Well I've got it apart, now what?

[kowidge]

Well, I finally got some time freed up, and the incentive now that the washer that came with the house crapped out, the Maytag A806 that I picked up last month for a song needs to be put into service.

So, everyone's input they gave me regarding what to do, I got the parts and took the thing apart. Well, after sitting for 8-10 years in an unheated garage, anything that could rust did. So after taking a look at it, I have a few questions for the group:

1. It appears the seal at the top of the tub may be leaking based on some water residue coming down the sides of the tub.

2. There is some white crud on the walls of the housing just below the height of the tub. This scares me. What would be the cause and the remedy?

3. The rust on the screws around the pump just look rusted from exposure. Should just spray them with PB Blaster and, give them a scrub - or replace them? Should I replace the pump?

4. The bleach canister seems to be dry around the top inlet along the seam, but the rest seems fine. Should I just put some epoxy on the out side or is it a replacement item?

5. it was suggessted to me that the roller kit be replaced, but the carriage of the motor seems fine and the wheels look good. Should I still replace them?

Any advice would be great. Thank guys and gals,

Tony

 

[kowidge]

Here is the top seal

It appears that it was leaking a little (Sorry a little blurry)

 

[goatfarmer]

If the motor rollers look good, just a bit of lubrication is all that should be needed.

 

[DigAPony]

There is some white crud on the walls of the housing

That is probably the biggest concern, could be the result of a leaking tub stem seal.

Check for signs of water stains on top of the transmission.

 

[kowidge]

No sign of water stains

There were no signs of water stains on top of the transmission, it was pretty clean.

 

[beekeyknee]

Threads

Hi Tony,

This may be TMI, but there's lots of good info and it will keep you busy for awhile. I hope it helps.

Click the back button, type 18261 in the search box at the top of the page and click search. Click the second result titled "The Imperial Forum 2008 Archives". A new tab will open. Now you're in the Archives. Scroll down to 18261, click and read. Click the back button and scroll up to the top.

Click <--Return To Archive Index. Click 2009 in Imperial and scroll down to 22088 and read.

Click back, scroll down to 22830, scroll down to reply # 15 (First things first) and read.

Click back and scroll down to 25520, click and read.

Click back and scroll up to top. Click <--Return To Archive Index and click 2010 in Imperial. Scroll down to 27599 and read.

Click back and scroll up to top and click <--Return to Archive Index. Click on 2011 in Imperial, scroll down to 32963 and read.

Click back, scroll down to 34701 and read

Click back, scroll to top and click <--Return to Archive Index. Click 2012 in Imperial, scroll down to 38712 and read. Watch video if you want. Close video tab.

Click back, scroll down one line to 38714, click and read. Watch video if you want. Close video tab. Scroll down to Reply # 180 and click link. Read link then close tab.

Click back, scroll down to 41351 and read. Click back, scroll up to <--Return To Archive Index. Click 2013 in Imperial, scroll down to 45624 and read. Old water valves can be taken apart to check for rust and worn parts or you may just want to replace it if faulty.

Brian

 

[combo52]

Water Leak Down Sides?

That stain may just be the sudsy water that can dribble down from the tub cover from over sudsing or it may be a leak at the U shaped injector hose where the fresh water comes in the washer, in any case it is NOT a serious problem that would be real difficult to fix.

 

The white corrosion on the insides of the cabinet is not a problem at all, Maytag's galvanized cabinets behave this way when they get damp or wet repeatedly.

 

The motor rollers should be lubricated if they look dry, you can spray silicone lubricant on them or give them a little squirt of turbine oil, it does not really matter. Be sure the main drive belt is in good condition and with the motor pulled forward and that the pump belt is VERY loose when holding the motor, otherwise the machine will have no chance of agitating and spinning well. Unless the pump belt looks terrible don't bother buying a new one it will not work any better with a new pump belt, but the main drive belt is important, if you need a new one be sure to buy one made for a MT washer, it will have the MT Pt# on the belt, we have even been having good luck with the generic belts made for MT.

                                                           John L

 

 

[kowidge]

Well, that was a lot!

That was a lot of reading, Brian. I now understand that with the pride of ownership comes the sweat equity pricetag - which I am willing to spend.

Clearly doing the tub stem seal is very labor intense, but after reading all that, I'm not necessarily convinced that mine is comprimised. Below is a pic of the bottom of the tub, I am not an expert, but I don't see any residue, so can an more experienced eye weigh in?

Also, in the one thread where the seal was fine, it had the same exact white residue on the inner walls just below the tub, and its problem was the injector tube, which on mine is clearly shot.

