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Thread Number: 62416
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Maytag A308 Weak agitation, slowing spin? |
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| Post# 850040 , Reply# 1 11/5/2015 at 22:51 (3,086 days old) by cfz2882 (Belle Fourche,SD) | ||
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belt tension check the motor glides/rollers and tension spring to make sure the belt is being pulled tight enough. | ||
Post# 850119 , Reply# 3 11/6/2015 at 10:45 (3,086 days old) by combo52  (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Slow Agitating MT Make sure the pump belt is very LOOSE, if it is even slightly tensioned it pulls tension off the main drive belt and it will slip. You can even try taking the pump belt off the machine next time you start a load agitating and see if the agitation works better.
If you have the proper LOOSE pump belt tension and still have sluggish agitation you probably have a top transmission shaft that is getting tight and need a new transmission. This is the most common reason that MT washers of this age get junked. | ||
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Post# 850132 , Reply# 4 11/6/2015 at 13:35 (3,086 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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 As I recall, proper belt tension is 1/4" space without causing the motor to move against the springs when pinching the pump belt halfway between the motor and pump pulleys. The motor weight tends to fall against the springs when the machine is leaned back for access beneath to pinch the belt so be aware of that effect. | ||
| Post# 850173 , Reply# 5 11/6/2015 at 19:11 (3,085 days old) by Dustin92 (Jackson, MI) | ||
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I will check it all out tomorrow, it actually worked better with the original belts, but it seemed great for 4 or 5 loads after installing the new ones, then started going downhill. | ||
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Post# 850175 , Reply# 6 11/6/2015 at 19:28 (3,085 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Post# 850192 , Reply# 8 11/6/2015 at 22:02 (3,085 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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Yeah, many years ago I changed out the belt on our HA206 because it was loose. The new genuine Maytag belt didn't fit any better and performance was the same. I didn't know then that they're supposed to be a loose fit when not under any load.
The washer was doing something similar to yours, but not as pronounced and only when the ambient temperatures were fairly cool during the winter, since the machine was in the garage. If you can cope with this issue through the winter, you may find the washer will work fine once things warm up again. | ||
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Post# 850204 , Reply# 10 11/6/2015 at 22:41 (3,085 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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You can get a product to help a glazed belt grip better, usually at auto parts stores. Look for something called "belt grip" or "slip stick" that comes in applicator form like lip balm, not an aerosol spray.
When our DG806 dryer suffered a bearing failure, we bought a used 806 pair from a local used appliance guy. The washer was doing exactly what yours is, and the guy didn't offer to fix it so he gave us our money back. Clearly, he didn't even test the thing out correctly before putting it on his sales floor.
At that point, we abandoned plans to replace our standard sized vintage Maytags with bigger ones, and bought a brand new Amana pair. That was in 1997 when Raytheon was still producing them. We had no idea what a mistake we were making. | ||
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Post# 850205 , Reply# 11 11/6/2015 at 22:51 (3,085 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Post# 850267 , Reply# 12 11/7/2015 at 06:55 (3,085 days old) by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Two belt Maytag washers
I would not put anything on the belt to make a grip this is not a place for belt dressing.
It is also generally a waste of time and money to change belts that look fine it's not going to make a machine work any better. A helical Dr., Maytag will generally never wear out a pump belt that's just a complete waste to change. | ||
| Post# 850277 , Reply# 13 11/7/2015 at 07:51 (3,085 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
Reinforcing what's already said:
Maytag belts cannot be substituted. Their design is very specific.
Below about 60F it is normal for a Maytag to agitate sluggishly for several minutes. The motor slides must be very free to move. Replacing springs should not be necessary but anecdotally some users do. Any degree of rust on the springs dramatically alters their intended tension so do replace corroded springs. | ||
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