Maytag repair thread

[Jon O.]

As suggested in "remember when" here is the maytag repair thread. No work done yet, so here are some pictures. These workhorses are from 1974. And have worked without service until the heating element died in the dryer. I just moved them back upstairs and don't have them hooked up yet, but the washer weighs 230 pounds with no water in it.

 

[LeBaron1973]

The days of quality appliances. Hope all is well once the necessary parts are installed.

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

My harvest gold Sears washer stopped agitating about four years ago and was scrapped. The closest one to the original long lasting concept is now made by Speed Queen here in Ripon Wisconsin. It has a mechanical timer and has quite a following.

 

[Rapidtrans777]

The closest one to the original long lasting concept is now made by Speed Queen here in Ripon Wisconsin. It has a mechanical timer and has quite a following.

I need to hone my internet search skills. When the transmission went out on our 30 year old Kenmore I decided to give my wife an upgrade vs fixing it. I couldn't find a machine with a mechanical timer so I settled on a electronic controlled Maytag. It is slow as molasses, it does get the clothes clean but it takes over an hour to do a normal load. Now the wife has to make double the trips to the shed ( neither of us like having a washer and dryer in the house) as the washer and dryer are now out of synch. The Kenmore pair took about half an hour to wash and half an hour to dry. Now, on to the internet to research the Speed Queen and put the Maytag on Craigslist.

 

[jct]

i rather fix than buy a new one, if parts are still available, it's all nuts and bolts and screws

 

[Fratzog]

I need to hone my internet search skills.

Simple google searches reveal that maybe Maytag has lost it's standing as a quality product.
Top 1,000 Reviews and Complaints about Maytag Refrigerators

 

[commando1]

Buy a washer and dryer that has actual electro-mechanical controls and no circuit boards. They are also the lowest price units And most likely, regardless of the Brand on the appliance itself, made by Electrolux Corp.
I learned the very hard and expensive way.

 

[Carmine]

Hello, negative storm cloud here again. But before I rain sadness in this washing machine thread, let me offer this resource for Jon O. Basically a FCBO for vintage appliances.

Automaticwasher.org

Now to be controversial...

The reason there are so few choices in appliances is the ongoing consolidation within the "white goods" industry because of predatory trade practices; primarily from Korean manufacturers.
‎
How does dumping work? Manufactured goods are sold below cost in foreign markets to cripple competition. The losses can be made up because the manufacturers operate from "closed" markets, and usually hand-in-hand with governments who are looking to establish themselves in a mature industry. ‎
‎From Wiki:

South Korean companies are known as chaebols, multinational corporations owning numerous international firms. These conglomerates play a role in South Korean politics. During the 1960s, Park Chung-hee's government initiated a series of five-year plans under which the chaebols were required to fulfill a series of objectives. These plans were initiated to promote growth and development within South Korea. Chung-hee's goal was to increase industrialization by promoting large businesses through the First Five Year Economic Plan. The chaebols' growth was directly related to foreign loans and special favors, as well as access to newer technology.

If you're willing to accept the declaration of the World Trade Organization there is really no debating this fact. The debate comes only in "what to do about it?" Since the ruling was issued in 2011, the answer from the Federal government has been nothing. At least that had been what was done until the current President instituted tariffs that have given American manufacturers some breathing room. At this point‎ it's basically Whirlpool, brands owned by Whirlpool and some tiny independents like Speed Queen. Well-known brands like Maytag, Amana, or Kitchen-Aid, had been so weakened they were no longer competitive and purchased by Whirlpool. Others like GE, Frigidaire and Westinghouse and nothing more than labels silkscreened onto Korean and Chinese products.
‎
‎BTW, this exactly mirrors what occurred with American consumer electronics in the 70s and 80s.
‎
‎Now you've learned more on a hobby website that you would have learned with a week's worth of mainstream media; which never touches this topic.
‎

 

[commando1]

MAGA. Tariffs on all this **** they are "dumping". I'll gladly pay a little more for a North American product.

 

[Carmine]

Buy a washer and dryer that has actual electro-mechanical controls and no circuit boards.

Safety and water use mandates have pretty much rendered that impossible. They all have boards, even if the interfaces are mechanical. For example, I've been chasing an intermittent spin issue on this 2003 Maytag. It has a safety logic board that not only has to see a closed door, but that the door has opened and closed since the last demand for "spin".

Until I have more time, it just sits in pieces and I occasionally jumper the door switch AFTER it has seen a "door open" cycle, but during the wash cycle.

 

[Carmine]

MAGA. Tariffs on all this **** they are "dumping". I'll gladly pay a little more for a North American product.

Oh I concur... But the problem is explaining the reason tariffs are in place requires an even more detailed explanation than I wrote above, and since "we" neither have the required attention span, nor the intrinsic patriotism of our grandparents, it's very easy for the globalists who run the mainstream media to say "Tariff BAD!" and we cry "uncle".

I don't think this trade issue gets solved in 4 years, especially with the current administration under constant attack.

 

[commando1]

They all have boards, even if the interfaces are mechanical.

Gonna have to disagree with this. My 350 dollar Ropar is all electro-mechanical. I even checked the parts book for my model.
FWIW, this entry level Roper Model from GE is also sold under a zillion other Brand names.
And it works better than my previous "state of the art" $$$$ Fisher Paykal...

One dial and a Start button. Gotta love it.

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

My parents moved into my Grand Parents home in 1968 bringing along the Speed Queen washer and dryer. I don't know how old it was then but they served a family of five for 30 plus years from the washer. The dryer timer failed around 1999 but still worked until 2008 when the home was sold. Belt and heating element was replaced. I don't remember the washer failing at all. For me its Speed Queen (mechanical timer unit) or nothing. When my dryer died about six years ago I replaced it with a Speed Queen. While under warranty the timer would not advance. The service man came and confirmed. He even stated he could not remember when he replaced a speed queen timer. Also note. some credit cards like ATT will double your electronic appliance warranty for free. I have used that once on the Frigidaire stove.

