Should I try to revive my poor Maytag Atlantis?

murando531 · 2016-08-29T17:58:27+00:00

A while back I posted a thread showing photos of the Maytag Atlantis I have that has been at my father-in-law's house the past 2-3 years. http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?54054 Remember when I said it was in still excellent condition, but that they weren't taking very good care of it? That was an understatement. A very HORRIBLE understatement. Long story short, because we haven't been going over there much in the past year or so (the mother in law, Brandy, has some starkly contrasting political and religious views that are beyond unbearable), I haven't been able to keep tabs on just how badly they were treating my washer. So, fast forward to now, they're moving into her mother's old house, who already had a fairly recent Whirlpool DD set ( nice one too, God help its soul with those sloppy people), and I had to make the choice whether they put it on the road, or I brought it home finally after all these years. And I'm heartbroken. I'll post pictures later when I can, but I've never seen a washing machine that filthy. I've already taken it apart down to the bare outer tub, and spend my entire Sunday scrubbing everything out in the driveway. I've never seen so much gunk buildup in my life, and I kid you not, no exaggeration at all, it smelled like a sewer. Like a storm drain that has gone stagnant, but ten times worse, with a hint of cheap dollar store detergent to make it worse. The worst of it though is that it's slinging amber colored grease from underneath. When they moved it, there was a square of goop under the machine, and the smell is unmistakable. The part that has me livid is that they noticed it a year into using it, but figured it was "nothing major since it still worked fine" so they didn't tell me anything about discovering it. I have no earthly idea how it has been running still this whole time. It agitates and spins perfectly, but since I've had it on the slab of our garage, you can see little droplets appear every second or so on the ground around the cabinet. Running it for a few minutes gave a nice little sprinkling. It's also caked around the inside of the undercarriage from the belt slinging it out. As far as I can tell, despite the disgusting shape it was in, everything else is fine. There are some fine white shavings around the suspension inside, but it doesn't squeak or squeal, and it still stops in a split second as always. I also don't know if maybe just the transmission seal needs to be changed, if that's even a thing that can be done. Like I said, it still operates perfectly. From what I can tell the agitation isn't slipping at all either. I can't find where the oil is leaking because inside the actual machine, there isn't a drop. It's only underneath. Today I may try taking the drive pulley off. I know that to most, it's silly to try and keep a 2002 washing machine, especially since transmissions are $250 at the lowest to buy brand new. But it does mean a lot to me. A quick history: back at the time, I was going into 6th grade, and our KitchenAid DD had just died. We didn't have much money back then, so we saved for a few months and I'm pretty sure my parents used saved income tax money, and we went to the actual Maytag Dealer store in Tuscumbia AL, and all agreed and picked out this machine. After that, a year or so later my dad had an accident at work, ruining his back, and for four or five years during the battle for disability and a lawsuit against Advance Auto Parts and workman's comp, my mom was the sole bread winner working two jobs. So, I was the "mom" of the house, and did all the laundry, dishes, yard work, everything. And mowed yards when I could for $20 or so and used that to help buy house supplies and help with utility bills and such. My dad and I also didn't get along much after everything happening. He changed alot. And despite how hard I worked and still kept my grades up in school, my parents didn't really treat me the best. This washer was part of my escape. I loved doing all the work of the house and actually asked my mom just to let me handle it all so she could rest when she was home from work. I was always so meticulous with everything, but I'd spend an hour every few weeks deep cleaning the machine. I kept that thing immaculate. So all these years later after my dad has passed away, and all the history of what has happened with my family over the years, this washing machine is one of the three items I have left from when I had a "semi-normal" life with my parents and brother as a family of my own, as sadly my mother doesn't speak to me, and my brother now spends most of his time getting mixed up in the wrong crowds, to say the least. So despite the possibility of this being a hassle and a money pit, I don't want to just throw those memories out on the road if I don't absolutely have to.[this post was last edited: 8/29/2016-14:15]

Should I try to revive my poor Maytag Atlantis?

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