Raytheon/Goodman Amana

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bwoods

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Jan 28, 2005
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This is a Raytheon built Amana, correct? This is what I understand from reading the AW postings. It has the smaller opening.[this post was last edited: 7/28/2013-13:00]

bwoods++7-28-2013-13-00-39.jpg
 
Raytheon/Goodman Amana

This is the same machine in appearance except for the larger opening. Is this still Raytheon, or was enlarging the opening the initial change the Goodman made when purchasing Amana?

bwoods++7-28-2013-12-43-29.jpg
 
Raytheon/Goodman Amana

This new control (as seen in this picture) panel, from what I have read in AW postings is the final change that Goodman made before selling Amana to Whirlpool? Correct?

Many on this site indicated that Raytheon Amanas were not good at rinsing. I assume this was because much of the spray rinse went directly to the inner tub, as opposed to the clothes from what several had said. Consumer Reports also indicated that the Raytheon Amanas had a slower speed than most of their test machines.

Does anyone know if Goodman make any changes in spin speed and the water fill-spray rinse arrangement when they made this final design?

Originally, I thought that only the Goodman Amanas had bearing seal problems causing water leakage, but in going back and reading old postings it seems like some had Raytheon units with this problem as well.

bwoods++7-28-2013-12-56-20.jpg
 
*IIRC Whirlpool "inherited" Amana from the Maytag aquisition. I think the picture directly above this post is Amana from the "Maytag years."

Incidentally: The control panel above resembles a Speed Queen AWN542.

BTW: There is a post somewhere in AW.org that talks about the Amana > Raytheon > Goodman >SpeedQueen ... etc
 
thread #16603 in the deluxe forum has a posting by Laundress that explains the Goodman/Amana/SpeedQueen history very nicely (IMHO).

paul
 
the only true way to know about these older machines is to check their model number label, and see if its made my Raytheon or Alliance....

first pic is Raytheon, fill flume issues, belt chewing issues, and tub seal issues

second and third pic, most likely Ratheon, fill flume relocation corrected, still had seal issues, not sure when, but the pump became direct drive off the motor, not a two belt unit...

now these units in the pic are Alliance built.....hard to tell sometimes, but as always, best bet, read the label....

yogitunes++7-28-2013-15-09-41.jpg
 
*IIRC Whirlpool "inherited" Amana from the Maytag aquisition. I think the picture directly above this post is Amana from the "Maytag years."

You are absolutely correct. Amana was purchased from Raytheon by Maytag. Then came the horrible SAV models aka the Amanatag machines. I don't know where the Goodman company fits in with all this. This is the first I've heard of it. Are we talking Goodman like the air conditioning company?
 
unusal control panel

This is a control panel that I have not seen before, it looks like Raytheon was using some crossovers designs for the escutcheons on their Amana and Speed Queen machines.

bwoods++7-29-2013-06-54-6.jpg
 
Speed Queen, barely disguished Amanas

From what I understand from Laundress's posting is that Raytheon never sold the Speed Queen name to Goodman, so this set was either manufactured by Raytheon before the sale or Alliance shortly after.

The control panel escutcheon is identical in layout with the Amana machines, just different esthetics.

bwoods++7-29-2013-07-05-30.jpg
 
Speed Queen Style Washers

Raytheon owned both SQ, Modern Maid, Coloric and Amana for many years, when Raytheon wanted to get out of the appliance business they sold it to Goodman [ the air-conditioning company ] I don't think that Goodman ever had any serious intention of staying in the home appliance business.

 

They quickly began selling off parts of of the companies they bought and the commercial part of SQ never was part of Goodman and it became its own company and used the name Alliance Laundry Systems, ALSs agreed not to compete in the residential laundry market for about 10 years after this all this reshuffling.

 

  Goodman continued selling off assets and closing down factories and selling appliances mainly under the Amana name. Just before GM took control of Amana, Amana had introduced a line of built-in refrigerators to compete with Sub-Zero and while nice looking they were plagued with problems.

 

GM sold the line to Viking who immediately started selling built-ins and they are still a total POS. One of the venders we deal with is exchanging and scrapping as many as a dozen Viking Professional BIRs every month.   When Goodman got done gutting pillaging SQ, Amana, MM, and Coloric  they sold what was left to Maytag.

