I have been dreading a Maytag transmission leak...

It sounds like the o-ring in the tranny drive shaft (below the tranny). This is the most common cause of oil under the machine. They can "dribble on themselves" for years and still work fine. There is quite bit of very heavy-bodied oil in the tranny and I've never seen one that dumped it all out on the floor. A few drips of oil slung all over by the pulley can look like a Valdez oil slick, but it's really not that much. I've only ever seen one Maytag washer that had a catastrophic oil mess in the tub - but this was quite common for Norges, all through the years! The plastic housing trannys in the GE filterflo washers from the 80's & 90's had a terrible habit of dumping their oil on the floor, and that was a lot of oil!

When you see oil inside the cabinet of a Maytag, what that usually indicates is a bad water seal that is allowing water/moisture to get into the oil - water is heavier than oil and will force the oil out - usually very slowly as the seal rarely fails completely. Another good indication that this is the problem is that the machine will come up to speed very slowly as the moisture has or is causing the oil to become heavy and more solid which takes longer to warm up and regain some of it's viscosity. Later Maytag transmissions had a better seal in the very bottom of the drive-shaft which solved the problem of oil drippage from the bad shaft o-ring. These are not interchangeable with the earlier transmissions as the shafts were slightly different lengths. Some have had luck with forcing the newer seal parts into the end of the earlier shafts, but it's not recommended by Maytag, of course, but we can't always follow to the letter when working with machines that have "outlived their useful lives" according to their creators ;-)

The Maytag tub bearings are specific sleeve bearings impregnated into a rubber "hub" and are only available through Maytag. I'm not sure about the center o-ring seals (there are two - but it's usually the lower one that gives trouble) but I seem to recall that someone was trying to duplicate them and had some trouble coming up with the correct ones from the hardware store. There is a special tool for inserting the o-ring into the indent inside the shaft, but I think it can be re-created with bent wire too. The tricky part is pushing the drive shaft with the helix end past the delicate surface of the new o-ring without damaging it.


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Post# 258699 1/8/2008 at 20:22 (5,949 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH)
Checkrate/Likes Well, it finally happened, the transmission on my Maytag A208 has sprung a leak. It is not spraying oil all over the inside of the cabinet, but the pulley below the transmission is pretty oily, and there is evidence of it slinging oil around the underside of the machine during operation. Does anyone know what seal has failed, what part number it is, how much it costs, and (shudder) how difficult is this going to be to fix? Also, how much of what kind of oil should I use to refill the transmission, and where do I put it in? I am going to loan the machine to a friend for a while because I am trying to move to Boston and don't expect to have room for it for quite some time (Boston's expensive). I just don't want to loan it to him with a leaky transmission. He's offered to come and help with the repair, but neither one of us has ever worked on anything like this before. The most I have ever done is defeat the lid switch and replace the belts. Any advice from y'all, especially instructions, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a million, Dave

Post# 258709 , Reply# 1 1/8/2008 at 20:56 (5,949 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY)
Checkrate/Likes According to info given to GadgetGary. It's a tranny leak. It is normal and expected. "Let it ride." Doesn't pay to fix and the machine can work for decades afterwards. What say you GadgetBoy?

Post# 258711 , Reply# 2 1/8/2008 at 20:59 (5,949 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT)
Checkrate/Likes *Exactly what I have been told* Does it look anything like this???

Post# 258714 , Reply# 3 1/8/2008 at 21:00 (5,949 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT)
Checkrate/Likes *It was throwing oil out around the cabinet* Here is a pic of the front of the inside of the cabinet when we removed it

Post# 258715 , Reply# 4 1/8/2008 at 21:02 (5,949 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT)
Checkrate/Likes *A close-up pic* Machine works like a charm

Post# 258727 , Reply# 5 1/8/2008 at 21:39 (5,949 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *Not like that.* Nope, the inside of the cabinet is just fine and clean. It's the underside, with the pulleys that's the problem. All the "goop" seems to radiate out from the "goop-encrusted" pulley beneath the transmission. If you reach under the machine, the first thing you touch is yuck city! The machine runs just fine, although there is a little knocking noise when the agitation starts. Also, the last time I ran it, it was a bit sluggish to get up to spin speed. Just to give some background: I got this machine for $10.00 from the Goodwill in Savannah, GA. It was in their scrap line because they just scrapped all the machines that were beyond a few years old, apparently. I replaced the belts (the old ones squeaked a little) and I defeated that pesky safety switch. I then used it at my home in Savannah as my only washer for a few months (I never let it go off balance). While I used it regularly, it never once broke down, and was pretty much the best washer I have ever used. I lost my job in Savannah and had to move to Virginia with my folks who really REALLY hate all vintage appliances. Right now the washer lives in the garage, so I only run it when the temperature has been above about 60 degrees for a few days. I haven't run it since early November because it has been too cold, and I don't want there to be any water in it to freeze and crack the pump. It's tough to live this way, only being able to run it when the folks aren't home, with no hot water connection, and having to drain it into a leaky trash can. Still, it outperforms the GE Adora inside the house. I love this machine! Dave

Post# 258728 , Reply# 6 1/8/2008 at 21:45 (5,949 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Leak Understood* My other Maytag(A712) takes a couple minutes to get up to speed, but then works perfectly with no oil leak. It too has that 'knocking' noise in the first minute before it gets up to speed.

