Maytag 606 leak!

Ok, now here's the deal.

I think we fixed it, and we gave the motor springs and everything else a good lubing with white lithium grease, and I hope that with this repair means we can get a few more years out of this baby. We have a piece of cardboard underneath it to check for signs of oil dripping from the transmission, and in addition to that now we'll use it to check for any tiny water leaks!

I know that combo52 suggested looking for a replacement tub, but in all honesty taking a look under the hood at this thing, I think it's beyond that. This thing is a giant rustbucket ... there's rust all over the place! The doors are rusting on the inside, the whole chassis is rusting, all the parts are rusting. Here's some pics. It was always like this for as long as we've had it. And the outside ain't the prettiest, either -- half of the buttons are yellowed. We finally tried soaking one in hydrogen peroxide and that didn't fix it (there's a site somewhere for old computer parts that talks about some formula based on HO2 that's supposed to take the yellow out of old plastic if you soak it overnight). There's some water stains on the finish, and some chipping on the faceboard. And as an A606 it's the low end model -- no lights or extra fancy switches. I know that if you brought them to the Automatic Washer beauty contest, they wouldn't ever be a 9 or a 10. They might not even be a 7.

But, darn it, this set is *ours*. It was our first "save" of a nice retro washer and dryer, they had been abused in a cobwebby old house and we jumped on fixing them, paid practically nothing for them, and we've gotten somewhere around ten or more good years out of them. They fit right in back in the pink laundry room and they're our happy daily drivers.

So what we're hoping is that they last just long enough until we find a 9 or 10 worth replacing them with. We really love the look and feel of these Maytags, so maybe it would be the exact same models, or maybe the fancy models with the built-in lights -- definitely one with a good color that matches the house, like this coppertone does. Maybe turquoise or that avocado green that hubby is crazy for. He's also crazy for Lady Kenmore ... I'd be willing to make the switch. We both are big Maytag lovers. And maybe there's something else out there that we haven't even seen before that will be a great new daily driver. In any event, we're actively looking for the replacement set that we can keep clean and maintain and use it through the decades of our lives. Pretty much every estate sale we go to now we'll be looking in the laundry room!

Photos... < > Photo 1 of 5 View Full Size


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Post# 939013 5/17/2017 at 13:43 (2,529 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes Hi All, Just had something bad happen to our Maytag 606 washing machine, our daily driver. On the right side bottom, right up near the front, it's dripping! Everything has been working fine on it. The only thing that's happened with it lately is just yesterday we found a nice 60s laundry cabinet that fit perfectly (and snugly) between the washer and the wall. On the other side it's snug up against the laundry sink, so there's no left and right "give" at all. Could putting it so tight and snug have done something? Is there anything I can do to see what the problem is and fix it? Thanks, guys!!!

Post# 939014 , Reply# 1 5/17/2017 at 13:44 (2,529 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes I should add: it's only dripping when it's on, and it's coming down just on the right side up near the front. I checked the back lines and they're not leaking at all.

Post# 939015 , Reply# 2 5/17/2017 at 13:47 (2,529 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes Also ... I probably should add, it's leaking and dripping WATER, not oil!

Post# 939018 , Reply# 3 5/17/2017 at 14:20 (2,529 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)
Checkrate/Likes 1 front right corner is the location of the pump..... have you pulled the front off to confirm where exactly the water is coming from?

Post# 939019 , Reply# 4 5/17/2017 at 14:28 (2,529 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes Yogi, it was doing a load so I wanted to wait until it finished. I will do that right now. Thanks!

Post# 939350 , Reply# 5 5/19/2017 at 10:43 (2,527 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes Ok, I think it's good news and bad news! The hose is not super hard. It feels like a semi-stiff garden hose. I turned it on with the door open and saw that the leak is coming from the bottom of the tub right above where the hose connects to it. Can this area be patched? Or does it mean I have to replace the whole tub? Here's some pictures... while I'm biting my nails! Photos... < > Photo 1 of 3 View Full Size

Post# 939353 , Reply# 6 5/19/2017 at 11:06 (2,527 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes Hi Marie, you may be able to patch that area with two part plumbers epoxy that you mix together and apply like silly putty. It's usually best to do this from the inside of the outer tub by removing the wash basket. Sometimes you can get away with stopping the leak by patching it from the outside. Worth a try...

Post# 939378 , Reply# 7 5/19/2017 at 14:25 (2,527 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)
Checkrate/Likes Good luck, someone has already attempted a repair, and it looks like more signs of rust on the tub is evident.

Post# 939430 , Reply# 8 5/20/2017 at 00:12 (2,527 days old) by potatochips ( )
Checkrate/Likes Strange place for Maytags to leak!? Don't bite your nails too much, worst case the machine needs a new tub, which you can find from the right sized donor machine. But before that I would tear it apart and use the epoxy like Robert mentioned. Scrub the area good with a brass bristle brush and go to town! Good luck.

Post# 939554 , Reply# 9 5/20/2017 at 18:58 (2,526 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)
Checkrate/Likes 2 *Rusted MT Outer Tub* I would look for a better outer tub, these machines are not that rare yet.

Post# 939916 , Reply# 14 5/23/2017 at 18:15 (2,523 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)
Checkrate/Likes You can find another large tub Maytag, and change the cabinet, if ya need or want Coppertone. Not a bad job. Dryer gas, or electric? I have a few 806 sets that I could be persuaded to part with.

