Washer does not work.

[Bigmetalman]

My Maytag Neptune washer does not rotate the drum in the wash or spin cycle. If I start the cycle it fills with water but I do not hear the drum turning. If I advance the timer to spin, It does not spin but it does pump out the water.

I checked the control board for any visible fried components. The door lock wax motor locks the door and the door locked light comes on.

I removed the back cover and rotated the drum by hand it turns okay and the bearings feel smooth. I tried the spin cycle again but I head the characteristic sound of a V/S motor control starting but it quits and the on light goes out.

This machine has had two or three service calls and unfortunately I can only find the paper work from the last one where the control board and the wax motor were replaced.

Any help would be appreciated.

Bigmetalman

Model MAH3000AAW

 

[whirlpooltech]

Hi,

There is a motor control board on the bottom of the washer that you should look at too.

If it's the old style board it will look like this one.



Check it for fried components and also look at the fuse on the board to see if it' open. It's a clear glass fuse and will be in the upper right hand corner. Kind of hard to see the fuse with the board mounted in place.

[Bigmetalman]

Found the schematic in the top of the machine and ran the drive system diagnostic test where I remove the JP4 connector from from the Motor Control with the cord unplugged and then plug it back in and press the push to start switch with the knob set in the delay settings.

The washer is supposed to tumble at 50 rpm when this is working OK.

The motor jerked and and I heard the sound from the motor control and then the drum started turning.

Thanks

Bigmetalman

[Repair-man]

Maytag discontinued the original board for the motor. You'll need the new conversion kit for this model, and it also comes with a new motor. (Instructions also!). The new motor is twice as quiet as the old one during the spin cycle.


Part # 12002039 Motor - Drve, AP4010145

[Bigmetalman]

Thank You

Found and fixed a  couple of problems on the board but still doesn't work. Other parts must be damaged so I gave up on the old drive but it is going to be a project for experimentation now.

I ordered a conversion kit and I will post the results of this repair.

Bigmetalman

[Repair-man]

So you farted around for a week trying to fix it on the cheap? You must be a bachelor, because no self-respecting woman would have allowed this much time to elapse between washings. You would be permanently in the dawg house.

Don't feel bad...others have tried before you to fix machine controls, motor controls and whatever, to no avail. If there was a simple electronic fix for these, I would have become a millionaire years ago

[sparky823]

Just curious: I have the 4000 with the original motor it came with. What makes the conversion one so much quieter in the spin than the original? The "whirling" noise I have always heard I thought was the tub going so fast but maybe part of it is motor noise? Interesting!

[Repair-man]

The new motors have a different internal configuration, plus an A/C line protector was added to the motor control board. These are 3-phase D/C induction motors, as you probably know. The older motors were much noisier in comparison. Maytag did not add these until the MAh5500 series later in 2001.

[whirlpooltech]

Maytag did not add these until the MAh5500 series later in 2001.

Or one might say, Maytag did not add these until it was to late.
The ship they had built was already sinking, lol...

IMHO the MAH3000 and MAH4000 were a real piece of crap.

I remember being told in a maytag training school how the motors they were putting in them had been used over sea's for years in other washers and the  failure rate on these motors was like 1%. What a bunch of bs.

[Repair-man]

As they say, "Live and Learn". I was one of millions who jumped at the first round of Neptunes, the MAH3000 back in '97. The dang thing lasted only 6 years, during which I lost the machine control, motor control and wax motors. When the rear bearing finally gave out, I junked it. I went out and bought the MAH5500BWW after that and have had absitively no problem whatsoever. Not even a mold spot!  Too bad they closed Newton down and sent the Neptune to Samsung and WHR. They almost had a reliable product.

[sparky823]

I have had my 4000 since Jan 2001 and I had to get the board/wax motor replaced. The warranty had been out for a few months but Maytag paid anyway. Have had no trouble since then. I do think sometimes reckon how long the bearing will last. I have heard they go bad if you don't use HE detergent. I use the HE but some of it is really sudsy..

If I had to get a new one think I would get the Samsung with the VRT. I have read that these are good at not vibrating and walking. Have you had any experience with this brand and if so is it also junk?? But I have liked my Neptune so far. It cleans fine and luckily I didnt have as many problems as some people did.

One more question-is it true that liquid detergent is worse than powder for these machines? I read that liquids can damage the seals and cause the bearings to go bad?

[Repair-man]

The Samsung machines are fine. I was trained on them when they first came out as the Neptune MAH6700 and the only vibration issues was with the ones installed on a pedestal. It was a pedestal problem and an installer problem equally. Suffice it to say, you have to have a solid floor to run one of these or you're beating a dead horse.

Regarding HE soaps, it's better to use granular detergent to avoid residual sludge. It is a completely different chemical makeup than the liquid and behaves better for rinsing out of your clothes and the tub. The smell associated with most front loaders over 2 years old can be isolated to the large drain hose under the tub, which holds the last quart of water from the washload. I promise you that if you open the back panel and remove this hose from the tub and pump, it will likely stink to high heaven and be coated in a filthy goop that needs to be washed out.

Stay away from liquid fabric softener as well.

[sparky823]

Thanks for the info. I do use liquid softener sometimes but then I have gotten some of the Affresh tabs and have been using those and my machine doesn't smell, but it really didn't before except when I used liquid Tide and there was something about that-it made mine smell from the git-go.

When I first got my washer they said you could use regular detergent in it just cut back so I did. I loved Tide with bleach powder and I would use 1/4 cup and wouldn't have too many suds and my clothes were clean. At this time there were very few HE detergents out. Then when I started seeing how you could have troubles if you didnt use HE I started using the HE Tide powder but at that time it cost more then and was way harder to find. Would it really have messed up my washer to have continued with the regular Tide w/bleach powder? I have a friend that has this Neptune but hers is older than mine and she has never used anything but regular powdered Gain in it and the only problem she had was the board/wax motor also but so far no bearings. Is she just lucky??
Sorry I have so many questions, but just curious why some people have so much trouble with them when others don't. I hope mine last several more years.

[Repair-man]

Good questions, all, and in a way they are related to the big picture on the Neptune. The reason for the wax motor failure in a lot of cases was from using the wrong detergent. Let me justify this:

With a normal detergent, there will be excess suds. The teeny electric pumps wil suds lock on you and not drain the water from the tub. Unfortunately, the machine control board is also monitoring the water level and motor RPMs the whole time, and it picks up on the load changes during a high sudsing event. What results is the machine control re-rinsing the load over and again in the #3 rinse until the suds are gone and the load matches the prescribed water level. All this rinsing doubles the time the door stays locked and the pump runs. Hence an early failure of the wax motors which they never tested for such situations in the lab.

The only real testing on the Neptune was done in a small town of 900 or so people on Bern Kansas. Maytag went there in 1995 and replaced everyones machine with the Neptune MAh3000. After one year, Maytag and CBS news went out there and did a news expose about how the town saved 58% on their water usage and 40% less electricity than with their topload machines. Very cute but not really a quality field test. It would be interesting to go back to Bern and visit the junkyard today.

With class action suits looming in the future, Maytag redesigned the MAH5500s in 2001 to exclude the wax motor and added line protection to the motor board. Too bad they fizzled out just as they got the bugs out.

[jeffgr8]

I have a mah3000aww that we have for 10+years I too have had the door latch wax motor and motor control boards replaced just replaced the tub and bearings, seal. We have all ways used liquid he soap tide HE or costco brand HE that we are using now, the mold smell comes from the inside of the water dispenser for bleach and softener.  I too have pulled out and cleaned up after a rug came apart in it, nasty job!!