Thread Number: 42812
Potential Maytag Center Dial Pair purchase - Yes or No?
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Post# 629598   10/5/2012 at 08:49 (4,192 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

tecnopolis's profile picture
I came across this pair for sale a week ago and noticed it hasn't been sold yet. i called the seller and he runs a lil thrift shop in the neighboring town.
I'm planning on making a trip to go see them in the flesh and wanted to know if anyone could give me some pointers on what to look for before I begin negotiations.
One thing already in their favor is that the gentleman will deliver them or no charge, which is half the battle.
I can tell that this is the larger capacity washer from the four water level buttons and a 2 speed.
They appear to have aluminum dials which I had not seen before.
I guess I need to know what model numbers they are and verify it's a genuine 2-speed and not a Fabrimatic. Suds return? Year built and is the Dryer an HOH or a SOH?
Any information to strengthen my bargaining power would be appreciated.
I also became a "Paid" member, so as not to discourage replies.
Thanks!





Post# 629601 , Reply# 1   10/5/2012 at 08:55 (4,192 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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I also asked him what that decal was over the dryer center dial and he said it said "Heavy Duty", which I've never seen before. Did someone place that on there to cover the pilot light that may have burned out? It's electric.

Post# 629603 , Reply# 2   10/5/2012 at 08:57 (4,192 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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The washer has 4 switches in the Temp selector area, is that last one a suds saver or extra rinse?


Post# 629604 , Reply# 3   10/5/2012 at 09:00 (4,192 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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Post# 629605 , Reply# 4   10/5/2012 at 09:01 (4,192 days old) by lebron (Minnesota)        

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Lol, I don't think being a non-paid member is going to discourage anyone from replying...

Go get these !! The cabinets alone look to be in beautiful shape


Post# 629607 , Reply# 5   10/5/2012 at 09:14 (4,192 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)        
Maytag

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The washer is 2 speed, not a suds saver. Likely an 806 or a 608, both fine machines.
The dryer is Stream of heat, much larger drum than Halo of Heat.

While they are both fine machines and Maytag runs forever with few repairs, here are some slight downsides you can use for bargaining purposes only, I'm not trying to pick on the machines at all.

Dryer----hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the timer has both automatic cycles and timed cycles. There are no buttons to choose extra dryness or low heat, though probably the dial has air-fluff. The drum is larger than HOH, thank God, but not as huge as Whirlpool/Kenmore from that era. The SOH Controls were known to run a bit too long, wasting some energy. It's electric instead of gas, pricier to operate.

Washer----the lint filter won't do much especially on half loads, there's no extra rinse, the bleach dispenser just runs into the tub and it isn't timed at all, the machine uses lots more water than modern ones, various parts are NLA officially, etc.

Having said all that, go get them, great machines, nice matched set, you'll be very happy. I'm just stating minor downsides for negotiations only, you'll likely get long-lasting, well built, great washing and drying tanks. Tons of parts are Ebay available even though many parts stores won't bother after 30 years, 35. They look mid-late 70's to me.

And I've never noticed any problem with lack of response to non-paying members. Occassionally a "one issue" new non-paying member may not yet know enough to really understand a good answer or ask a clear question, but that is a problem of time and experience, not dues.


Post# 629609 , Reply# 6   10/5/2012 at 09:22 (4,192 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

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The washer is a LA608 and the Dryer is a LDE309.

The four buttons on the left of the washer are:
1. hot wash/warm rinse
2. hot wash/cold rinse
3. warm wash/cold rinse
4. cold wash/cold rinse

A LA608S (suds-saver) would have had a 5 button switch on the left.
The suds model eliminated the hot/warm option and then added the "save suds" & "drain suds" buttons

The "Heavy-Duty" over the dryer control was a silly sales gimmick that Maytag used for a while in the later 70s. They would slap these stickers on trying to make their product seem competitive with other brands that had put "heavy-duty" in their control panel language.

Maytag had discontinued all pilot lights by about 1976. This dryer never had one.

The LDE309 was made from 1978-1980 and the A608 was made from 1976-1980. Since they really are a matched set, I'm guessing they are from that late 70s era.

From the pictures they look pretty clean but that doesn't mean much in terms of how they are mechanically. These are good machines and are relatively easy to fix and still quite easy to find parts for. I'd definitely go take a look at them.


Post# 629610 , Reply# 7   10/5/2012 at 09:23 (4,192 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)        
temps

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4 switches are

HW, HC, WC, CC

no suds, no extra rinse.

2 buttons for speed are Normal for wash and spin, or gentle for wash and spin. The upgrade had 4 buttons, you could select speed of wash independent of speed of spin.
And I don't believe the dryer has any polit light, they just threw the HEAVY DUTY stickers here and there, would not have purposely covered up any pilot lights.

