Opinions on the early Maytag Neptunes

[k1rod]

I don't see too much discussion on these machines here which seems a bit strange since they are such a significant part of US laundry machine history. I have an old MAH3000AWW SN# 18XXX built in Dec 1997. It was a very problematic machine for the first 7 or 8 years I owned it. I had all of the classic problems including the faulty wax motor burning up the control board, the poorly thought out switch reluctance motor and drive, the tub bearings going bad, The same faulty wax motors in the dispenser unit, top of machine rusting out under the dispenser bezel, mold build up on the tub sealing boot and a couple of bad timers. Fortunately for most of this time I had a Maytag factory service contract on the machine so all of the repairs and upgrades were covered by Maytag. It took a while but it seems that Maytag eventually effectively addressed most of these problems. For example my machine has had all three wax motors replaced so the main control board and the timer are no longer burning up. I have not heard of these new wax motors failing. I also upgraded the 400V triacs on the control board to 600V parts since this was one of the prevalent theories as to why these boards and wax motors were failing. (kind of like the chicken and the egg idea). The machine's drive motor and motor control board have both been replaced with a multi phase inverter drive system. The lousy switch reluctance motor and drive is gone. The new motor and drive seems to be very robust and I have not heard of any failures with them. The outer tub (complete with bearings) has been replaced. I don't this this design has been upgraded but there has evolved a much better understanding of the real need to use HE detergent and not excessive quantities of it. The sealed moldy boot was replaced with one that has a drain built into it. This hasn't completely cured the mold problem but it has greatly improved it and made it managable. And I replaced the machine top (easy fix) to stop the rust chunks from falling into my detergent dispenser. So as I said, this was a very problematic machine when I got it but since all of the "corrections" have been made to it, it seems to now be a very good and robust washer. I haven't had any problem at all with it for the last 6 years. I'm thinking these machines, once updated, are now very good machines now. What do you think?

 

[swestoyz]

A Neptune Fan here

I did an overhaul on a 24 series MAH3000 about 3 years ago. Since then it has been my daily driver without fault. Certainly a fantastic machine once all the 'upgrades' were completed.

Thankfully the PHA upgrade had been completed prior to finding it behind Menards, and also that it was a later version with the log water valve instead of the wax motor controled water dirverter system.

The original bearings sounded great when I got it, and after 3 years of regular use, they still sound fine. Now, at the ripe old age of 14, the one thing it may need is a new pair of shocks.

Ben[this post was last edited: 5/9/2012-13:34]

The Maytag Neptune is washing again!

Hey Gang - A few weeks ago I brought home an MAH3000AWW Neptune washer with matching MDG3000AWW dryer (posted under thread 21763: "Mercy Save - Maytag Neptune set!"). Both were minty in appearance, but as I suspected the washer had a few hidden issues up it's sleeve. Over the last few weeks...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[yogitunes]

More like a Neptune Fanatic........Love them.......even made a demo door.....although I prefer the 5500 series....but pretty much the same inside....I have 8 of them.....

 

[yogitunes]

Four here.......

 

[yogitunes]

AND...Four more....

 

[wayupnorth]

I might be naive about this

But what is a wax motor? I just cant imagine wax and a motor together or what they accomplish. I had heard alot of horror stories about them but never dared to ask just what they were.

 

[joefuss1984]

good question about the wax motor

I want to know as well

 

[swestoyz]

Wax Motor -

Per the Wikipedia article.

They act more like a linear actuator than an actual rotating motor.

Ben

Wax motor - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[wayupnorth]

After reading the article, now I understand the high failure rate. Guess I am too old school in that aspect. It did say they were used in some hydronic heating systems and that is what I have and hopefully do not have one in mine.

 

[autowasherfreak]

Not a bad price, if all that is wrong with it is the belt.

http://quadcities.craigslist.org/app/2981224877.html

 

[autowasherfreak]

Even cheaper yet, but how much is a new control board?

http://iowacity.craigslist.org/app/2959723458.html

 

[autowasherfreak]

And another

http://quadcities.craigslist.org/fuo/2999778820.html

 

[k1rod]

Even cheaper yet, but how much is a new control board?

 

Control boards can routinely be bought on Ebay for between $39 and $149.  But if you are handy with a soldering iron, they can often be fixed for about $9 worth of parts.  The high failure rate on these boards is theorized to have nothing to do with the board itself (although there is one very credible gentleman up in Washington State that believes the problem IS that there are 4 triacs on the board that were rated at too low a voltage) but rather the faulty wax motor in the door shorting out and taking the control board out with it.   This is usually easily fixed by replacing R11, which is a 3.9k ohm 1/2 watt resistor and Q6 which is a 400V, 800mA triac (I replace them with a 600V 1A triac because I think the gentleman in Washington makes a good point) and the faulty wax motor.  So often times, you don't even need to buy a control board, just fix the one you've got.  I've rescued a couple of machines from the scrap heap and put them back into service for just the cost of these three parts, $9.  The friends that I passed them on to have been and still are, very happy.

 

[autowasherfreak]

I would like to get a Neptune with this control panel instead of the electronic panel.

 

[k1rod]

That is an MAH3000AWW.  I've seen them on CL fo $30 and all they needed was the repair I mentioned  above.

 

[cfz2882]

I have a may 1998 build MAH 3000-bought for $25,i had to repair the wax motor
and the control board to get it going and it has been great ever since. the
wax motors originally used in the neptune did not have any insulation around the
edge of the heat pellet and would "flash over"if they got damp,blowing out the
triac on the control board.My neptune had "dirty sneaker"odor pretty bad when i
got it,but this soon went away.

 

[fordtech]

The 4000 also has that old push button setup too. I purchased one in early 2001 when they were being replaced by the 5500. I thought I got over on the buyers who went with digital control panels and got me a genuine all push button setup like my trusty old 712 series top loader. Man was I ever wrong. The push buttons simply were switches to the electronic control board. Essentially the same thing you would be getting with digital control but no pretty lights or LCD.
I replaced that washer 5 years later with a 7500 series LCD touch screen set. They have gone for the past 7 years without a failure.
I purchased tons of replacement parts dirt cheap off Ebay over the years and have enough to do a complete ground up replacement of all the components which I intend to do when it gets 10 years of use on it. That should get me at least 10 more years. By then Ill be about 75 years old and dont know if Ill really care what Im using by then.

 

[fordtech]

addpic

Neptunes

 

[arbilab]

I was set to buy one in 1998 until I found out it had no window. So I got a Frigiwhite FL which has needed no repairs and I still have it.

Seems I dodged a bullet. Until they were re-engineered the original Neptune was a DOG. Yeah warranty fixes it but somebody has to stay home from work to let the repairman in.

Sure there were reasons for the blown boards and waxmotors, failed bearings, two versions of bad motors, and the gym-sock smells. But nobody can tell me those exact problems didn't show up in prototype testing, assuming they even did that. So they either didn't test it or they did and shipped it as it was anyway.

A lifetime of credibility, blown on one model. Helluva way to run a business. If they'd fixed it before they sold it AND put a window in it, I'd love to have one. The slant tub has ergonomic and performance advantages over the Frigiwhite I ended up with.