The Care and Feeding of Vintage Maytag Washers & Dryers

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Wow!

First of all, thank you everybody for all the input and information and advice!

I sincerely appreciate it!

I hope I haven't gotten in over my head with this coppertone duo. They are wonderful to look at and I do love them dearly, but as a few of you pointed out they are not exactly in mint condition and I'm thinking that this is what I should consider to be my starter set.

The thought of a future with lighted buttons, lots of switches, avocado green and turquoise too ... I can see how this can be addictive!

Marie (aka ModernCleveland)
 
DADoES, never heard of retrobrite before. How interesting. This could be useful for all kinds of vintage appliances!

Malcolm, good eBay find. This is probably worth a swap for me. I think I need to focus on the dryer first and see if that's a dry bearing. Once that is taken care of, then maybe I will try to replace this panel.

Kevin, the last two of both serial numbers is WW.

Gansky1, it looks like this weekend there will be a scheduled field trip to Modern Parts House! I'm very interested in this Cleveland appliance servicer. Is he a member of this board? And how did you know I have my detergent in a Pyrex cup!?

Mark, you really know your stuff! I think you're onto something about the timer, because I have been wondering about the timer. It went off on its own just fine last night, but I just went to check on it on another load I did just now, and it was done but the timer hardly moved (which is usually the case, it seems) so I had to shut it off myself. John may be on to something when he suggested that the timer was misassembled, because when we brought these home the first thing we did was take everything apart, all dials and panels and everything, and clean it all up. I wouldn't doubt that something was misassembled in the process of putting it all back together.

The smell is very slight and, like the noise, is only in the very beginning. It's reassuring that the warm front is normal. I was afraid at first because I assumed it was overheating. I'm sure I'll appreciate the heat in the winter!

John, you seem to be on to something when you suggested that the timer was misassembled, because when we brought these home the first thing we did was take everything apart, all dials and panels and everything, and clean it all up. I wouldn't doubt that something was misassembled in the process of putting it all back together.

beekeyknee, I have a question about the Maytags in your profile picture. They look a lot like our models except more buttons and of course the tops of the panels are illuminated -- beautiful! What year/model are they?

appnut, thanks for the reassurance. And thanks to your post, now I know that the color is called coppertone.

Stuart, for years it was a dream just to have a real vintage set in matching colors. Now that that's a reality, I guess it's a dream to find a lighted set or a nice Lady Kenmore or the TOL Pushutton 906. (Wouldn't it be great if there was a vintage appliance museum?) But is scrud on the outer tub a result of cold water washing? Because when we got this one, there was plenty of what I think might be scrud (from the sound of the word) on there that had to be all cleaned off.

I'm going to do some research next on dry blower bearings... but now, it's bedtime!
 
Parts

There have been some excellent suggestions about locating parts. I have had good luck with Appliance Parts Center in National City, CA. It would be hard to recreate the 2 tone paint at home, unless you are good with a spray gun. Besides, you would have to sandblast the porcelain to get paint to stick. I have done that, but it was a pain. You might try some Bon Ami powder on the tops, but don't go crazy with the abrasives. It could scratch up the porcelain like an old bath tub that has been scrubbed with scouring powder for years. Might also try a mild acid- CocaCola might work. It cleans battery terminals and copper wires like new.
 
Hi, moderncleveland

The washer is an AA806 according to the label on the machine and it was made in Dec. 1979, probably one of the last if not the very last avocado 806 to come off the assembly line. Who knows, maybe the color was special ordered after the avocado trend died away. My parents ordered an almond colored stove after they had fallen out of style so the appliances in their kitchen would match.

It was suggested on here by one member that the AA was a mistake because Maytag automatics in avocado were usually labeled VA. Then another member suggested that maybe it was labeled AA because shading on front panels was dropped by the late '80's. It's also one of the last center dials off the line because in 1980 the dial was moved to the left-hand side. It's a mystery. I know the lack of shading made re-painting the cabinet a breeze.

As for the dryer, it's a DE808 SOH from April 1980. They're both among the last of their kind.

I have an A806 washer, series 0, from Oct. 1972 that I bought last Nov. that I was planning on rebuilding this summer, but an interfering water heater got in the way. I don't know if I'll have time to rebuild it this fall or not. The last thing I want to get is the matching DE806 HOH dryer to go with it.

The reason I told you to quit using your dryer is that if the bearing is going out and it seizes, it can't be fixed. The bearing are NLA, but if you work on it before it seizes, it can be saved.

As far as the rubbing compound goes, it can be used if you get the right grade and use good judgment, or so I have read on here before from more than one member. I'm sure they aren't all wrong.

If you want to try and work on your dryer and are somewhat mechanically and electrically inclined, Thread Number: 28312 is one that comes to mind. Good luck.
 
