Neptune MAH4000AWW inner door worn through

[twmattox]

My wife and I bought a house full of Maytag appliances when we purchased our home in '99 (new dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, over the stove microwave, washing machine, and dryer).  To date, all of these have needed service multiple times (except the fridge).  It makes me question the overall quality of Maytag and their products...

Most recently, I noticed our washing machine making a louder whirr noise during the spin cycle.  Checked it out and noticed water (about 1/2 cup) under the front of it.  After looking inside, it appears that the plastic front of the spin basket has rubbed through the inside of the door assembly allowing water in and dripping down the front of the machine.  I contacted a repairman and he indicated that the repair would be around $260 (he recommended replacing the wax motor while he was in there).  He said he would strongly recommend repairing this machine as opposed to buying a newer one because it was made so much better and will definitely last longer than anything on the market today.

So, my questions are:
1)  Given the age of the machine and the list of things that could go bad (bearings, seals, etc) should I repair it or buy a new machine

2)  What would cause the spin basket to rub through the door (was it just a horribly unbalanced load or is there something in there that can be adjusted)

3)  Are 1998/99 Maytag appliances generally junk or were they still made with quality?  I find it rather disturbing that I have had to have so many repairs (my fathers Kenmore stuff still works flawlessly and he bought all of it in 1969)...

Model MAH4000AWW

[Repair-man]

Good gosh, the Neptune was a brand new concept when you bought it. If you always buy things before they have been street-proven, then your life will be full of experimentation.

Yes, the Neptune had issues with the first few models, the 4000 is one of them. Your particular problem is a broken spinner support. This is the metal part thet holds the tub and also goes thru the tub bearing in back. When the thing breaks, one of the 3 mounting bolts on the tub  pops loose and the tub wobbles out of its orbit and eats a hole in the tub cover and sometimes thru the spinner balance ring.  In this case, you cannot get the problem resolved for $260 or whatever he quoted you.


My suggestion is to check into a Whirlpool Duet as your next prospect. Comparing appliances to what they USED to be in 1969 is sort of moot. They want them to break now so you will buy new stuff more often...dontcha see?

[twmattox]

Yeah, I understand comparing these to 1969 machines is apples to oranges.  But I guess what I want to know is are 1999 machines built considerably better than 2009 machines?  Would I be smarter to repair this machine or dump the equivalent $$$ on a new machine.

As far as cutting edge.  Yes, it was.  However, they were a gift...and the appliance company cut us one heck of a deal on everything else (since we bought all of them from the same location).

Not that I am questioning your wisdom...but is there a panel I could remove to verify that the spinner support is broken?  What about repair...is it possible and is it expensive?

[twmattox]

Oh, and what caused this...did we overload the machine???

On another note, the matching dryer we bought lost its front seal about a year ago or so.  The repair man indicated that the little metal tabs that held the seal in place had worn through at a number of locations.  He indicated he had never seen this before...

Finally, not to hammer a point.  But, my mother bought Magic Chef appliances in 1993ish.  She has never had a repair on any of them.  The frustration is that we are sitting with a house full of "higher" quality appliances and nearly all of them have had major repairs.  The dishwasher needed wiring and a new sprayer, the microwave had 2 PCM boards (finally gave up and just bought a new microwave).  The dryer has blown a seal, the oven has needed 2 ignigters for the oven portion and currently has 3 burners that will not ignite and are very loose, and the washer has had to have the seal boot replaced.  In short I am losing my "faith" in Maytag...

[Repair-man]

I lost faith in them some time ago...you're just catching up.



You can't escape the pattern anymore. It's just unfortunate that you had the experience with Maytag, or you would be harping about Kenmore or GE instead.


You don't have to question my judgement on the Neptune....just get out your Phillips head screwdriver and take off the 3 rear baffles in the spinner basket. Under them are a single bolt holding the spinner to the spinner support. One of those bolts is broken off.


Matters not, if you go with  Whirlpool Duet, you won't have that issue, just a few others that come with age. I gotta tell you, none of them are trouble-free. Either find one that has cheap parts, like Maytag and WP or pay a service contract so you don't have to work on them later. They will break within the first 5-7 years in most cases. Your model is not worth throwing money into, since the tub bearings will be the next thing to go, and you don't want to know how much that costs

[RAH52]

I strongly agree with Repair-man. I have seen this repair many times and its way to expensive for the expected life left in the machine. The guy who quoted  $260 is probably just going to replace the inner door panel and wax motor and get out of dodge ..never to be seen again . I find once you pull the inner tub you have ruined the seals and end up needing the outer tub assembly.

[twmattox]

The spinner support made sense...especially since we have noticed a little more vibration during spin cycles over the past 6-months or so.  So, I took off  the baffles and all three of the bolts are intact and tight. 

To see if the drum had shifted, I then put a piece of foil tape over the holes in the door and closed everything up.  When I opened it up, I couldn't see any indentations...

I ran the machine through a cycle (no clothes) and could hear a small squeak during regular rotations (not out of the ordinary...it has done this for years).  However, the noise during spin cycle is a lot more noticeable than it was a few weeks ago (I assume my bearings are going bad).  From what I can tell, there is not an issue with the drum hitting the door.  If I put my hand against the rear of the drum and push, it will move backward and forward a few inches.  Could an unbalanced load have allowed the drum to move and contact the door? 

I can pick up a "broken" Neptune (bad control panel) for $25.  Do you think I could put that door on and be fine? 

I have read about Do-it-yourself bearing kits for Neptunes.  Apparently, I can get the bearings for around $150.  Is this something I should try???

What about the wax motor?  From what I have read these go bad and cause all kinds of issues.  Should I replace it?  Can I tell if mine has already been replaces?? (our repairman did replace the boot seal on the drum a number of years ago not sure if he would have done this too as part of a recall or something?

I know I have a lot of questions and I appreciate your help.  I just don't want to spend $1000 if I don't have to...especially when I don't have it.  I also hate to sound so negative about Maytag.  All in all we have been very happy with our appliances...just not happy with the repair needs.

Thanks...

[twmattox]

Sorry to keep hounding the board.  We have continued using the machine.  Aside from being louder than previous...all seems fine.  The thin foil tape is holding up just fine.  I am planning on getting a new inside door (anyone know of a cheap place to get one)?

Aside from those things, I think I will need to work on bearings, belt, wax motor, and the motor isolators (I think that is the term for the little plastic rubber pieces).  I am being assured by friends that this is a 6-8 hour project and the overall cost will be under $150.  Any advice from those of you who have done this would be greatly appreciated...

[Repair-man]

Start with a new belt kit, 12001788. It has new motor isolators and great instructions.


Part # 12001788 Kit, Belt & Isolator, AP4009041





If you get tired of that tacky looking tape on the door, you can always order a new inner door assy. It too comes with modifications and instructions:

Part # 22003083 Liner , Door Assembly, AP4027714