 

[Mike66Chryslers]

Simple google searches reveal that maybe Maytag has lost it's standing as a quality product.
Top 1,000 Reviews and Complaints about Maytag Refrigerators

When we bought our house about 12 years ago it came with the major appliances, all recently purchased Maytag stuff except for a Kenmore combo microwave and range hood. I can keep them running because I'm a DIYer, and because there are aftermarket repair parts available on eBay, but if I had to pay a repair guy to come and fix them it would not be worth it. When they fail to the point that they're not economical to repair, they will not be replaced with Maytag again!

The Maytag Neptune front-loading washer needs a bearing and seal kit every 5 years. Maytag stopped selling this kit. They want you to buy a replacement drum, which costs half as much as a new washer. The circuit board in the fridge which runs the defrost cycle died twice. After the second one, I bought an aftermarket board. It cost half as much money as OEM so I bought two of them. I've never needed the second one yet because the aftermarket one is apparently designed to not fail. The dishwasher racks begin to rust and fall apart almost immediately. We are on our second set, and they're just about finished too. The Maytag washer will probably get replaced when we remodel the kitchen.

The Kenmore microwave/range hood is a mediocre microwave and a poor range hood. It was actually made for Kenmore by Samsung. The magnetron failed and I tried to buy another from a local appliance parts store. They couldn't cross-reference the part number on the magetron, so I had to order directly through Sears. The replacement I got was a genuine Samsung part with the same part number, but it didn't fit because the mounting holes were in a different spot, so I had to get creative with it. Also, the lights that shine down onto the stove died. The bulbs are OK, there's something in the wiring or electronics that fried. I couldn't be bothered to remove it from the wall and disassemble it again to diagnose this, so they're still dead.

 

[Lefty71]

Have to agree with the others here that say electromechanical is going to be your best bet when you decide to buy new. Speed Queen is owned by Allied Appliance, which makes primarily commercial duty machines, and there retail units are rock solid washers/dryers. An old Amana will have the same technology (not sure but there must have been some use of patents there). Fisher-Paykel on the other hand, is the biggest joke of the new millennium.... HTH, Lefty71

 

[CBODY67]

I need to hone my internet search skills. When the transmission went out on our 30 year old Kenmore I decided to give my wife an upgrade vs fixing it. I couldn't find a machine with a mechanical timer so I settled on a electronic controlled Maytag. It is slow as molasses, it does get the clothes clean but it takes over an hour to do a normal load. Now the wife has to make double the trips to the shed ( neither of us like having a washer and dryer in the house) as the washer and dryer are now out of synch. The Kenmore pair took about half an hour to wash and half an hour to dry. Now, on to the internet to research the Speed Queen and put the Maytag on Craigslist.

Several years ago, I put a load of clothes in the washer (1995 vintage) and went to bed. I got up about 2am to move them to the dryer, as wrinkles weren't an issue with my jeans. I stepped down into the room into a few inches of water! The timer had gone past the normal stop and hung on "fill" on the next cycle. "Jarring" it didn't work. Water cut-off didn't work. Finally got it to stop and went in search of the shop vac to get the water removed.

Went in search of a replacement, as I didn't want to fix it. Ended up with a newer Whirlpool, which still had a center agitator in it. Kind of a hybrid between old and "high efficiency" with no agitator. By the time it gets through doing all of its test-spins (to gauge the size of the load), clicks, and whirrs, it's an hour to do a light load that used to take 30 minutes to do! I tried different setting and they were equally "fast". Is this the "new and improved" we've now got?? I'm for saving water, but the slowness of these things is not that good.

The newer front-load washers at the new laundromat do similar test-spins, but do their loads in 21 minutes. I'm just glad to know that my whiz-bang Whirlpool is not the only slow washer!

The older Whirlpool I bought in the earlier 1990s, at my house in town, needed a timer. Finally wouldn't work with wedging things under the plastic on the selector dial. Found one nearby, analog search. Easy to install and it worked better than the orig one ever did.

I believe that Maytag refrigerator production is "somewhere else", but glad to hear there are still some washers still made here. Thanks for the advisory!

CBODY67

 

[Davea Lux]

Maytag was sold to another company a few years back and the quality of their newer stuff has suffered. I bought the wife a new Maytag Range about ten years ago. Oven control has touch pads with electric solenoids to start the cook cycle. One of the solenoids went bad. The whole unit needed to be replaced and Maytag wanted $495 for a replacement, which is about what I paid for the range to start with. Told them at that price I will buy a different brand as a replacement and be sure to tell all my friends about the unrealistic and greedy part pricing strategy for Maytag products.

Dave

 

[MarPar]

Ive repaired my 20-year+ old Kenmore washer more times than I count using this site...

Appliance Parts, Lawn Mower Parts, Heating & Cooling Parts. 365 day returns.

Even if they do not have the part, it's a good place to start the search.

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

Time magazine article from 2017 describing Speed Queen and the mechanical timer washing machine model.

This American-Made Washing Machine Is So Good It's Got a Cult Following

 

[1Fury1]

Just learned the hard way. Our 5 yr old korean made LG fridge crapped out 2 weeks ago. Forget about repairing it even though technically it’s still on warranty, try and find a local service shop that will even deal with them anymore. So we bought a Kitchen-Aid which is, as stated in an earlier post a Whirlpool product made in N America. Done with offshore. The beer fridge in my shop is a 20 year old kitchen-aid and it chills perfectly.