Post# 258730 , Reply# 7 1/8/2008 at 21:51 (5,949 days old) by mayfan69 (Brisbane Queensland Australia)
Checkrate/Likes *Sounds like an "O ring" in the Transmission* Hi Dave, The problem you have sounds like a faulty "O ring" which is in the centre shaft column of the transmission itself. To replace it means completely pulling apart the transmission. If the machine is still working fine, it may pay to keep it going...the Maytag experts may have other thoughts. Ive currently got 3 good transmissions like these from machines ive pulled apart, including a brand new one never used, so when any of my Simpson or Wilkins Servis machines that have the similar transmission set up die, i'll just replace the entire transmission: maybe if you can find another similar machine, you could pull it apart for the transmission?? Just a thought... Cheers Leon

Post# 258737 , Reply# 8 1/8/2008 at 22:32 (5,949 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *I'm not afraid of my transmission.* If this were the transmission on my Volvo, this would be another matter, but with good instructions and warnings of any special tools required, I think I have the tools to do this job. Regardless of how slow the leak is, I want to look very seriously at fixing this. The machine will be put back into use as a daily driver and I don't want any problems. If I fix it now, while I can get parts, it will mean that I won't have to mess with my transmission again for a few more decades. I know some wonderful machines are real Rube Goldberg devices beneath the skin, but Maytags seem to be pretty straightforward. How tough could it be? Other famous last words include: "hey everybody watch this," "what's the worst thing that could happen," and "don't worry about it, it's just a small leak." The can of worms is now open for business, Dave

Post# 258740 , Reply# 9 1/8/2008 at 22:41 (5,949 days old) by mayfan69 (Brisbane Queensland Australia)
Checkrate/Likes *You're right: fairly straighforward.* Hey Dave, You are right: I have 2 repair manuals for these machines and the instructions are good. You'll need the spanner tool to get the tub seal off and the O ring is still available to buy as far as i am aware. If you are going to do it, then you'll need a new top seal kit and you might even think of replacing the tub bearing too, plus you'll need new transmission oil, which we can't get here in Oz. Cheers Leon

Post# 258741 , Reply# 10 1/8/2008 at 22:51 (5,949 days old) by nasadowsk ()
Checkrate/Likes If it's a standard sized O ring, you should be able to get it anywhere....forever... Some seals and stuff like that are standard size items too. Ditto for bearings. Makes no sense to have a custom size o ring/bearing/seal when a normal one will do...

Post# 258786 , Reply# 11 1/9/2008 at 09:46 (5,948 days old) by bobbyderegis (Boston)
Checkrate/Likes Dave: The brake has oil in it, too. Normally the pulleys can get gunked up if the machine was tipped. When you tip the machine, you should see a bit of oil pooling on the underside of the brake, just below the pulley. I would clean up the oil on the pulley, replace the belts, and grease the pinion (under the black rubber cap). You should be fine. Let us know when you get to Boston, we'll add you to the local group. Bobby in Boston

Post# 258826 , Reply# 12 1/9/2008 at 13:00 (5,948 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)
Checkrate/Likes It sounds like the o-ring in the tranny drive shaft (below the tranny). This is the most common cause of oil under the machine. They can "dribble on themselves" for years and still work fine. There is quite bit of very heavy-bodied oil in the tranny and I've never seen one that dumped it all out on the floor. A few drips of oil slung all over by the pulley can look like a Valdez oil slick, but it's really not that much. I've only ever seen one Maytag washer that had a catastrophic oil mess in the tub - but this was quite common for Norges, all through the years! The plastic housing trannys in the GE filterflo washers from the 80's & 90's had a terrible habit of dumping their oil on the floor, and that was a lot of oil! When you see oil inside the cabinet of a Maytag, what that usually indicates is a bad water seal that is allowing water/moisture to get into the oil - water is heavier than oil and will force the oil out - usually very slowly as the seal rarely fails completely. Another good indication that this is the problem is that the machine will come up to speed very slowly as the moisture has or is causing the oil to become heavy and more solid which takes longer to warm up and regain some of it's viscosity. Later Maytag transmissions had a better seal in the very bottom of the drive-shaft which solved the problem of oil drippage from the bad shaft o-ring. These are not interchangeable with the earlier transmissions as the shafts were slightly different lengths. Some have had luck with forcing the newer seal parts into the end of the earlier shafts, but it's not recommended by Maytag, of course, but we can't always follow to the letter when working with machines that have "outlived their useful lives" according to their creators ;-) The Maytag tub bearings are specific sleeve bearings impregnated into a rubber "hub" and are only available through Maytag. I'm not sure about the center o-ring seals (there are two - but it's usually the lower one that gives trouble) but I seem to recall that someone was trying to duplicate them and had some trouble coming up with the correct ones from the hardware store. There is a special tool for inserting the o-ring into the indent inside the shaft, but I think it can be re-created with bent wire too. The tricky part is pushing the drive shaft with the helix end past the delicate surface of the new o-ring without damaging it.