Maytag WU600 Manual and questions

[waterstone]

Hi,

New member here. Found your site while searching for info on my new Maytag WU600, series 02, dishwasher. Installed it last week and have some questions. Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the user's manual? Does not need to be original, scanned into a pdf would be good.

The soap dispenser cover spring is tired so the cover does not retract fully in the wash cycle. Has anyone dealt with this before? Do you know how to remove it?

Love old appliances and am happy to have found this site. My first washing machine was a hand-me-down that performed well for over thirty years. My new one lasted less than 5. Replaced it with an older Kenmore Model 110. Seems to work well so far. And have an old Kelvinator electric stove to install when I can get someone to move it into the house. Very heavy.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[tomturbomatic]

Welcome Stephen! What's the approximate age of your Kelvinator range? Tom

 

[redcarpetdrew]

The part number is...

You replace the soapcup as an assembly. P/N is 900370 and is still available. You remove the outer door panel (usually 4 screws)and can access the assy. from there.

I'll look around here and see if I can find any manuals...

RCD

 

[waterstone]

Hi Tom,

Not sure yet. Here's a picture. It's got the deep burner and a warming oven. I'll add more pics to my photo album now.

Steve

 

[waterstone]

Thanks RCD,

Pic indicates door screws. Wanted to double check before I remove it. Saw the parts at http://www.appliancepartsworldwide.com/Store_SearchResults.aspx?S=492583&ST=PBM and at http://www.partadvantage.com/store/partlist/mt/WU600/WU600/N-A.TIF/32905 . Where do you go for parts?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Screws...

You want the four screws closest to the hinge. (The one right next to the hinge and then the one up from it...) Once you undo those four, the front panel (which is slightly tucked into the control panel) will drop off. The new soap cup comes with a new gasket and the whole assy attaches to the door with a few 1/4" screws. Just tighten evenly and equally like the lugnuts on a car wheel...

We get our parts thru a local dist.
Appliance Parts Co.
(775)348-9090

RCD

 

[qsd-dan]

Before replacing the soap dispenser, try meticulously cleaning any residue around the hinge area while repeatedly swinging the cover. I had the same problem with my WU204 and this fixed.

 

[norgenocker]

I see alot of Nash in

that Kelvy stove--what year is it?

 

[waterstone]

Kevy Stove

Don't know what year the stove is. Got it free from someone who got it free from someone...

Anyone know these stoves? I posted pics in my photo area. I don't know much about them, except that I gave one away at the insistance of a now ex-wife and always regretted it.

Here's a pic of the label on the back, which says nash Kelvinator.

 

[waterstone]

Soap dispenser

Thanks for the tip, Dan. Tried cleaning it and spraying a little soy oil on the swivel point inside the washer, then removed the front panel ( thanks RCD ) and tried lubricating the shaft. Looks like the spring has lost most of it's spring. Tried to order a new spring from www.a-1appliance.com, along with a silverware rack cover, but they said the parts were discontinued. So ordering the entire assembly from another site, PartAdvantage.com. We'll see if they can fill the order. Running it now without the auto-dispenser, added soap at the second wash cycle. Want to see if it rinses clean. With the dispenser only opening half way, it was leaving soap on the dishes. Love the rotary control underneath that is controlled by the electronic panel. Let's me watch the cycles to see what it is doing.

Thanks for all the help. Much appreciated. Didn't know there were other guys out there who liked old appliances.

 

[gadgetgary]

The soap dispenser cover spring is tired so the cover does n

The same thing happened with my KitchenAid. Turned out to be a build up of soap(possibly the short time that liquid was the 'in' detergent to use).
I cleaned the gunk out, and the detergent dispenser worked like a charm.

 

[waterstone]

Soap dispenser

Thanks Gary. Tried cleaning it out and it moves fine, very easy, but the spring has almost no tension left. I'll try the new dispenser when it arrives, but may work on the old one after it's out, and if I can get it working put it back to keep it all original.

 

[waterstone]

Wow !

Just ran a full Sanitizer cycle and all I can say is, Wow! This cleanes like the one my parents had when I was a kid. Did the pots, classes, plates, even all the flatware is spotless.

Certainly no Energy Star, but I won't need to run it more than three time a week.

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Put the old one back...

You CAN if you want, but the part number I gave you is an orginal replacement, not a sub or a fix it kit. That's the beauty of it, the part number on the old will most likely match the new. Usually what kills those dispensers is that the bi-metal release gets tired and won't heat up and bend enough to release the cup. Same thing happens to the Kitchenaid's only you just replace the bimetal by itself.

RCD

 

[qsd-dan]

Screw energy star!

