MOVING A MAYTAG E2L

[wringer]

Larry,

You certainly have made a commitment to this ole gal. I don't know if I even had the room to work on her to the degree you have that I would have done so. Please keep us posted on your progress. We are all awaiting your completion and the first load of wash coming from her with millions to follow that one. Best of luck !! The pic here is of my N that developed a leak in the clutch mechanism for some reason. I guess they can leak lots of places. Now that I have fixed it with new parts she is dry as a bone. When I spoke to the Myron my Amish restorer, he told me he had never seen a leak like this? Sorry for the pic quality. It was kinda hard to get my arms and all situated beneath Lela May to get a pic LOL. Keep up the faith !!

Jim

 

[e2l-arry]

They can leak

In a million different places. Well, maybe not a million, but anywhere there is any connection from the inside, there is a potential for a leak path to develop. That's why I'm not going to tear down every last part. Only that parts that need attention and anything I disconnect that has a gasket. You gotta replace all of those.

You know, I never expected this to develop into a project of this magnitude. I thought I found this "bargain" of a classic Maytag on CL for only $25.00! I thought I'd clean her up, touch up a few rough spots and be on my way. But then you get to a point that if you quit now, all your previous work and expense was for nothing and I just can't see doing that. Lord knows this isn't the first thing I ever did that didn't work out like I planned. But the end result will be worth it. So what if my $25.00 washer is now up to $400.00? The way I look at it, if Lehmans' sells reconditioned Maytags, for $800.00, I'm still $400 ahead! Plus, I bet theirs aren't as good lookin' as mine!

Larry

 

[wringer]

Nope,

As I said, I have seen their redo's and they are not well done. They are made to be functional with a new sloppy paint job and that is it. I have not talked to Mr. Kerby for some time. The last time I was there we had a long chat. He really is a marvelous man. He and his wife have adopted 6 abused children of all races and have a beautiful family. He is English but most of the help there are Mennonite. Anyhow, please don't quit now. I know you won't. And yes, for the price you will have in your Tag you could buy 2 from Lehman's if they have any !!

Keep trudging away buddy !!

Jim

 

[mickeyd]

"... this Mr. Haney (Green Acres) washing machine! "

Look out for Mr. Haney coming over with another one of his famous, unbreakable, never-before-seen, lifetime " GAR UUNNN TEED" E2L's . LOL

 

You gave me a nice chucke. All along I've wanted to say, there have been so many of these in better condition offered for sale......., but ya never know till you get it home, anyway, so who knows? And you seem to have found a great hobby. Hey, maybe when you retire, you could be the E2L --L for Larry's --Restoration Company.

 

[e2l-arry]

Buyer Beware!

That's what they say anyway. I've learned a few things about buying used stuff on CL.
I'm sure there have been better machines offered on CL or Ebay. I figure most of them HAD to be better. They don't come much worse!! LOL! But seriously, like I said all along, for 25 bucks you can't expect too much. There were others but looked too rough for what they were asking. Or priced high, like $150.00 for one that didn't work OR have a motor. Hmmm, maybe that's why it didn't work. A little troubleshooting. Hindsight's 20/20.

 

[geoffdelp]

Larry ... still ... for $25; not bad. I've done enough of these that I know that after so many years of HARD use (you can tell by the condition they were kept in) there was bound to be problems. It's mostly gaskets and seals. If I buy one, the first thing I do is try to remove the agitator and look underneath for the oil drips. If the agitator comes out normally, the woman who owned the machine took good care of it and probably HAD to rely on it for her family's wash. If it's stuck on the shaft, chances are the machine wasn't used and/or cared for properly.

The biggest problem with these machines was people who terribly overloaded them. They were so doggoned dependable that they just kept right on washing. Those gears are tough; you'll see. A lot of women got an automatic washer to replace their wringers and kept the wringers "just in case" or to wash rugs. UGGH. Washing rugs is fine, but just be careful.

Also, a lot of people inherited them and either didn't know how to use them properly or just stuck them in the corner of the basement or garage; untouched for years. You just can't expect machines that were used heavily and then sat for a long time to be up to par.

