New find Maytag a50/de50... questions and help needed...

[classiccaprice]

hi everyone!

I just picked up a 1970 Maytag A50/De50 set in white.

I'm so excited to use them!

Question: what other colors were there? I've seen Harvest, Avocado, and Coppertone. I read that the model was introduced in 64. Were they available in sunny yellow, turquoise and pink?

So I checked them both. The belt for the blower motor on the dryer and the impellers on the washer have both fallen apart with age. Any leads on replacements?

The washer sadly took a dive when moving and both knobs were destroyed. Anyone have extra A50 knobs? Thanks!

 

[classiccaprice]

I found the belts in the archives. But any leads on knobs?

 

[revvinkevin]

Contact John Lefever (Combo52), there’s a chance he may have parts at his shop but I don’t know for sure.

 

[classiccaprice]

So I found a guy on ebay who will make custom belts. Based on my measurements the washer belt is 50 inches and the dryer belt is 34 inches. Will keep you posted!

I called John and left a message about the knobs. If anyone else has any leads in the mean time, please let me know!

Thanks so much.

 

[classiccaprice]

I ordered the belts. Will keep you posted.

Future reference, John does not have knobs for the A50. If anyone comes across a pair, let me know.

Also, my question was never answered. Did they offer the A50/De50 in turquoise, yellow and pink?

Thanks everyone.

 

[combo52]

MT DE50 and A50

Did not come out till after these colors were offered, I think they came out around 1967 or later, I am sure that one of the MT trivia folks will know exactly when they came out.

 

John L.

 

[lowefficiency]

Do you have all of the pieces of the broken knobs, that they could be glued back together?

 

[classiccaprice]

Hey Dave

Already beat you to it.

I tried, its not perfect, but it works. I still hope I can find replacements, but this works for now.

 

[ea56]

Will, you did a great job gluing those knobs.  You know you might be able to find some generic white knobs with the same style hole that fits the control posts.  Then mark them with a label maker of even a sharpie to match the original knob settings.  Then you could use these, save the originals from possible breakage from use while glued and keep looking for original replacements.

 

I had one just like this from 77’  to 85’.  It was a great little washer.  Fun to use and did a remarkable job of washing a weeks worth of laundry in about an hour.

 

I hope you’ll enjoy yours as much as I did mine.

 

Eddie

 

[ea56]

Will, something like these generic range replacement knobs might be just the ticket.  They have adapter inserts to accommodate just about every style switch post.

 

Eddie

https://www.rangekleen.com/collecti...lectric-white-range-replacement-knob-one-pack

 

[classiccaprice]

Not a bad idea, Eddie. I may do just that.

My belts arrived today. The dryer one works, but it rattles. I should have done 33 or 33.5. What glue should I use if I cut out and make it shorter?

The washer belt fit perfectly and mechanically worked well on her first wash with me, except for the diverter valve... both tubs filled and drained at once! Something else to hunt for.

Thanks everyone!

 

[classiccaprice]

Dryer belt at 34"

 

[ea56]

Will, I don’t know if you can effectively cut and glue this dryer belt to shorten it.  I think the heat from the dryer may cause the glue to fail.  I’m sure that there may be other members that have some suggestions that may work for you.  If you enter Maytag A50 owners manual into your search engine you will find a couple of websites that you can download the owners manual from, and this would be handy to have.  There are also sites that still have some parts available, but no knobs.

 

If you’re not familiar with using a twin tub, the process is basically like washing with a wringer washer, except you use the spin tub instead of a wringer.  I always sorted my loads into whites, light colors and dark colors, washing and spinning them in succession and holding them in a laundry basket.  Once the washing was done, I’d drain the wash water, and fill the wash side with rinse water and then rinse and spin out each load in the same order they were washed in, adding additional water and detergent as necessary.

 

At the time I owned mine I only had a double bed and I could wash the blankets and bedspread in the A50, just one at a time with no problem.  Any larger sized bedding may be a stretch, certainly not king sized, but you may be able to wash a light weight queen sized blanket.

 

 I usually did the towels in a separate load.  At the time I was still working as a hairdresser and I used to do some hair at home, so at times I’d have lots of towels.  BTW, I always filled the wash side with full on hot water, so for the first load or two I sometimes used a large wooden spoon to fish out the items into the spinner to avoid burning my hands. 

 

And I left the impellers running so the clothes would rise to the surface and be easier to capture and get out.  As long as you keep your hands away from the back of the tub you won’t get hurt, and anyway those impellers don’t have any sharp edges to really inflict any harm.

 

Have fun with this bad boy!

 

Eddie

 

[combo52]

Urathane Belts

Are not glued, but rather heat welded together, so you can heat them by setting fire to them and pressing together, it is a little tricky but I have done it with some success.

John L.

 

[classiccaprice]

I just wound up ordering a new one at 33 inches for the dryer.

If I order them again, and future reference for any post readers, I'd take an inch off each belt. The washer belt should have been 49 inches and the dryer belt is 33 inches... I'd consider 48.5 and 32.5 as well. They work at the larger lengths, but they aren't but so tight and the dryer rattles. It still rattles slightly at 33 inches, but it's something I can live with.

Now I just need to find a suds saver diaphragm for the bottom of the tub and of course those knobs...

fun. fun. fun.

 

[combo52]

A-50 and DE-50

The dryer blower belt needs to be 31-32"

 

You need Pt# 2-828 for the washer or the whole assembly without the housing.

 

John L.

 

[jocks54]

is this also called the diverter valve?

Hi John. I am sure these are no longer available, am I correct? I need one also.
Thanks

 

[combo52]

Diverter Valve

Yes same thing, the whole valve is basically the same as MTs Suds-Saver valve that they used from 1956-2006 on their DC AWs.

 

I guess you can do E-Bay searches for good used or new parts.

 

John L.

 

[jocks54]

Thanks !

I will keep an eye open for one. Do you think a mechanically inclined novice could replace one?