Maytag Neptune MAH5500B will not spin

[Masternewbie]

AJ,

The forum looks really nice. You may not remember but we chatted on SMF when your forum was different with the page peel effect. I like this new format and it is very organized. This forum really kicks ass and very informative. Thanks for being here and allowing guests to browse.
OK, I figured I'd contribute my remedy to this forum in hopes that it will help somebody else. We all share and share alike.

I have the Neptune 5500 front loader which my wife loves. We all like it because it cleans very well and conserves energy and water. The max extract is awesome.

Today it stopped doing the spin cycle, but everything else worked.

Everybody seems to have this issue with the 4400 series and the lock and wax motor. Mine looks different and all functions seemed to be working except for spin cycle. There was not a lot of reference to the 5500 except this post ("5500 black plunger)

- I downloaded the manual = thanks a bunch and browsed through it.

I tore the thing down and noticed that it had been leaking from the boot.

There were little holes and gashes from it rubbing. The little drain was clogged and what happened was it filled up and the made it to the little holes on the side of the boot and leaked out to the bottom. It was a slow drip so by the time, today I discovered it, the bottom pan was all rusty and ugly and collected a lot of water.

I resolved this by using a bike tire patches on the boot. I found a bunch of little holes in the boot and patched them from the outside diameter of the boot (total of 6). When you open the door you don't see it. If bike tire patch can hold in 40-60lbs of air, they can definitely hold a water without any pressure. I also cleaned out that little drain tube which was crusted up with sediment and crust. The rubber was still pliable so I figured I'd save a rubber tree.

What caused my no spin issue was that little "tub displacement" switch that is on the bottom.
Looks like this:

The terminals were oxidized from the moisture from the leaking water collecting on the bottom. I pulled the two blue leads off and took my dremel tool with a wire rotor brush and ground clean the terminals. I put a volt meter to the switch and it was working fine. When the button is pushed it would break the continuity (this is how it's supposed to work). After cleaning, I plugged it back in and went to the top of the machine to check for continuity of the two blue leads at the white plug. It read perfect = continuity. The oxidation broke the continuity of the two blue wires connected to it so it would not allow the spin cycle to work.

I scrubbed the whole thing down and put it all back together.

I turned it on and ran a quick wash and it started to spin again like normal. Whew, I'm so relieved that it is working.
This forum really helped me out in identifying the workings of this machine. I understand how the wiring works a little but know how to follow the trouble shooting flow charts in the manual.

I attached photos of my bike patch job and close up and the rusty water corroded bottom pan.

Thanks a lot for the help and I hope this helps somebody out.

Model MAH5500BWQ

[AJ]

Hi Masternewbie,

You may not remember but we chatted on SMF when your forum was different with the page peel effect. I like this new format and it is very organized.

I do remember chatting about the page peel effect on SMF. Thanks for the kind words about our site. 

I resolved this by using a bike tire patches on the boot.

That is a very innovative idea. I would be interested to know if it holds up to the soap and bleach over time. Please keep us updated as to how it holds up.

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed topic and post your photos.
It awesome when people include photos of there repairs. I wish more members would include photos.

Thanks again, 

[Masternewbie]

Hi Masternewbie,

You may not remember but we chatted on SMF when your forum was different with the page peel effect. I like this new format and it is very organized.

I do remember chatting about the page peel effect on SMF. Thanks for the kind words about our site. 

I resolved this by using a bike tire patches on the boot.

That is a very innovative idea. I would be interested to know if it holds up to the soap and bleach over time. Please keep us updated as to how it holds up.

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed topic and post your photos.
It awesome when people include photos of there repairs. I wish more members would include photos.

Thanks again, 

What's funny is I'm going to use the page peel effect on a site my wife is developing for her business. Every time I see that effect, I think of "Appliancejunk.com".

I ran a few loads of laundry last night and it seems solid so far. I even used "Max Extract".

I got the patch idea because I have a giant inner tube that we use at the pool, river and beach for recreation that has patches of the same and they've been on there for over 15 years. None of them have ever came off so this is why I did what I did. I will definitely keep you guys in the loop about how my machine fairs with the patches.

Thanks

[AJ]

If your patch idea holds up to the test of time maybe you will have to put together a "Washer Repair Kit" and sell them online.

[tgoods]

Nice idea with the patches.  Problem is I don't usually find pinholes.  I usually find rips 6 inches or longer.

[Masternewbie]

Nice idea with the patches.  Problem is I don't usually find pinholes.  I usually find rips 6 inches or longer.

Thanks glad you like it. There was rips in the boot about an inch long from wear higher up at the 2:00 and 4:00 position, you can feel it being thinner there like a latex balloon thickness. I used a bigger patch on that one. I figured if it was rubbing  there making a rip or holes the patch will make that area double thickness. Maybe it will make it last longer; only time will tell.

The rips you've seen 6" and longer, are they near the top or bottom. I'd think there would be some serious leaking going on if the rips were that big. The holes in my boot were about 1/16" to 1/8' on the sides and the smaller pin holes were on the bottom. I would assume the water possibly only reaches the 8:00 and 4:00 positions because the rip and holes higher up did not show any water trails from leakage.

[Masternewbie]

Update: Today our washer had some wetness from the bottom, the same problems sprung up again. I assume the patches may have failed so I will have to take it apart some time this week and I will check out the results of wear and tear of my work.

I will let you guys know the results and what I'm going to do to repair it.

It really sucks because we need to do some big loads of laundry. It always happens when the laundry builds up huge.

[AJ]

Sounds good, I will be looking forward to hearing what you find wrong with it.

Thanks for the update.

[PARTech]

Good idea with the inner tube patches, I've been wondering if the PVC liner they use under tile for shower stalls would work....

[Masternewbie]

Good idea with the inner tube patches, I've been wondering if the PVC liner they use under tile for shower stalls would work....

I will let ya know how it held up when I get to take it apart maybe this weekend. I used old inner tubes for patch material for the boot because the materials have to be made from the same compound for the rubber cement to bond them. I think PVC liner may work if you scuff them up enough to bond. Or maybe if the boot material is the same "PVC", you could use pvc pipe glue to bond a shower liner patch on to it.

I will get you guys a full report on this, once I dig into it.

[Masternewbie]

OK it has been some time since my repair and it's time to report.
The rubber inner tube patches worked and it's still holding up.

I did get some wetness and then it started leaking like crazy one day. It wasn't from the repairs before. The cause was a new hole developed around the little drain hole in the boot. I was pushing around with a flash light and saw that it was a worn hole the size of 1/8". I didn't take it apart this time, I just patched it from the front without taking it apart. It's on the surface there but you can't see it because it's in the well of the boot right in front.

It worked excellent and it runs dry again. I don't know how long I can keep rigging this thing up but the rubber patches seem to work excellent.

I never tried the PVC but the rubber definitely does the trick. Bleach and detergents didn't weaken my original patches.

So far so good, I will report in the future the status of this repair.

[whirlpooltech]

That's good to hear. I will be interested how it's holding up a year after the repair.

Keep us update... 

[Masternewbie]

That's good to hear. I will be interested how it's holding up a year after the repair.

Keep us update... 

The initial repairs were done in July 2010 and it has been over a year and still holding up. This new hole that I repaired from the front side of the boot was not from the initial repair. All the initial repair patches were patched from the back side of the boot are still holding strong. It appears the holes from prior were in areas that were sensitive to wear and with the patches, it doubled the thickness there and patched the initial holes which seemed to reinforce the sensitive wear areas of my boot.