I don't know how many "YouTube" videos I've seen of these machines being misused. One of the biggest culprits was not enough water in them. The instruction manual clearly states that water needs to be up to the water line on the top of the agitator fins for ANY sized load. Overloading and washing with small amounts of water put a big strain on the transmission/belt/motor. Also, those agitators need to be removed after every wash day and left off the tub until thoroughly dry or until the next wash day.

I think once you get her running up to speed again, you will not only enjoy using her, but will have a great deal of respect for the quality of the machine. You probably already do!!!

 

[geoffdelp]

Forgot to mention ...

Larry ... forgot to say in the above post but you can tell that water (and probably washing chemicals ... who knows what) sat in that tub for a long, long time. That is one of the reasons why it was corroded through. You can tell by your first picture of the tub that the agitator had not been removed and I'll bet that's when they busted the top off to try to get it out of there. A sure sign that water had seeped underneath the agitator onto the spline and rested on the center plate seal.

The other people before you gave that machine poor, poor care. Unfortunately, you find that a lot with these machines. They were subject to a lot of abuse.

Just trying to help you see that you are rescuing a great piece of Americana! You should be proud!!

 

[e2l-arry]

No regrets here

Geoff, I AM proud of the work I've done and don't regret buying it. I'm also glad like most of the folks here to have been able to save one of these great machines from the scrap yard. It's just that next time, if there is one, I'd know a lot more of what to look for beforehand. They plugged it in and I saw the agitator move and the wringer roll. But didn't see what would happen with a bucket of water in it or try to pull off the agitator. And again, I figured for 25 beans whatever problems I encountered I'd be able to solve. Boy! Was THAT an understatement! She told me she used it in the early 80's for kids diapers so I suspect it just sat for a long time. I too noticed a water line stained in the tub and thought the same thing. That someone had left it sitting full of water for a LONG time. Probably trying to raise mosquitos or something but that did tell me this wasn't taken care of. Because, how hard is it to lower a hose and empty the darn thing? I mean, do these people flush the toilet afterwards, or is that too much hassle? LOL

I just started taking things apart. Like the lid, hose, and motor. When I was down there I did see that all the leak was from the vent hole. It ran down a support beam on the bottom to the wringer leg so that gasket wasn't leaking. I ordered a new gasket anyway. And BOY! that stuff is THICK! It was a bit of a job wiping it off the floor. It may have looked like chocolate syrup but this was about 5 times as thick.

Did you ever get a chance to look at the picture of the pulley I posted a few days ago? Mine has a 1/2" lip that I thought was in case it had a pump. Will the current pulley work or do I still need a wider one for the pump? I've decided that I'm going this far, now's the time to add one.

Thanks,

 

[e2l-arry]

TUBS OUT!

I made good progress this afternoon. I took everything off the washer I could, lid, drain hose and motor. The I attacked the tub! I never used the J-B Weld over the bolts but did seal around them with the 3M 800. Either that stuff stays somewhat pliable or it hadn't 100% cured yet. So I was able to peel around all 6 bolts then use my gulmite wrench and get all the bolts off. Next, since I'll never reuse the tub anyway, I drilled a few starter holes the sawed around the circumference to get the tub out.

 

[e2l-arry]

NEXT

I was able to remove the tub. Just like Geoff said, kind of moved from side to side and rotated around until it was out. Not too bad at all!

 

[e2l-arry]

Finally

I was able to peel away the J-B Welded left over piece and I'm down to the power unit.

Tomorrow that goes on the bench to be opened up. The inside of the skirt gets all that dirt and oil residue removed and will be painted white. All I can do is maybe drain and clean the transmission. My 90wt. Whirlpool brand fluid from Amazon and gaskets and stuff from Phil won't arrive until mid-week at best.

If the rest of this goes this easily, I'll be a happy man!

 

[geoffdelp]

WOW, Larry ... WAY TO GO!!! That baby has been leaking for a long time; look at the oil build up ... true sludge. Lacquer thinner will work great on that oil/dirt removal.

Try to remove the center plate before you take the transmission out; it will be easier for you if you can get the gulmite wrench to get those last 2 bolts out. Those can be buggers. Did you get the little lead screw out on the center plate? I don't see that there ... hmmm ... are my eyes playing tricks? You can double-check your maintenance manual to see what I'm talking about.