In my opinion, anything energy star certified is going to have poor performance and require lots of repairs.

Someone please explain how todays brand new dishwashers with 3 hour wash cycles are supposed to be "energy efficient" when older units (like this wonderful WU600) take only an hour and do a better job at washing?! Last time I checked, water was still cheaper than electricity.

It's all BS propaganda.......

End of rant

 

[volvoguy87]

Energy Star

I like to save energy, but an Energy Star rating is worthless to me if the machine does an inferior job, 2X as worthless if it is poorly made too.

Example:
I own a 1980 Maytag A208 washing machine. It runs the normal cycle in a little under 30 minutes, it always balances for spin, and it even filters lint. This washer is 28 years old and still running just fine, washing clothes very well, fast and reliable.

My mother owns a 2006 GE Adora high efficiency front loading washing machine. It runs the normal whites cycle in 1 hour and 21 minutes if everything goes perfectly. It rarely balances for spin, which can lengthen the cycle by over 20 minutes. It lacks a lint filter and does an inferior job of cleaning compared to my A208. It is 2 years old and has had a few problems, I doubt it will last another 2 years. Also, it has many places where water collects and molds, even with the door open and there is usually an inch of water left in the detergent dispenser after the cycle completes.

My ancient Maytag does a better job of washing than the "high efficiency" GE and it does so in a third of the time. Another consideration is: how much energy and resources are used to create new machines? How long would the new appliance have to run without repairs to pay for itself? I believe that an old, less-efficient appliance is better if it will outlast the new one (several times over) all the while providing consistently better results.

End of my rant, NEXT!
Dave

PS, welcome to AW.org. We're mostly nice people, some of us (myself included), can just be opinionated and passionate about vintage appliances and engineering.

 

[jeffg]

Energy Star

I keep waiting for the consumer revolt against this ever-increasing government nannyism, but by now my hopes of ever seeing such a revolt have disappeared. I mean just look at our situation: our bodies are half showered, our clothing is half washed, our toilets are half flushed, our mattresses are poisoned with arsenic, formaldehyde and other chemical fire retardants, etc etc, yet Ron Paul can't scrape together more than 5% of America's popular vote.

Downright frightening. Personally I think it's all over in this country.

For a glimpse of how inane this Energy Star nonsense can get, just try using a Cabrio washer. E.g. if you need to change agitation speed, spin speed or wash time mid-cycle, it forces you to drain the tub and start the entire cycle over again! Just an astonishing lack of engineering (not to mention waste of energy and water).

 

[waterstone]

Energy Star Rant

I'm all for using less energy and water. In fact, I'm rather passionate about it. But...

We need to factor in the cost in energy and water to create a new machine, from the resources used in obtaining the raw materials through the manufacture and shipping of the product. Would take a long time to consume that many resources running an older machine. And you would have to factor in the number of new machines you would need to replace over the life of the older machine. And the cost in resources of recycling the old machines, including the one I saved from the recycler. How many new machines will you need to do 35 years of dishes, and how much hot water will you use pre-rinsing and re-washing? And at 35 years old, my new Maytag is still going strong.

While I agree with water conservation it's also managed with warped priorities. It takes 5 times the water that is in a bottle of water to create the bottle of water. Bottled water is not regulated like tape water is, so at least 30% of bottled water does not meet tap water standards and much of it is simply tap water. Add to that the petroleum used to create the plastic, the energy used to create the bottle of water, the energy used to transport, etc, and we see that bottled water is an insane waste of water, yet there is no move by our regulators to address this issue. A Britta on the counter saves more water than a set of energy-star dishwashers and washing machines. But bottled water is a huge profit machine. They pump millions of gallons a day from rural aquifers for a ridiculously low cost per gallon, put it in a plastic bottle that leaches petro-chemicals into the water, and sell it to us for $2 a bottle.

I'll save water and energy every way it makes sense, but won't tolerate trinket appliances. Was given a dishwasher that was about ten years old before I got the Maytag. Sat in my garage for a year before I gave it away. I couldn't install something so obviously inferior. It weighed next to nothing, was all plastic and flimsy metal.

Okay - end of my rant. Nestle is trying to buy the aquifier rights to a town's water supply near me, so it's an issue - sorry for getitng off track.

 

[waterstone]

Soap Dispenser

Okay. After Dan & Gary bith suggested I clean the soap dispenser parts, I had to do it. Early this am - before coffee even - I removed the soap dispenser cover and cleaned all parts, put some lithium grease on the shaft and put it back together and it seems to work much better. Couldn't see any buildup of dirt or residue, but it helped. Canceled my order for a new dispenser. Thanks again!