those circumstances but if it hangs in there, it'll put an incredible load on the motor, causing the motor protection circuit to cycle.

Before installing the new belt, take some rubbing alcohol and a rag and thoroughly clean the motor pulley. After that many years of use and spin cycles, old belt fragments heavily build up on pulley and can prevent the new belt from properly slipping during the spin cycle.

 

[spankomatic]

Photo of 1975 Maytag 606 in not very good shape.

 

[spankomatic]

2

 

[cfz2882]

HG under there

LOL..looks like someone spray painted a HG macine white!

 

[pappasteve]

The motor doesn't come up to fully speed right away. It does in the agitate cycle but not in the spin cycle when fully of water. Did you mean when the tub is empty?

 

[spankomatic]

Does the washer start to spin AGAIN on it's own OR do you lift the lid and it starts to spin again? Are you and your Mom aware of the Lid/Unbalanced Load switch and how it functions? (Just double checking...) The washer is designed to stop if the load is unbalanced. You would have to open the lid,re-balance the load and close the lid to resume spinning operation.

Jim

 

[pappasteve]

That's what my mom's looks like but it is still harvest gold.

 

[dnastrau]

Date code SU...

...means that your mom's washer was made in September 1973.

 

[spankomatic]

Afirmative! It was Harvest Gold until my BROTHER thought it would look "newer" if he painted it white. I saved it (the washer,not my brother) from the crusher!

Jim

 

[qsd-dan]

It was Harvest Gold until my BROTHER thought it would look

If he would have used some primer, it would have continued to hold up nicely. It looks like he initially did a decent job painting it.

 

[pappasteve]

Yes the washer stops and then after about 5 to ten seconds the washer will take off again. It will do this with just water in it and not clothes.

I was not aware of a Lid/Unbalanced Load switch.

 

[cfz2882]

does indeed sound like a belt problem,as an induction motor,
the motor will bog down and overcurrent if it is slowed much
below it's full load rpm of 1725(1140 low speed if present)
60HZ line frequency dictates speed motor runs at.

 

[spankomatic]

I was not aware of a Lid/Unbalanced Load switch.

There is a little white knob that that sticks out at the back of the lid to the washer. When you open the lid to put clothes in you can hear it "click". If the lid is open the washer will not agitate or spin for safety. If the load in the washer becomes unbalanced (heavy towels all on one side)this same switch will be triggered and stop the washer. To reset the switch you have to open the lid and close it again and the washer will resume spinning. Has the washer been moved at all? Does it wobble at all turned off? If the washer itself has become NOT LEVEL this could also cause an unbalanced load with just water (no clothes). This is just some easy things to check and rule out. It is probably the belt like Dan said if you ruled this out.

 

[pappasteve]

I just put on a new lid switch today. Before the switch was broken. You could raise the lid and it would just keep washing. I adjusted it so that the switch would click on with the lid closed and click off with the lid open.

I think it is probably the belt. I'll have to try that and see what happens.

Thanks to all of you that have offered help and suggestions.

My om loves this machine, it is so easy to operate and cleans the clothed pretty good. It is just like part of the family. I'm glad to hear that there is still others out there that think a lot of them too.

Does anyone know if you can still get the load size buttons? My mom has glued a couple of them together. I'd like to surprise her with some.

 

[pappasteve]

Another Maytag set

Could anyone here tell when this was made. It is a washer dryer set I'm trying to get here locally. If I can't get my mom's fixed she might want these. I was thinking they maybe a little newer than the ones she has now.

Washer Model # A482 Serial # 239438 NJ

 

[dnastrau]

Date code NJ...

...looks like May 1984.

 

[pappasteve]

have my fingers crossed

You guys are amazing! I have this website bookmarked now.
How many of you are actual repairmen?

I went to my mom's today and cleaned up the pulleys real good and put the new belt on. The old one didn't look in bad shape, no chunks missing or anything like that. I ran it 3 times with just water in it and it worked perfect. My mom is going to try it out with clothes this week and I'll let you know how it does.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[pappasteve]

working like new

I talked to my mom this week and she told me she didn't have any problems with the washer. She did a couple of loads and it never stopped during the spin cycle. amazing what a $9 belt can do.

Thanks again for helping me to keep mom's old maytag alive.