N2LS adventure

[jabzwnein]

Hello everyone,

A few days ago, I realized a long-time childhood dream of having my own wringer washer, just like my grandmother used to use when I was a child. I'm just about to move into a new apartment where I need to provide my own washing machine in the basement and I thought, hey, why not find a wringer in the local CL? So two days ago I purchased an N2LS that had been sitting in a barn since the early 1990s when the woman who owned it decided to finally move on to an automatic machine.

I was surprised to find that the machine had a pump, despite having N2LS and not N2LPS on its label. The machine even includes a working safety device, although I have determined that the rubber bulb is a later repair and is actually what appears to be an ear cleaning device that's been attached to the original gray rubber hose. The wringers also seem to be in good condition, so I was happy and made the purchase. Since then, however, things have become more complicated than I had planned.

I thought I would just have to touch up the paint and remove some rust to have the machine in tip-top shape. Unfortunately, I didn't read these forums enough on how to transport these machines before I actually made the purchase and now I'm paying for it. Since I have a small (new!) hatchback, I had to lay the machine down. I covered up the hole where the wringer fits in as well as the feet, and I put the wringer itself in a garbage bag, thinking I had safely covered up all the greasy parts. However, the smell that soon pervaded my car on the hour-long ride back home unsettled me. I soon found that the machine had lost about a cup of oily greasy sludge, right onto my carseat. Not fun! I've spent the last two days trying to remove this stuff, but it keeps coming back.

I filled the machine with water, and found it has a small leak. However, I can't get the agitator off. I read somewhere that a bicycle inner tube might do the trick, and I've blown out two tubes, but have only gotten the agitator to budge about an inch from where it was. I know that another idea is to add boiling water to the tub, but I wanted to stop the leak before I did that. At this point, I've added silicone caulking to the place where it appears the hole is and I hope that tomorrow the leak is gone.

At this point, I have a few questions:

Since I'm not really at a point where I can fully disassemble the machine to get at the leak, do you think the caulk will work/is a good idea?

Will I need to add more oil to the machine, or is there still enough oil in it to run properly?

How can I get that agitator off without breaking it? And without hot water in the tub?

And lastly, just because why not...

Does anyone have experience with removing this kind of oil from a car seat?????

I've attached some "before" pictures, with the hope that one day I will also have "after" pictures to share!

Thanks,
Elliott

 

[e2l-arry]

HI Elliott

Sorry to hear about your troubles. 2 years ago I bought my washer. Like you I wanted one that reminded my of summers at Grandma's and I knew how to wash with one. No problem. Find one, buy one, get it home, clean it up, plug in in a that's all there would be be to it. Well, I was WRONG!!!

The upside, yours in a newer model and looks to be in pretty good shape. Now for the bad news. Stuck agitators are notoriously difficult. The last thread from Hippidoll was that she did have success with the boiling water. I had to break mine off and even that took 3 days. So even with the leak, I'd let it leak outside or the basement or wherever you can work on it but I'd go the hot HOT water route. The fact that you got it to move even an inch is encouraging. Another thread I saw in here was someone took a couple of dog leashes and ran then under the agitator bottom. Then attached them to a 2 x 4 that sat on top of the washer. As she twisted the 2 x 4 it lifted the agitator off. It pays to get creative.

The leaked oil. . . 1 cup spilled probably left enough in the power unit to still run fine. They don't need much to keep the power unit lubricated. Check the left rear leg. If it's clean you should be Okay. It it has oil running down it, old oil, not fresh from your recent trip, means water has been seeping into the power unit and you'll eventually need to tear into it anyway. It's NOT as scary as it sounds.

The water leak .. where's it coming from? Calking won't work. Or not for long anyway. Check all the hose connections first. That's the usual culprit.There's a seal, gasket that seals between the tub and the center plate. You have to remove the tub to replace that. There are something like 6 bolts. On yours they should be 1/2" bolts. It they're leaking you might try to ratchet them down a bit but I'd be careful. If you can track it to one bolt, tighten it down just a bit. Enough to stop the leak. You might get one tight and break the seal somewhere else. But check the pump and hose connections first.

Your car may need a professional. When I was moving mine some old grundgy oil got on my running shoe. I never got it out. And I was able to soak that in hot water, de-greaser, you name it.