 

  While the GM built and SAV MT versions of the SQ washer design did have more seal and main bearing failures than earlier SQs it should be remembered that the SQ perforated basket washers from their introduction around 1980 were never great washers and always had plenty of early [ less than 6 years ] seal and bearing failures, water pump problems, they were belt eaters and generally noisy average performing machines at best. They actually got better under GM and MT in capacity, spin speed and overall performance.

 

  We our currently selling a lot of SQ TL washers and while they have greatly improved the seal design that lead to so many early main bearing failures they still [ like every washer ever built  ] still have faults.   Current TL SQs are very difficult to repair and most will be junked when they eventually develop seal, bearing or transmission problems. They really need a dual-action style agitator and they need to go to a neutral drain like they do on the machines they sell in Australia. 

 

I always hate hulling away a 20 YO WP or KM DD washer and installing a new SQ knowing that I am hulling away a better performing washer than the new one I am installing.   John.
 
soap opera

Speed Queen was a McGraw-Edison company, as was Modern Maid, at the time Raytheon purchased them.

Of course Modern Main originally was D&M before McGraw-Edison (Toastmaster) took them over.
 
I dunno John, I disagree with you...................

I have owned both WP and Kenmore DD machines, and I own a SQ AWN542. Performance wise, I am much happier with the SQ than the DD machines. I often found clothes torn, or ripped, especially doing a load of towels on a 14 minute heavy duty or fast/fast speed. I think SQ turns the load over without all the "chuga-chuga" of the DD machines. Yes, all machines have quirks, but I thought Alliance fixed the main seal problem, and as far as an outer tub is concerned, I would much rather have a metal outer tub than the mold growing plastic outer tub of the DD machines. Often times those porcelain tubs developed rust spots around the drain holes which never went away, no matter how much touch up paint you applied, or how often! I also like the fact that SQ machines do not walk like the DD when they have an unbalanced load, and I prefer a spin drain, rather than pulling dirty water through the clothes on a neutral drain. SQ are also front serviceable, whereas the DD have to have the whole one piece cabinet, sides front and top removed for service. I liked my DD washers when I had them, but the SQ is far superior, contruction wise, warranty wise, and performance wise in my opinion. It is built like a tank compared to the DD machines! Just my opinion, take care.........
Mike
 
Modern Maid

Modern Maid dishwashers were still made by D&M after McGraw-Edison bought MM and Speed Queen.
 
Modern Maid and D&M Dishwashers

Had no official ties when it came to ownership of each other, as I mentioned earlier D&M made DWs for nearly 30 different brand names and D&M was not tied to a single one of these names. And wisely they never tried to market a D&M DW on its own merits which would have made the Yugo Automobile [ in the US ] look successful, LOL.
 
Neutral drain on Australian SQ's

Hi John,

You'll be interested to hear that the SQ's now on sale in Australia have gone back to a spin-drain, according to literature i was recently sent from the local distributor.

My model, the AWN552 is no longer on sale, they've gone to the version with electro-mechanical controls: AWNA62.

My guess is its probably expensive for the Australian distributors to have electric pumps and different timers fitted for our market only.

Cheers
Leon
 
MM

McGraw-Edison decided to continue with the contract, with D&M, to produce dishwashers as was the case prior to the acquisition of Modern Maid.
 
Yogitunes I would love to have one of your Speed queen washers. I have one just like it but its a Commercial model made to go into a laundromat. It is computer controlled and doesn't have the features like the 2 you have in your pic.
 
to John (combo52)...

This is not true. The Speed Queen Commercial machines at my apartment are superior to any whirlpool washer in every way. My clothes are much cleaner and they actually fill up all the way, unlike the so-called Maytag "commercial" at my dorm at SFA. And yes, these were whirlpool direct drives with the Maytag name slapped onto them.[this post was last edited: 8/2/2024-14:04]
 
Reply 10- Experience Says Otherwise



"I always hate hulling away a 20 YO WP or KM DD washer and installing a new SQ knowing that I am hulling away a better performing washer than the new one I am installing.   John."