You are correct, 4 buttons for water level means large tub, not samll, Also interior shots would reveal 4 slots down the agitator for filtering, not three, also proving large tub.

As stated earlier, go get 'em!


Post# 629612 , Reply# 8   10/5/2012 at 09:29 (4,192 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        
Good Luck! Nice looking machines.

It looks to me like a deep tub, 2 speed machine with 4 water temperatures settings: Hot/Warm, Hot/Cold, Warm/Cold & Cold/Cold and 4 water levels. I think the model would be 806. The dryer is the new design from the large door so it has larger capacity than the HOH machines.

I would take a paper towel and put it over two fingers and reach up under the front of the cabinet to see if there is any transmission oil there. It's not a fatal flaw, but if it's there, I would certainly see a good bargaining point for the price. Given that you are in FL, pull the lint filter out of the agitator to see how mineraled up it is. That will give you an idea of how it was cared for. Also, if there are mineral deposits, you might expect to have to change the air gap/fill injector at some point because if minerals build up on that, it can start diffusing the fill stream and making a leak. As good as these look, they probably did not die from heavy service or abuse and are just being replaced by a high efficiency machine. You do realize that these are not really large capacity machines, especially the washer. They are good, durable machines. I still use my Maytags some.


Post# 629618 , Reply# 9   10/5/2012 at 10:04 (4,191 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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Guys,
Thanks so much for giving me some much needed insight into this lovely pair. And quickly too!




Post# 629622 , Reply# 10   10/5/2012 at 10:24 (4,191 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

revvinkevin's profile picture

 

 

Mark (Kenmore71) is right, this washer is a 608.   The next model up (TOL) is the 806.  

 

The added features of the 806: the fluorescent lit control panel and seperate wash and spin speed adjustments.

 

Yes they look like a great pair, you won't be sorry!

 

Kevin


Post# 629626 , Reply# 11   10/5/2012 at 11:04 (4,191 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia )        

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Yeah - you low life, you better contribute. LOL!

if I had answers for you, I'd give them w/o condition of contribution. You've helped others here, and with a sense of humor, that I happen to appreciate (ok, we can't please all the people all the time).

Anyway- Good luck with those, they look great from this perspective.


Post# 629629 , Reply# 12   10/5/2012 at 11:40 (4,191 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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I'm sure I've been filling up Roberts monthly bandwidth limits with my "media rich' content on the site, so I didn't have much objection to contributing now that my financial situation has changed for the better.
I have been a member here since well before 2002 and never realized how much easier it is to navigate the site with the upgrade.
Especially important to me is the access to the other forums which also hold valuable information.
Seriously, where else am I going to get this kind of access to the vast knowledge base for $12 a year?
Jus sayin!



Post# 629630 , Reply# 13   10/5/2012 at 11:48 (4,191 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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I'm also interested in attending my first "Wash-in". Do you think the airlines will let me check in my Maytag's as carry on?

Post# 629633 , Reply# 14   10/5/2012 at 12:02 (4,191 days old) by oldskool (Kansas City, MO)        
Great DD

They're both good machines and as accurately noted, they're not as large as the WP/KM comparisons of that era, but never the less, great machines. The pictured dryer is electric - don't know if that makes any difference for you? I have 3 sets of 806s and love them all. I prefer the Maytag dryers over their WP/KM counterparts as they're quieter, less lint flying around the room (it seems that I always have more lint airborne with the WP/KM machines - maybe just me, and my limited observation. Sturdy, well built equipment. Would likely give you good service for years to come.

Post# 629642 , Reply# 15   10/5/2012 at 12:45 (4,191 days old) by Kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)        
A few notes/thoughts

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Mark / Kenmore71 says "From the pictures they look pretty clean but that doesn't mean much in terms of how they are mechanically." Wow is that ever true. In 1991 I had a beautiful 1977 Kenmore 80 washer, in a beautiful, lustrous Coffee color, that my buddy had rescued as part of our deal to decommission the compactor at the Sears distribution warehouse. I all too easily snatched up that machine, and took it home. It was pristine - you could have served food off of it pratically, if not for the finger prints on it from the delivery and dock guys. Well....not the same underneath. The pump was leaking, and had been, it had a white detergent trail on it. The belt was so well used that its cords had come separated and it was running around almost as three separate belts. Parts of the little cogs/teeth from the belt were everywhere. Upon further testing, the timer had dead spots galore - I don't know how it ran a full automatic cycle.

So, I re-sealed the tub, gave it the new pump, new belt, spin tube seals, etc. and got it all nicely buttoned up, cleaned and spiffed, etc. I paid probably close to $80 for a new FSP timer, and I felt like I had a winner of a machine which I could sell for about $150. Not a great profit, but for a guy with a hobby who wasn't running a real business, it was fine. Saving the machine was part of the program anyway.