Sorry for all your troubles, but when you get all the challenges behind you, and you're doing your laundry the "fun" way Grandma did. you WILL enjoy it.

Keep us posted and if you need any help at all, just ask! There are a lot of wringer guys and gals in here!

Larry

 

[dnastrau]

Oil on car seat

Greetings:

Best of luck with your new wringer project.

Regarding the oil on your car seat:

Can you remove the cushion/seat from the car easily? That may make it easier to deal with the problem. Is it a fabric seat? Leather? Vinyl?

If it is a fabric seat, I would try rubbing a hand cleaner like GoJo or Goop into the stain to break up the oil and then hose it off thoroughly (only if it has been removed from the car of course) or use an upholstery cleaning machine on it. You could then follow it up with a standard automotive upholstery cleaner product.

If the oil stained a leather or vinyl seat, you may have no choice other than to get the seat recovered or replace it with a good used seat. Used seats appear on Ebay all the time and can also be located at the used auto parts link below.

My two cents on the loss of oil: You mentioned sludge when describing what came out of the power unit. If that is the case, it sounds like the remaining oil may be contaminated and it may be worth servicing the power unit since you will be using the machine on a regular basis.

Andrew S.

Loading…

www.car-part.com

 

[hippiedoll]

hey jabzwnein/elliott...

first, CONGRATULATIONS on getting a maytag wringer washer!!! she sure looks like a beauty!! and yeah, it seems that your's is one of the newer versions. if you want to know the exact date of production, give us the serial number and we can look it up for you. if you can't make the serial number out, sometimes a picture can capture the serial number. if you don't know where the serial number is, it is below the turquoise maytag sticker, in the back, right below the black gasket (or what i call the washer's "belt").

as for the stuck agitator, my suggestion would be boiling water method. it worked beautifully for me, on my automatic A208 agitator that was really stuck on. the latest automatic i bought, my A608 agitator came off without having to do the boiling water method. but it took 3 good tugs/pulls on the agitator to get that up. now the agitator on the wringer washer that i bought not too long ago, same round tub style as your's but an older model, that agitator lifted off pretty easily. what i had to use the boiling water for on the wringer washer, was to get the stuck/frozen drain pump, to start working again. that is what i did the boiling water on the wringer washer.

but i think that if you fill this wringer washer with boiling water, and turn the agitator on, and let it agitate for about 10 or 15 minutes, it might help soften up the plastic of the agitator and make it easier for you to pull it off.

my suggestion would be to fill the washer up with the boiling water, either outside, in the basement (if there is a floor drain on the ground) or if you are lucky enough to have a walk-in shower, roll the wringer washer into the shower.

the tricky part is going to be getting the boiling water to the wringer washer, for filling it up. me, i have a couple of big tamale pots that i kept putting on the stove with water, to boil. and then, i would carry the big pots to the backdoor and put the big pot of boiling water into an old grocery cart we have in the backyard. and i would wheel the shopping cart up to the wringer washer and empty the boiling water into the wringer washer. and then, take the pot back into the kitchen & fill it up and stick it on the stove and repeated the process until the wringer washer's tub was full of boiling water.
i did this cuz i needed as much boiling water as possible, to cause super hot water pressure to free up the drain pump, while i was gravity draining the hose at the same time. and it worked for me.

now, since you are wanting to do the boiling water method to free up the agitator, you may not have to fill the washtub completely full, like i did. i think you could fill it to the tips of the veins on the agitator. and i would put the cover on and turn the agitator on and let it agitate for about 10-15 minutes. then, i would drain the hot water out of the washtub and try pulling up on the agitator while the plastic is still warm. BUT BE SURE THAT ALL THE HOT WATER IS OUT OF THE WASHTUB cause you don't want that hot water to splash up and burn you, when the agitator decides to "POP" free!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

and keep us posted.....

cheering for you on this side of the computer!!!

;o)

 

[hippiedoll]

also....

if the agitator is too warm/hot to touch, when you drain the hot water out of the washtub, you could grab a couple of oven/kitchen towels and use those to get a hold of the bottom edge of the agitator "skirt".

GOOD LUCK!!!!

;o)

 

[jabzwnein]

Update

Thanks, everyone, for your help! I've been busy moving but I had a chance recently to try some of the suggestions and I wanted to provide an update and add another question.