 



 



<strong><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </strong></strong></span>



 



<strong><strong><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;">I left my new DD behind for a reason.  </span></strong></strong></span></strong>



 



<strong><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;">As someone who has used 3 previous direct drives prior to purchasing my Speed Queen and a direct drive 70 series Kenmore in the early to mid 90s, I can tell that my current Speed Queen is better performing in every way. The direct drives were either to gentle on slow or to rough on fast and produced a lot of lint. The DDs were responsible for pilling, abrasions and some tears. My Speed Queen provides a better deep thorough cleaning with less wear, produces less lint, no tears, no abrasions, leaves behind way less lint and particles, no scum rings, equal water extraction and comparable rinsing. Superior balancing by far. Overall the Speed Queen is a much more luxurious experience with better cleaning results. Also the machine doesn't sound like the parts are trying to break every time they engage or shift modes. </span></strong></strong></span>



 



<strong><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;">Neutral draining leaves scum rings around the tub and agi, more particles, and wrinkles clothes by forcing them into a compacted doughnut at the bottom of the wash tub instead of spreading them evenly out across the walls of the wash-basket. </span></strong></strong></span>



 



<strong><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;">Speed Queen is far better at cleaning, performance, noise, balancing and clothing care. I wouldn't want to trade my Speed Queen for a direct drive. </span></strong></strong></span>



 



<strong><strong><strong><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;">Those customers know what they want and need. </span></strong></strong></span></strong></strong>

 
ge

All I know about you, is that you like to revive very old threads to repeat the same crap again and again. I know how well my TC5 works, and it wasn't available in 2013 when this thread started!

And you don't appear to own any of your own appliances. How much experience can you really have?
 
 

 

Jerome, we both know each other well. I was referring mtn1584's reply- he has made the same, identical observations. Same with you and me. We've both used Direct drives, Speed Queens and a variety of other washers. The results of each machine speak for themselves.

 

@william8: Forgive us. Speed Queen classic did exist in 2013. I have a late 2013 model myself, best washer I've ever had. What marred the Speed Queen design wasn't performance rather all the seal failures and cheap components in the late 90s to the late 2000s before Alliance re-engineered the washer. It was in that period of time that the Amana design that pushed more customers toward the DDs. Had the Amana design been what Speed Queen is today it would have caught on and Maytag might have actually survived.
 
To back up what chetlaham said...

I also have the coin-op commercial variant of the Speed Queen Classic Commercial machines and they do a superb job. The trick is to always use the heavy soil setting on the normal cycle. It gives a real rinse. I use fabric softener anyway. Let me tell you, it cleaned better than the Maytag direct drive by Whirlpool ever did in Griffith Hall where I stayed at SFA when I was a student there. The large load on that machine didn't fill all the way which made things worse, and the agitator was violent. I had to go to the laundromat just down the street if I wanted real results. Not anymore.
 
Jerome, was this the DD agi?

 

 

31PwbxqCBcL._AC_.jpg


 

 

 

 

 

In any case, I'm sorry you had to experience that Jerome. The short fast strokes and the one piece agi are brutal. Every time I see that agi I get a bad walking on sharp rocks barefoot type ASMR. Its not a nice agi. Speed Queen on the other hand doesn't beat-pull-stretch-abraid- it pulls clothes in and toward the bottom in a pull-pull motion. Overall much gentler. It kind of reminds me of Maytag's power fin agitator that uses the power of water to move and roll clothes over. Maytag knew what they were doing. Had they a longer wash time I think they could have competed with Whirlpool. As for Speed Queen it beats Whirlpool. Much better cleaning with reduced wear on clothes.   

 

I feel sorry for all those BOL WP/Kenmore owners and commercial users who were punished for being economy conscious with having to buy clothes more often.   

 

Speed Queen could've done a Dual Action Agitator, but remember, more to break. The dogs tended to fail over time on WP machine. No such on Speed Queen.

 
 
to chetlaham

I believe it was the one for the commercial side that could be found on the Kenmore models. Needless to say, my clothes feel better in the Speed Queen. The dorm dryers didn't dry worth stupid crap, even when everything was clear and on whites/colors setting. Mind you, that was the highest setting. The "large" load setting was a joke because it filled halfway. My friend who I went to church with told me about the water level, and boy was he correct. The Speed Queen Laundry units actually fill up with water completely, and dry right the first time on high heat. Call me old school, but I know how laundry should get done.
 
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