Well, in running it after all the new installations, I was just letting it idle then spin, while I cleaned up my tools and debris from the work. I decide to look at the goings on from the service panel area. I got down on the floor, face about four or five inches from the motor. All of a sudden, the motor starts to make a buzzing sound, like a leaf has gotten into the fan, etc. That got louder about three or four seconds later, and became a rubbing grind sound. That got much louder, like rubbing a brick on a concrete driveway, then POP and a BANG! The motor locked up with no slow-down. I still remember the whole machine echoing the vibrations and the sudden stop. All I heard then was the motor humming - the armature had broken because the worn motor was not "used" to a snug new belt.

Within a week the Sears pile coughed up (sorry Andy, using your great terminology) a willing motor to transplant, but that was one VERY WELL USED UP machine that looked great, but probably had 400k miles on it.


Also, while the comment may be wholly true about the non-timed bleach dispenser (Sears called those 'direct in' dispensers), by the late 1970s, not very many machines had timed bleach dispensers anymore, not like they had a decade earlier. This was due to their cost --- a hose and a dispenser bezel are a lot cheaper than the mechanicals that go with an electric dispenser. In Kenmores by this time, only perhaps the top two machines in line would have had a mechanical dispenser.

GREAT looking Maytags though! Sometimes you just have to follow your gut and buy a machine or a pair of machines, and cross your fingers!

Gordon


Post# 629643 , Reply# 16   10/5/2012 at 12:49 (4,191 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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Found this picture in the archives. So this is what the dryer facia looks like without that silly "Heavy Duty" sticker on it? If I end up with them, this will be the first thing that goes.

Post# 629644 , Reply# 17   10/5/2012 at 12:51 (4,191 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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Close up of the archived dryer timer dial.
From what I've read the Automatic cycle is that of the thermistor type.


Post# 629649 , Reply# 18   10/5/2012 at 13:10 (4,191 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)        

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Great story, Gordon!

 

 Nice Maytags, you won't be disappointed.


Post# 629661 , Reply# 19   10/5/2012 at 14:11 (4,191 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

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Alex, actually technically speaking the drying control on that dryer is "thermostatically-contolled".

A thermistor is a sensing device in which the electrical resistance changes with temperature. To my knowledge, thermistors were not used with any regularity in home appliances until the advent of completely electronically controlled appliances in the mid-to-late 1990s.

Since I think this best explained by Maytag itself, here are three pages from the "Big-load" service manual explaining the three types of controls that Maytag used in their dryers.

You have the second type, what they call "auto-dry control".


Post# 629662 , Reply# 20   10/5/2012 at 14:12 (4,191 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

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page 2

Post# 629663 , Reply# 21   10/5/2012 at 14:13 (4,191 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

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page 3 finished talking about "auto-dry" and then explains "electronic control"

Post# 629666 , Reply# 22   10/5/2012 at 14:37 (4,191 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)        
Not to steal anyone's thunder

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This is a great opportunity to remind y'all that I have a similar pair that I'd love to re-home.  Mine are white, the washer is standard capacity with the same features as this washer, and the dryer is gas with a choice of temperatures (regular vs delicate).  The ONLY problem I am aware of is I believe the washer needs new damper pads (based on earlier threads in this forum).  The price is negotiable.

 

lawrence


Post# 629758 , Reply# 23   10/6/2012 at 02:33 (4,191 days old) by qsd-dan (West)        

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The SOH Controls were known to run a bit too long, wasting some energy.

SmiliesFTW.com

My DE808 operates exactly like all of my moisture sensing HOH's. Hell, the HDE808 will finish drying an average load of clothes into or before the final spin of the up and coming load from the 806 washer. My '81 Kenmore gasser takes dry 20-30 minutes AFTER the washer has finished. Been like that since new.

It's electric instead of gas, pricier to operate.

Depends on the location. Some areas actually have some pretty darn cheap electrical rates. Where I live certainly isn't one of them. Funny thing though is that my PG&E  bill doesn't change when I exclusively use the DE-808 dryer vs the Kenmore gasser. It's probably because the Maytag drys so much faster. I was pretty surprised by that!

The drum is larger than HOH, thank God, but not as huge as Whirlpool/Kenmore from that era.

Don't let the drum size fool ya. Anything that can be jammed into a tall tub Maytag washer and rolls over WILL easily fit and dry just fine in an HOH. Actually, my HOH's dry bulky loads that I wouldn't even TRY to fit in a tall tub Maytag (such as bulky comforters) faster than the SOH. It's due to the Halo heating element and air flow design. Also, items don't roll up into a ball in the HOH's like they do in the bigger SOH drum. There are 3 large sensors attached to the baffles and placed in the path of clothes on the HOH's, which is better and more accurate performing design than the single small sensor attached by the filter on the SOH's. All of my bulky loads pass by the Kenmore and SOH's and go straight into my electronic controlled HOH's.