So I live on the second floor and the washing machine is in the basement. I wasn't able to put boiling water in the tub, so I put the hottest water I could and I tried that a few different times. There was no budging at all. Next I got a 2x4 and some rope and tried to apply pressure by turning the board. However, this also did nothing. I then added super hot water and tried the rope method with the hot water in the tub. Nothing. I finally resigned myself to the fact that I would have to buy a new agitator and remove the old one by force. Last night, I took a dremel and a regular drill to the agitator and, even with those tools, it was an arduous process! I used the dremel to cut off the main "stem" so I could get closer to the base, then I drilled a series of holes around the base from the top, being careful not to hit the filter or the metal post underneath. After what seemed like forever I got what I thought was the base off, only to realize that I had only removed the last part of the agitator base and not the separate plastic base that comes between the agitator and the metal shaft. That piece was on forever, I can assure you, and there would have been no way to remove it other than by destroying the agitator. I FINALLY got one side drilled to pieces and could use a tool to rip off this last plastic piece. It was kind of exhilarating to see the filter after such a long time! The old woman who used this machine apparently never removed the agitator after washing and never cleaned the filter. There were some old coins and a metal staple all sitting there, forming rust on the filter. I cleaned off the filter and the base of the shaft with a soft metal brush. However, I wanted to ask here before I took the next step. Now, as I remember washing with my grandmother, the filter should just lift off. However, this filter seems to be stuck in place. Before I go pulling at the filter, I wanted to know if, for certain models, the filter was attached and not just sitting there. If the filter is stuck and shouldn't be, what's a good way to remove it without bending/breaking it?

Also, at the base of the metal shaft, I found the remains of some kind of small rubber ring, maybe about the circumference of a quarter. Is this piece from the machine of the agitator part? Is it really important and should be replaced?

To quickly answer some questions I saw above: The oil leakage was only from me and not from the previous owner, I think. As for the car, at least the spill was on the back of the seat (the rear seats fold down), and so it's not super super pressing to remove the stain. I used an anti-grease/oil liquid which worked, but if you press your fingers into the spot, the brown oil comes up again. I have applied powder to the spot and will try to keep applying it and vacuuming it off until it has sucked up all the oil. At least, that's what I'm hoping will happen. Fortunately, this was not on the part of the seat that one would sit on, otherwise that would no longer be possible, as any passenger who sat there would end up with a huge oil stain on their pants! I'll try to keep you guys updated as I can (I don't even have internet in my new place yet; I'm typing this at work!).

Also, before I put on the new agitator...should I do anything to the metal shaft besides rust removal? I saw somewhere something about using some vaseline on it so that it doesn't freeze on again. Does this sound good? How about the rollers in the wringer part? Can I use some vaseline on the shaft there as well to not cause unnecessary wear on the rollers? I ask specifically about vaseline because I'm always wary of using chemically products or oils in places that might contact clothing by accident or may rub off onto parts that come into contact with clothing. Vaseline seems to me, as a layperson, to be a good and inexpensive choice, but again, I don't have any experience in this area.

Thanks so much again for all the help and comments, it really made me feel better after the mini disasters I seemed to be having!!! Much appreciated!!!

 

[hippiedoll]

removing the filter....

to remove the filter, you have to place your hands on each side of the filter and twist it to the left, like your driving and making a left hand turn. if you look straight down at the filter, you will see that the agitator shaft has 2 metal tabs on each side of it, down at the bottome where the filter sits. and the filter also has 2 little cut outs, in the center hole, where the agitator shaft goes into. and to get the filter off, you have to twist it until the tabs are lined up with the little cut-out holes. once you lift it off, you will see how the edge of the center hole gradually slopes up, so that you can twist it onto the tabs for a tight & secure fit.

i hope i explained this so that it is easy to understand.
sorry if i don't know all the "technical" terms.

GOOD LUCK!!!

)

 

[hippiedoll]

using vaseline......

i've learned on here that you can use vaseline on the metal agitator shaft. and so, this is what i did to my A208 (which pops is coming to pick up & take back home, in a little while) and i did it to the wringer washer, that i ended up giving to my aunt, and i also did the vaseline to my A608 that i bought not too long ago.

so i've put vaseline on the metal agitator shafts of all the maytags i've had so far. and will probably keep doing that from now on.

i don't know if this is the right way but what i do is stick my finger in the vaseline jar and scoop a dollop out and smear it into my palm and onto the metal shaft. and i rub it all around trying to make sure the vaseline gets into all the grooves of the shaft. then, i just apply slight pressure around the shaft and slide my hand up to remove any excess vaseline. and this way, the shaft stays with a thin coating of the vaseline and i wipe my hands off with a papertowel.
VIOLA', all done.

