The Care and Feeding of Vintage Maytag Washers & Dryers

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moderncleveland

moderncleveland

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 22, 2015
Messages
47
Location
Cleveland
Hi everybody!

It's been so long since I posted here that my account expired and I had to sign up again. It's been a busy year, but one fortunately filled with lots of vintage appliances and retro goodness!

Maybe the best upgrade (certainly the biggest considering size) this past year was getting a beautiful vintage Maytag washer and dryer in chocolate brown. It goes so well in the pink laundry room, and when it arrived (just before New Years), I was so happy to say out with the old (new 2000s) washer and dryer, an in with the new (old mid-century) washer and dryer!

One thing I noticed right away about this old set, compared with our former "new" set that was made in the 2000s, is that this vintage set is so easy to take apart and to clean! When it arrived we were able to get them both apart, vacuumed them out and polished them inside and out. (It was quite a cleanup job. The dryer was just full of lint and dust, matchbooks, pocket change, gum, you name it!) With the set that we had, it seemed to be a hair-raising half-hour operation just to get one of them open.

I've been happily using these all year, and they haven't given me any trouble. There were a few little problems with them, though (more on that soon), and I'd love to know how to fix them. Also, what I'd really like to know is what I should do in my day to day use in order to keep them in tip-top shape. Anything that operators of vintage washers and dryers need to know?

Here's a few pics to get started:

moderncleveland++9-9-2012-14-00-27.jpg
 
Close up of Maytag washer control panel. One of the buttons has broken, but all the cycles work if you press them. (I haven't been able to get the broken one unstuck, so actually that cycle hasn't been tested.)

Do I need the whole panel replaced or can I get by with just a button, anybody know? Where can I find these parts?

The washer is surprisingly powerful. I think it gets our clothes much cleaner than the newer models. It definitely spins with more force! I love it!

moderncleveland++9-9-2012-14-12-54.jpg
 
Now the real question is the dryer, Maytag model CDE407 series 01. It works, but as far as I can tell only one of the cycles is putting out heat. That's the Auto Regular cycle. And when I do turn it on this cycle, it makes a squealy noise for the few several minutes. Is that normal? I have a short video of it and will link to it here in a second. The top front of the dryer (on the front face above the door) also gets very hot with a slight burning smell and I don't know if that's normal or not.

So fixing this is pretty much my biggest concern right now. Like I said, I've used it regularly for over 9 months already so it's not like it has been on the verge of breaking or anything, but I'd really like to see it fixed so that all the functions work.

The only other thing about both of them is that they have what looks like a little bit of water staining on the top surface. It's small and you can only see it in some lights, where it looks like smudges -- you can see it in some of the pics. I tried everything to clean it and I suspect that the only real answer is a repainting. Or just living with it!

moderncleveland++9-9-2012-14-19-37.jpg
 
From my own research, it looks like these are from 1976. Can anyone verify this or tell me anything else about this set? I just love it!

moderncleveland++9-9-2012-14-21-36.jpg
 
Buttons:

The buttons are officially NLA (No Longer Available), though some parts houses might still have a set in stock.

Appealing to members here will be the best way to locate a replacement button; some members have a parts stash of pieces salvaged from machines too damaged to restore. You need to know that some controls use a different button than others, even though the button looks the same from the front. The difference is that some controls have vertical shafts, and some have horizontal shafts, meaning that the slot on the back of the button will be either horizontal or vertical. You'll be asked which you have.

Also know that there is not currently any restoration process I'm aware of that will both restore whiteness to the buttons and retain or replace their lettering. You will probably just have to live with yellowed and worn buttons, unless you are really lucky and find a pristine replacement set.
 
Sandy, thanks for the super quick reply!

I was afraid of that NLA thing ... so members, I appeal to you all!

These have horizontal shafts.

I can live with the off-white color of the buttons. I found a trick that helps restore lettering on a lot of these appliances. When the letters are inset, you can pretty easily paint them and wipe off the excess and then they look completely brand new. We used this trick on our 1957 GE fridge.

And keeping a stash of parts is a great idea! I run across damaged and broken sets and appliances all the time. And from now on, I'm going to save all salvageable parts and buttons for others who can use them in the future. Let's keep this stuff going!!
 
Lettering Trick:

Sorry, but that doesn't work on Maytag buttons. The buttons are not made the way you describe, with deeply-cut lettering that has been paint-filled.

I'd go slow on this set if I were you. I see some signs of hard wear, particularly that washer's control panel - that machine has done a LOT of hot-water washing, which promotes the control panel corrosion I see.

Let the machines prove themselves over time before dumping any huge amount of money into them; you can still find another set of Maytag center-dials in good shape much more easily and cheaply than you can restore a set.
 