Paint

Gary, I will definitely not be repainting these! It would be nice to get these funny water stains out but I can certainly live with them. I will try Bon Ami and a few more powders I have around here at home, and if that doesn't work then the Coca-Cola trick it is.
 
Bad bearings

Brian, it must be wonderful to step into a laundry room where the lights are dimmed and these illuminated panels are lighting the room. Those Maytags are going on my "dream machine" list.

Thanks for the thread reference on the bearing. It looks like a little trickier than I originally thought. I already have taken it all apart to clean it so I know how to do that, and I have zoom spout oil (also have white lithium grease). I have a fear of damaging something in the process, so if I can find a local repair wizard I will call a pro. Because if a bearing in the drum or reduction pulley or even the motor is in need of oil, wouldn't it squeal like this the whole time? It only makes this noise in the first few minutes of working. And then it stops. And also, these machines had not been maintained much over the years so I'm sure they could use an oiling anyway. Would it hurt to open it up and oil away?
 
Go to the forum archives and look up Thread Number: 32586 in the 2011 section. That might help with the thread number I mentioned yesterday.

The bearing wouldn't necessarily squeal all the time. It's a sinstered bearing and sweats oil. That's why it has wicking around it; for a reservoir. As the reservoir dries up the bearing slowly gets dry and can start to squeal.

Your washer has one too. It's the spin bearing. As the oil in it dries up, the spin speed can slow down and the bearing can become worn.

The forum archives and the super searchalator are your best friends. I think you have access to them. I know you have access to the archives. Not sure about the searchalator.
 
NLA bearing source

The old hands probably know this already, but I'll toss this into the wash anyway. Bearings that are NLA at appliance parts joints be found at industrial bearing supply houses. A good counterman can generally match up nearly any bearing or bushing for nearly any application. In a pinch you can also fabricate a bushing or sleeve to rectify a mismatched I.D. or O.D. People without an industrial or mechanical background may not be aware of this.

On the Ironhead Sportster forums we keep a list of high quality bearing part numbers that match the NLA factory items. It beats the heck out of trusting to some cheapo China bearings from Taiwan Ted.

FEster
 
Time for an update...

FEster, that's a good tip. I'm of the opinion that nothing is impossible ... but it's always a matter of effort and priority.

Thanks to gansky1 for connecting us with your local appliance friend. He came by yesterday and was able to do a complete overhaul on both of them, and we learned a whole lot in the process. We learned about the badness of dryer sheets, and also learned about the wonders of Sud Saver models. I had no idea such things existed!

Anyway, on to the updates. He started with the dryer, and discovered the first problem was a bad connection on the exhaust.

moderncleveland++10-7-2012-19-29-43.jpg
 
The belts were just about shot, quite ragged. And everything was dry. So after a good oiling, it all went back together and is running pretty well.

Now on to the washer...
 
He said the inside seemed pretty decent, but there was a little rust on the very bottom and a curious patch job on the bottom of the tank.

moderncleveland++10-7-2012-19-34-8.jpg
 
What's left...

So here's what we still have to do:

* Swap out the dryer motor (our appliance friend has one coming)

* Touch up a few areas of paint

* Test CLR on the porcelain top water stains (we tried Bar Keeper's Friend and a few other possible remedies)

* Put the new Medium button in that retrobrite (hydrogen peroxide mix) and straighten it out just a wee bit when it goes back on
 
Hello Moderncleveland

Great progress on getting these machines up and back in service.

I love it when everyone rallies to help. You will fall in love with these machines.

Have fun with them!

Patrick
 
Great Progress

I looks like you are in good hands, in fact it looks like Bobs hand in the picture, LOL. If you need any parts that he cannot find we probably have them, he and I trade parts on a regular basis. Unfortunately both your MT washer and dryer were built in an era where MT was using a lot of Westinghouse motors and both of your machines got one. You may want to keep your eyes open for a good used replacement motor for the washer as well. I am sure that Bob will be able to keep your MTs running for quite a while longer, John.
 
One more thing Bob did that I forgot to mention. He 'hacked' the washing machine so that you can lift the lid when it's on and it won't shut off. Very useful -- and fun to watch!

Speaking of the washing machine, I've always wondered how the liquid fabric softener leave the cup and enter the wash water in the final rinse? I suppose I could just lift the lid and watch it happen now to find out, but in the meantime wanted to ask. How does it work?
 
Fabric softener cup

The sloping sides of the fabric softener cup are there for a reason. As the tub enters the spin cycle that follows the wash, the fabric softener is thrown outward by centrifugal force, rides up the sides of the cup, and through the slots along its top edge. As it passes through those slots it's slung against the walls of that little cavity the cup sits in and stays there until the spin cycle is through. Then as the tub comes to a stop, the softener runs down the sides of the cavity and falls though the hole at the bottom where it combines with the rinse water that is now entering the tub. I hope that answers your question. It really is a very simple system.
 

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