;o)

 

[hippiedoll]

oh yeah...

the vaseline will help keep the metal agitator shaft from getting rusy too. and i forgot to say, once you've coated the agitator shaft with vaseline, you slide the agitator onto the shaft.

 

[hippiedoll]

i found remains of some kind of small rubber ring...

that sounds like it could be the rubber ring that goes into a groove, near the base of the metal agitator shaft. i think that does need to be replaced cuz i think that is what gives the agitator the tight seal so that it won't float off when you fill the tub with water. and i think that rubber ring also helps form a water-tight fit to the agitator shaft so that no water gets on the metal agitator shaft so that it doesn't get rusted.
i think this is the rubber ring you are talking about that you found the remains of. and i think that is the purpose of that rubber ring. if i am wrong, someone who knows for sure, will be along to tell you exactly what that rubber ring is for. and they can also tell you the correct name for that rubber ring so that you can buy another one. i don't think they are very expensive.

in fact, i think that is the same rubber ring that i didn't think my agitator shaft had, on my A208. i felt so foolish! LOL.....
until i posted pictures and people helped me see what & where the rubber ring was.
just be patient and someone will come and explain it better for you, if i was wrong.

keep us posted. and don't forget, we do like to see pictures. pictures can help others see exactly what you are talking about.

GOOD LUCK!!!

cheering for you on this side of the computer........

)

 

[jabzwnein]

Update on my Maytag

Thanks for you help, hippiedoll.

So, I tried hooking some metal hooks into the filter to pull at it and loosen it, but that didn't work. So today I got fed up and just gave the side of the filter a good whack with a hammer and PRESTO! it was loose. As you can see in the photos, the top of the filter is partly rusted away. I used a steel brush to clear away a lot of the rust and dirt, and vacuumed everything out so it didn't go down the hole. It looks much better now. I was surprised to find that "hump" under the filter. I seem to remember that my grandmother's machine didn't have the hump, but then again, I was very young and maybe I missed it. I was always scared of the little hole down there for some reason and didn't like to look into the tub without the agitator in place.

When I was chipping away the decades-old dirt on the center plate, I popped through the thin, worn metal near the screw by the hump, which I assume means there is now a small hole into the gear case. I’m going to try to block it with JB weld and touch up some of the other worn spots, with future plans to replace the entire center plate (unless someone thinks that the JB weld might be enough?).

I also have noticed that this machine has yet another surprise for me. I thought that it would have "normal" bolts, given that it seems to be a newer machine. Yet, as you can tell from the photos, there they are, those weird bolt heads that you need a special tool for. I was able to get a gulmite tool online and remove 5 of the 6 bolts. One is still stuck (one of the longer ones) and I need to figure out how to get that one loose.

I also included a few photos of that little rubber ring (broken in the photos) and I found out that it’s the ring that holds the agitator on. I’ll have to replace that then as well.

Lastly, I must admit that I couldn't resist using my machine, even though the tub leaks and I don't have the new agitator on yet. I decided I would use two tubs, wash my clothes by hand, and at least get to use the wringer on this machine. It was great! I haven't used a wringer since my grandmother passed away in 1992, so around 23 years at this point. At first, I didn't have the wringer set properly (I thought I did, but I was wrong). The first few items came out pretty damp, and I was peeved that it wasn't working well at all. But then I realized I had done something wrong and I reset the rollers. The clothes were very dry (relatively speaking) when they went through the second time.

Again, thanks everyone! I feel I'm getting closer than ever to getting this machine up and running again!

Photos are here:

Loading…

www.dropbox.com

 

[hippiedoll]

i'v been wondering.....

how you were coming along with your wringer washer!!!???
glad to read your update.

boy, was the bottom under the filter really dirty!!! you got that pretty clean under there!!! GOOD JOB!!

unfortunately, i don't know anything about the different parts or the mechanics, so i can't tell you about the hole that you made and if the jb weld will be "good enough" to block up the hole & touch up the other worn spots? but i'm sure someone here, with experience using jb weld, will come along & let you know.

by the way, GREAT pictures. the rubber ring that holds the agitator on, i think might be easy to find (ebay).