Vaseline the agitator shaft!

I remember in the 60's when my Mom got a Maytag automatic the guy that installed it told her to pull the agitator once a month and coat the shaft with Vaseline. These agitators are the same as they used in the wringer models and they can get stuck! I just got an old E2L wringer model last month and it took me 4 days to get the old one out, destroying the old agitator it in the process.

Nice find! I'd trade my 2007 HE Front Loader set for these in a minute!

Larry
 
DADoES

Astounding. Absolutely astounding. Does one need any particular strength of hydrogen peroxide or oxygen cleaner and is there any danger of the paint being affected?
 
moderncleavand

Your pair don't look to be in as great of shape as you make them sound. With a lot of work and studying, you might be able to revive them, but it will take some money and a lot of hard work. There's all kinds of information on here about how to do this, but you're going to have to do your homework.

It doesn't appear you're a paying member here and will most likely get less attention because of it.

I don't know what's making that sound on your dryer, but if it's a dry drum bearing and that thing seizes you're screwed. No matter what it is, it shouldn't make that sound. HOH's are very quiet. The machine getting hot on the front and making burning smell is not normal. No dryer should do these things. You're going to have to do some electrical investigating to find out what's wrong with that timer. If you want my advice, quit using it now.

Last thoughts. Painting the machines is not a good idea. You'll never get the shading right on the front of the machines again. And painting porcelain is never a good idea. It doesn't hold paint well. It will scratch off. Use some light rubbing compound on the porcelain to remove the stains and scratches.
 
 

 

Hi "Modern" (since you didn't list your name),

 

As to the age, your washer & dryer are either 1975, 1976 or 1977.   If you'd like the exact month and year built, get the two letters from the end of the serial numbers for the washer and dryer, then post it here.

 

Kevin    
 
You're in Cleveland, the first place you can start looking for vintage parts is Modern Parts House in Parma, OH.

The set of buttons & switch set on ebay isn't exactly the same as yours, but replacing all the buttons with the ebay set will certainly solve the problem. Only a true purist will know the difference but you likely won't give it a second thought once you're standing in front of the machine holding your Pyrex cup of detergent and an armload of dirty clothes.

Maytags are relatively easy to work on, a DIY repair manual is readily available (probably in Parma at Modern Parts) and if you're at all handy with tools, you shouldn't have any trouble.

You can paint the properly prepared porcelain tops in cases of dire need, but extra care and gentle use would be required once finished. Center-dial Maytags as many call them are still fairly common and I'll bet a shiny nickel there's a lot of them still around Cleveland. One of our Cleveland appliance-friends is also a servicer and would know these machines like the back of his hand if you should require an experienced eye (or ear) to help get these back into good running order.

Help for the willing is always free, good luck and welcome to the board!!
 
A few thoughts abut the dryer:

1. That dryer is quite rare. It is a 1975 or early 1976 production Halo of Heat with "Sun-glow" gold trim and the aluminum timer dial. The introduction of this trim only overlapped with the HOH dryers for about a year. By early 1976 ALL Maytag dryers were the big door "Stream of Heat" dryers.

2. The fact that is heating on only one cycle and that that cycle is one of the Auto cycles is a bit of a mystery to me. Those dryers had only one thermostat so if the thermostat were bad you would either get no hear on any cycle or LOTS of heat on every cycle. In that case it would be cycling on the high-limit thermostat. My first guess would seem to indicate to me that the timer is bad. Anyone else have any other thoughts?

3. The squealing sound could be any number of things. It could be the main drum bearing as was mentioned above but it also could be the bearing on the reduction pulley, a bearing in the motor itself or depending on the actual "squeal" could even be the sound of a worn, loose belt slipping on the motor pulley (which, if it is aluminum, could itself be worn and should be replaced).
If it IS the belt squealing that could account for the burning smell IF the burning smell is like that of hot rubber. If not, see #5 below.

4. The fact the front is getting hot is COMPLETELY NORMAL for a Halo-of-Heat dryer. The heating element is in a "Halo" surrounding the loading door. The fronts of these dryers always get hot to the touch.

5. The burning smell you mention is most likely caused by a portion of the front drum seal that has deteriorated and fallen in the the front Halo shroud and is lying on or very near to the heating element itself. This is a VERY common problem with electric Halo-of-Heat dryers of this age. To replace this seal (and you MUST if it has deteriorated, it is a genuine safety issue) you have to pull the whole dryer apart which would be the opportunity for you to check/fix/replace/lubricate all of the other things I have mentioned.[this post was last edited: 9/10/2012-18:30]
 

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