Post# 939894 , Reply# 10 5/23/2017 at 15:41 (2,523 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Update!* All right! After talking to you all on here and getting all this great advice (thanks!), and also calling Bob the great appliance fixit genius, we tackled it! Got a few tubes of RTV from the drug store, opened the front of this baby up, lightly sanded the bottom tub, the RTV'ed away! The stuff was stringy and goopy and hard to work with ... it took two applications two days in a row ... we even put it around the hose and the clamp and the connector ... and after letting it dry, we tried it, and it works! This was a bigger job than we've ever really done on our major appliances, and I do have to say that it was almost kind of fun! Just finished a second load today... View Full Size

Post# 939896 , Reply# 11 5/23/2017 at 15:54 (2,523 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes *More thoughts* Ok, now here's the deal. I think we fixed it, and we gave the motor springs and everything else a good lubing with white lithium grease, and I hope that with this repair means we can get a few more years out of this baby. We have a piece of cardboard underneath it to check for signs of oil dripping from the transmission, and in addition to that now we'll use it to check for any tiny water leaks! I know that combo52 suggested looking for a replacement tub, but in all honesty taking a look under the hood at this thing, I think it's beyond that. This thing is a giant rustbucket ... there's rust all over the place! The doors are rusting on the inside, the whole chassis is rusting, all the parts are rusting. Here's some pics. It was always like this for as long as we've had it. And the outside ain't the prettiest, either -- half of the buttons are yellowed. We finally tried soaking one in hydrogen peroxide and that didn't fix it (there's a site somewhere for old computer parts that talks about some formula based on HO2 that's supposed to take the yellow out of old plastic if you soak it overnight). There's some water stains on the finish, and some chipping on the faceboard. And as an A606 it's the low end model -- no lights or extra fancy switches. I know that if you brought them to the Automatic Washer beauty contest, they wouldn't ever be a 9 or a 10. They might not even be a 7. But, darn it, this set is ours. It was our first "save" of a nice retro washer and dryer, they had been abused in a cobwebby old house and we jumped on fixing them, paid practically nothing for them, and we've gotten somewhere around ten or more good years out of them. They fit right in back in the pink laundry room and they're our happy daily drivers. So what we're hoping is that they last just long enough until we find a 9 or 10 worth replacing them with. We really love the look and feel of these Maytags, so maybe it would be the exact same models, or maybe the fancy models with the built-in lights -- definitely one with a good color that matches the house, like this coppertone does. Maybe turquoise or that avocado green that hubby is crazy for. He's also crazy for Lady Kenmore ... I'd be willing to make the switch. We both are big Maytag lovers. And maybe there's something else out there that we haven't even seen before that will be a great new daily driver. In any event, we're actively looking for the replacement set that we can keep clean and maintain and use it through the decades of our lives. Pretty much every estate sale we go to now we'll be looking in the laundry room! Photos... < > Photo 1 of 5 View Full Size

Post# 939897 , Reply# 12 5/23/2017 at 15:56 (2,523 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes Here she is, happy and doing loads again! View Full Size

Post# 939900 , Reply# 13 5/23/2017 at 16:11 (2,523 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)
Checkrate/Likes *Nice Job!* Well, some of that rust is normal, and it all depends on where the machine was located. A damp basement would speed up the process, while a warm, relatively dry laundry room would deter it. I think your machine looks decent in the picture above. Regardless, when you have water and metal mixing, rust is bound to happen eventually. Your machine looks fine where it matters most, but you're wise to be searching for something in better cosmetic shape. The ultimate Maytag would be the 806 series, with lighted panel and most accommodating speed options (I'm not a fan of the all-pushbutton 906 types where the machine decides what's best). A Lady Kenmore is an entirely different animal and will offer a dizzying array of features and cycles, and a larger capacity tub than Maytag's biggest. Parts availability would probably be about the same for both (if it's feasible, hang onto your current machine as a potential donor), but keep in mind that the repair you just made didn't require pulling the washer out to fix it because on Maytags the access panel is on the front. On Kenmores, it's through the back, so the washer has to be moved out of its spot to access anything underneath.

Post# 940043 , Reply# 15 5/24/2017 at 13:34 (2,522 days old) by moderncleveland (Cleveland)
Checkrate/Likes Thanks, guys! I'm relieved to know that our baby isn't on its last legs like I'd feared, and we don't have to upgrade by next weekend or else ... it really is a joy to wash with, and I use it almost every day! I really have to track down that website that gave a peroxide formula for whitening old plastic. That would bump it up a notch cosmetically, for sure. Hey goatfarmer, what colors are your 806 sets? California Gold is nice, we love Cordoba Copper, the Turquoise is wonderful, but hubby & I agree that for our pink laundry room, Spanish Avocado is the best! I think we'll stick with Maytag here in the laundry room -- there isn't much room to be able to move it forward and operate from the back, so that's good to know about the Lady. If hubby wants her he'll have to make room in the basement. That's tricky in itself, because just about our whole basement has become a retro tiki bar. But somehow, I think we'll eventually work it all out ... Here's both in our set, happy at home! BTW, is this "Coppertone" or "Cordoba Copper"? I think I've seen Maytag ads using both names! View Full Size

Post# 940065 , Reply# 16 5/24/2017 at 17:13 (2,522 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)
Checkrate/Likes I have 2 sets in gold, one is an oddball set, that it is the HOH dryer, with the gold back on the console, and the washer is a suds saver. The other set has the blue background on the console. I have a blue console washer in white, and a gold console dryer in white, and a single blue console gold washer. Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size