GOOD LUCK!!!
and keep us posted....

cheering for you on this side of the computer!!!

)

 

[jabzwnein]

Update and washing test!

Hello everyone!

I did a lot of work and replacing. I replaced all the gulmite bolts with regular hex bolts, and I took out the old rubber seal (it was completely dried out and broken). I unfortunately didn't get the center plate ordered...it turns out that both online stores I ordered from had to cancel my order because they didn't have the plate after all.

Today I used JB Weld on the center plate. I cleaned off the center plate with an oil remover, and blocked up the hole into the gear box. I also tried filling in any pitted parts. After letting that dry for two hours (it supposedly needs only one hour), I checked on it again. Some of the putty was still damp, but the package said it could set under water, and I really wanted to test the tub. So I bolted the tub back on to the center plate and filled it up for the first time in four weeks.

And it leaked!!!!

It was almost a little sieve, which just shocked me, since this was worse than before. I saw that the drip was again on the side opposite the motor, and I took a risk (perhaps a big risk!) and decided to turn it on.

I put a lot of vaseline on the post and put on the new agitator I had bought. I didn't seem to sit right, so I went to pull it off and it was stuck! I filled the tub with all hot water and put some Dawn in the tub, just to do a "cleaning out" wash. I ran the washer for about 15 minutes and pumped out the time (on a side note: the pump works! Didn't find that out for certain until now!).

After I emptied the tub, I was fortunately able to pull off the agitator quite easily. That made me feel a bit better and I decided to do a load of laundry, something I thought I would have done over four weeks ago. I've included some video links here so you can see how she runs. I was very happy with everything.

The weird thing about the leak is that it slowed down during the wash...eventually becoming just a random drip and then almost, or perhaps even, nothing at all. I'm not sure if that's going to last.

I have to take the tub off again eventually to clean up the rust under the big rubber gasket on the outside of the tub. I'm thinking I might add some silicone caulking at that time just in case? I'm really not sure where that darn leak is coming from.

This machine has turned into a bit of a money pit for me, but I'm still plugging along. I feel like if I give up now, I'll have lost the battle. I almost fell over yesterday, though, when I went looking on craigslist for wringer washers and found a beautiful E2LPS for $70. If I didn't live in an apartment, I fear I might have purchased it! Part of me definitely felt like buying it and giving up on my N2LS, but I must admit I'm kind of attached to this machine now. If only she'd behave!

Here are the links to the videos I took. I hope you enjoy, and I hope maybe someone can give me advice on this disappearing/reappearing leak!





(I tried to show the leak in one of the videos but I think it's too dark to see.)

 

[e2l-arry]

Did you replace

The rubber seal/gasket? You say it was completely dried out and broken. You need to replace that if you didn't. They're only something like $1.99 from Phil. Don't use silicone on it either. Make sure it a good clean fit. Then when you re-install the tub make sure you set it evenly and slowly bolt it down, working opposite ends bolts until it's uniformly tightened down. That or the hoses is the only way it can be leaking. It you're getting water leaking into the power unit from the center plate, you'll know soon enough. You start getting a water/oil mix leaking out the vent hole on the horizontal shaft.

 

[hippiedoll]

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!

how exciting for you!!
i'm afraid i can't help you out when it comes to the leak, unless it's like the leak on my aunt's maytag wringer that is coming from the hose that connects from the tub to the pump. and i think this one just needs the clamps tightened up. i still haven't gotten to that yet. but roger said he would help me with that & see if we can figure if it just needs the hose clamp tightened or what is happening. he said we may have to put a new hose on it.
we'll see what happens with this maytag wringer.

i hope you get your's all settled up and washing away for you!!!
thanks for the update and the videos. very happy for you......

)

 

[vintagekitchen]

oil / grease stain

Never fail remover for oil and grease, WD-40. Saturate the area, let it sit a bit, then start scrubbing with hot water and a good detergent (dawn works wonders), and rinse rinse rinse. I would use a shampooer or shop vac to suck out the nasty soapy water as I went.

For laundry with oil amd grease stains, just saturate with the WD-40, then scrub some detergent in, and wash in hot water with good detergent.

I haven't seen the stain yet that this doesnt work on.