When you get that done, you can tap that center plate out by placing a large flat edged screwdriver underneath it and give it a tap, tap, tap with a rubber mallet. Those two pins on the sides stay with the center plate.

Then remove the 3 bolts that hold the right angle drive to the transmission first, then remove the bolt on the bottom of the power unit holding it to the frame. Take a rubber mallet and strike the transmission near where it connects to the right angle drive and you should be able to pull it out. Keep it upright as much as possible; there's a breather hole there and you'll get fluid everywhere if it tips (if there's any fluid left ... LOL).

I see the old rubber tub to power unit gasket laying underneath. Pretty hard and cruddy, huh? Best to just put in a new one.

Oh, the flywheel; I forgot. That looks like a pump flywheel; what the heck?? The regular flywheels were flat. That sure does look like one; that's where the rubber wheel of the pump grabs when you push the handle forward.

Don't forget to recycle that aluminum tub at your nearest aluminum recycler! The last time I did it, I got $30 for one; that was a long time ago, too!! That's pure aluminum!! You could at least get the price of the machine back.

The people who sold it to you like that ought to be spanked and yes, I wonder, too, if they flush their toilet!!

 

[wringer]

WOW !!

You have done a remarkable job Larry. It appears that you have succeeded at every task that has popped up. I agree with Geoff about people over loading and miss using these work horses. Not having enough water in the tub is as bad on the unit as putting to many clothes in them. Seeing the condition of yours and knowing how many loving hours you have put into it makes me really appreciate my 3 girls. Geoff, I had no idea you had done all of this work yourself. I admire the pics of your girls and am very envious of both you and Ted for having NEW units. I know that all of us here appreciate how you have helped Larry.

Keep going Larry and please continue to keep us up to date on your progress. Best !

Jim

 

[e2l-arry]

The transmission / power unit is out

and as I expected, it was a mess. There was a little scrap of metal stuck between the shaft for the rack. I was able to remove it easy enough but have no idea of where it came from. So not sure how much further I need to break this down. The pinion gear looks OK, a few rough spots. I sanded between the teeth and I think it's OK. Also there's some pitting on the center shaft support bearing but that doesn't concern me too much. If it should let me know. Now, this does concern me. On the worm wheel there a small piece of one of the teeth missing. The rest of the gear looks fine but this one . . . Here's a picture.Let me know your thoughts. Is this too small a chunk to worry about or should I replace it when I have the chance?

 

[e2l-arry]

Here's what it looked like

When I first opened it up. You can see on the right side of the shaft a piece of metal. I have no idea where it came from but I took a set of needle nose pliers and it came right out. It soaking in cleaner right now. Probably leave it soak overnight. Then flush it good to get any other loose debris or metal flakes out.

 

[e2l-arry]

This is the underside

of the center plate. I little corrosion on the collar. I wet sanded it with some WD-40. I don't think it will affect performance but I've been wrong before. It's true!

 

[geoffdelp]

Larry ... I can't see where one of the teeth is missing; is it on the wheel or the worm gear? If it's on the worm gear, you will want to replace it for sure. You will have to pound out the bar it rides on; nasty job. You will be breaking factory seals.

That piece of scrap metal is unique; wonder if it is over-run from casting or is it the missing tooth?

 

[geoffdelp]

No ... that won't affect performance; just a sure sign of moisture getting where it wasn't supposed to be. Wet sanding is fine; don't think you will need to do more than that.

You already replaced the center plate seal, right? The shaft turns free, right?

Also, by removing the transmission, are you able to spin the flywheel OK and watch the worm gear move?

 

[e2l-arry]

Hey Geoff!

Yes, the seal was replaced and I saw no reason to remove it for what I'm doing here. So that should still be good. Everything moves freely in the transmission, back and forth when I manually crank it. Everything came apart relatively easy today except the pulley. Boy was that thing ever wedged on! Even the set screw was a pain. I got it though! The missing tooth is on the worm wheel. If you look at the first picture it's just right of top dead center. A small piece facing the inside of the unit is missing. Let me know what you think and thanks for the help! I really appreciate it!

 

[stan]

I see it!

You have to look at it JUST right ! Like Art!
The piece of metal dose not look like the chuck missing, but maybe it is, and has just been smashed around for 20 years? seems a little big though??

I have the same question... about the spin?