Tony

 

[kowidge]

Another view of the seal

I don't know what to look for....

 

[kowidge]

The other culprit

Was definitely the injector tube that was deteriorated and not mounted at the right angle, and the valve looks wonky, and the fact that the tub top seal was completely wonky and not seated properly, which has allowed some surface rusting to start on the lip.

I scrubbed the edge with a plastic bristle brush and put some Rustoleum 'Rust Reformer' on the spots and on the base-plate below. I will now hit it with some steel wool to get a smooth surface. I was thinking about applying some epoxy sealant over the lip spots, but the threads said that the surface must be completely smooth. Would this affect the seating of the new seal?

 

[kowidge]

The belts

John, I replaced the belts and they are as you say they should be in thickness and looseness.

 

[beekeyknee]

Hi Tony,

I guess you're talking about the top flange of the tub where the tub top slides down inside it. I use emery cloth or paper instead of steal wool. Steel wool might work, but it will flake off bits of steel, of course.

As far as epoxy, I use JB Weld. Get the two tube kind. One tube is black (steel) and the other tube is red (hardener). Mix two equal parts of each and mix with a toothpick on a piece of cardboard. You'll have about 10 min. working time. Apply with your finger, wipe off your finger, wet your finger with spit and smooth the Weld down. If you need more spit you can use some more fingers. Let dry 24 hours before messing with it. It dries fastest at room temp. You can get an almost perfect surface this way. Then you don't have to sand it later.

You probably already knew about JB Weld, but you might not have known about the spit trick. That's a neat little thing I learned from my Mom from her 40 years of refinishing furniture. She's used it on other types of finishes before. Water might work, but I like spit better. There's more working time with spit and it doesn't run.

If you're not going to disassemble the whole machine, I'd give that tub bearing a shot of turbine oil with a hypo syringe and an 18 gauge needle (pink base). It will probably suck up 6 to 8 cc's of it.

Have you got your agitator off yet. You can tell the condition of the drive shaft, mounting stem and gauge the overall cleanliness of the machine and what it might look like between the tub and the basket by looking under the agitator. It should come off every couple of years or so to be cleaned, inspected and have Vaseline applied to the drive shaft. [this post was last edited: 10/30/2013-09:33]

 

[atomict]

Ok, I've got it running!

By they way, I'm the same Tony, just now a full member with a new username!

Ok, so I got it all back together and hooked it up, and all is well for the most part. It is as you all say, super quiet and I did a bunch of loads of clothes and they were great.

So the main thing was that the injector valve kept spraying water over the sleeve. I finally got that fixed and finally got it seated correctly.

Second thing was that when I first cranked it up, the new bulb I put into the tub light was on but very weak and then the filament blew. Could this be a sign of something wrong, or just a bad bulb?

 

And third, after the second load, the crevices around the top of the drain pump had water sitting in them.  There was no indication of water dripping from the bleach tank or the tub, nor from the clam-shell seam going around it.  All the hex-head screw heads had rusted up prior (but not the threads once I extracted them)to sitting, but if the seal was broken, would water end up there?  I'm very confused as I have no idea how water got there..  It's a flat sided O-ring, about 14-1/4" inch I.D., but it doesn't seem to be available.  Is this pump repairable?

 

I found this one eBAY and it seems like less $$$ than the others.  Is it any good (i.e. cheap quality)?

 

This is the last thing, then I can finally move it upstairs! Woohoo!

 

-Tony

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[atomict]

By the way, Thank you all

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you as well for getting me interested in this, and thanks for all your help and advice.  I did just about all the stuff I was advised to, (not all, but close to it and will do the rest in the future), and would not have had the inclination to even give it a try if it weren't for the wealth of help and knowledge on this site! 

 

[rp2813]

Nice work!  If it hasn't been said already, that machine looks like new now.  It should work like new as well after the work you've done.

 

[combo52]

Congratulations on a great rebuild and save

The pump on Ebay will work just fine, and your bad light bulb is just that, a bad bulb, keep us posted.

 

John L.

 

[washman]

Congrats

that is one fine machine, a relic of when American manufacturing really meant something.

 

[jimmler]

That Vista Cruiser isn't looking too bad, either. I have the later version of that washer - A712, but an earlier version of the station wagon - 1965 Buick Sportwagon

 

[stainfighter]

Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser in your Garage?...

Tony, is that an Olds Vista Cruiser in your garage? I had a neighbor in the 70's that had one in a deep forest green with woodgrain side panels. I would detail it for her occasionally, it was a distinctive wagon in its day!