Post# 629776 , Reply# 24   10/6/2012 at 04:51 (4,191 days old) by alr2903 (TN)        

My washer had that silly cheap "heavy duty" sticker also,  it's now stuck to the back of the instruction book.  alr


Post# 629800 , Reply# 25   10/6/2012 at 09:43 (4,190 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 629837 , Reply# 26   10/6/2012 at 14:47 (4,190 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        

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You'd think it would have been common knowledge that Maytag didn't know how to build anything that wasn't heavy duty.

 

Good to know those ridiculous stickers won't take off the paint when they're removed.


Post# 631904 , Reply# 27   10/15/2012 at 18:43 (4,181 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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Well, all for naught! They were SOLD, and not to me!


Post# 631913 , Reply# 28   10/15/2012 at 19:14 (4,181 days old) by qsd-dan (West)        
Well, all for naught! They were SOLD, and not to me!

qsd-dan's profile picture
Not to worry. These machines pop up faster than weeds during the spring.

Another set will most definitely come around.


Post# 631936 , Reply# 29   10/15/2012 at 21:10 (4,181 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        
These machines pop up faster than weeds during the spring.

tecnopolis's profile picture

You are soo right!

I really want a Halo of heat model, not concerned about capacity issues, or lack thereof,  strictly for the kewl way it was designed. Especially luv those paddle sensors.  A lit console wouldn't hurt either.  

He sold them for $175. They must have been just as nice in person as they did in the photos because they went alot faster than the last pair of center dials listed on CL.

I spoke to him today and he's got a filter-flo and an Amana/Alliance Electric dryer with the stainless interior I wanted to take a look at. Never know what could happen.

 


Post# 633501 , Reply# 30   10/22/2012 at 19:03 (4,174 days old) by bpetersxx (laf in on the banks of the Wabash River)        

bpetersxx's profile picture
Sorry about the blurr

Oh the joys of a console light


This is a 806s one step up from a 608 606


Post# 633560 , Reply# 31   10/22/2012 at 21:50 (4,174 days old) by AutoWasherFreak ()        

Great set of Maytags. I love my Maytag washer, it's one of the best washers I've ever owned.


Post# 633959 , Reply# 32   10/24/2012 at 12:59 (4,172 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)        
UPGRADE....

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no one has to UPGRADE to get help here, we love offering, and getting the advice we need....

it does seem to tick a number of members for some of the people signing in, barely filling out their profile, and then expecting help.....especially when their only here to get a price quote for a rusted wringer that they think is worth GOLD, that their trying to sell......think reality, people!.....we are thankful for ones who post that they have a vintage machine, and someone here may be interested in....thinking their gonna get rich because we collect such items, your in the wrong boat!

I for one, am glad for this site and its members....the whole idea is getting lost in a hobby we enjoy....it does not matter if your a paid member or not.....if your using this site for other purposes, your missing out on a hell of a lot!...

sorry for the rant....its just something that is talked about outside of these walls.....and should be addressed


Post# 633969 , Reply# 33   10/24/2012 at 13:21 (4,172 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)        
Heavy Duty decals

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Asmost of us here know, HEAVY DUTY was a term Westinghouse began using as a selling point for their Laundromat washers. Maytag began sending decals to stores to peal and stick to their larger capacity washers anddryers to try and compete with the rest. I remember back in 1971 going to Luskin.s and seeing their replacing a pile of the strips on yhe counter demanding that Jack stop throwing them away and place them on the product instead.


Post# 633970 , Reply# 34   10/24/2012 at 13:22 (4,172 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)        
Heavy Duty decals

laundromat's profile picture

Asmost of us here know, HEAVY DUTY was a term Westinghouse began using as a selling point for their Laundromat washers. Maytag began sending decals to stores to peal and stick to their larger capacity washers anddryers to try and compete with the rest. I remember back in 1971 going to Luskin.s and seeing their replacing a pile of the strips on yhe counter demanding that Jack stop throwing them away and place them on the product instead.


Post# 634205 , Reply# 35   10/25/2012 at 12:58 (4,171 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)        

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Whirlpool and Frigidaire also used "HEAVY DUTY" in the seventies. Whirlpool had it stamped on some of it's washer and dryer handles (large capacity models?).

 Strangely, (or maybe not!) Frigidaire wrote "HEAVY DUTY" on all their 27" washer consoles in the mid seventies, but not on any of their matching dryers... 


Post# 634230 , Reply# 36   10/25/2012 at 15:05 (4,171 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)        

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TOO many machines sported the HEAVY DUTY label, of which salesmen claimed these machines were built better, with heavier suspensions, bigger motors, more solid trannies and such......

Can anyone tell the difference between a regular machine, and one that is Heavy Duty?......no such thing, their all the same



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