Maytag Performa Washer agitator not advancing, just moving back and forth

[dltarrant]

My Performa Washer is about 10 years old and we love it.  I've replaced the pump and the motor on it and it's still going strong, but now the agitator is not advancing.  I removed the agitator to clean out the old fabric softner build-up and when I reinstalled the agitator I thought I put it all back the same as I disassembled, but apparently not.  Now, during the wash cycle, the agitator will move forward about 1 inch, then back 1 inch, then forward the same inch again.  It does not advance and therefore the clothes in the tub are not being rolled from top to bottom as they used to be, they are just being swished back and forth and thus are not being cleaned as they were.  I've read through the maintenance manuals but can't really see what might be causing the problem.  Any suggestions?  Thanks in advance.

[blondejon]

What's your model#?  I'm not as familiar with Maytag (I'm getting there.)  as I am with Whrilpool, but if your agitator has two parts, your agitator dogs may be bad or got broken when you removed the agitator.

[blondejon]

I have a Maytag agitator in my basement.  I was going to check it out to see how it's pieced together, but I can't get to it at this moment since my wife is painting the stairs down to the basement.      From diagrams it shows there are two parts, but it doesn't appear to have dogs like Whirlpool.

[whirlpooltech]

It would be helpful to post the model number.

[dltarrant]

Thank you for the feedback and any help is greatly appreciated.  The model number is PAV3200AWW.  As I recall, the fabric softener cup snaps off of the top of the agitator, then below is a long hollow chamber with a retainer screw and washer at the bottom (about 8 inches deep).  Upon removal of the retainer screw, the vertical section of the agitator snaps up off of the lower triangular shaped section.  The lower section, to my knowledge, has never been removed from the inside of the tub.  \
Thanks again for the advice.

[dltarrant]

Searching the model number for this machine, I found the following schematics.  I hope they help.

[dltarrant]

And this.

[blondejon]

Does part #1 in the diagram turn by hand only one way or both ways?  I got the agitator, but didn't get it apart yet to see how it works.  Yours should ratchet only one way, if it goes both ways, you may need a new agitator.  On a Whirlpool, and it should be the same for the Maytag, the one way ratcheting action pulls the clothes up rolling it from top to bottom. 

[dltarrant]

When part 1 snaps down onto part 14, they move together forward and backward about an inch.  I think it's supposed to move only one direction about an inch at a time, but it doesn't. That is the part that is swishing back and forth.

[dltarrant]

After an agitation cycle I can (looking from top down into the tub) move the agitator, very stiffly, one quarter of a turn clockwise, then it stops and locks up, like the brake has engaged and locked the movement. The agitator will not move at all counterclockwise, even before the brake engages.