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Thread Number: 78778
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Which washers and dryers are the easiest to work on? |
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Post# 1027655 3/21/2019 at 22:14 (1,859 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy  (Oak Park, MI) |
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| Post# 1027658 , Reply# 1 3/22/2019 at 03:30 (1,859 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c ) | ||
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Filter Flo GE. | ||
| Post# 1027663 , Reply# 2 3/22/2019 at 07:09 (1,859 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas) | ||
 I only have experience with working on two brands -- Whirlpool Direct Drive and a mid 60s Maytag. Both are very straight forward with plenty of online support to trouble shoot repairs. There are plenty of parts available for Whirlpool Direct Drives. With Maytag, it is hard to find parts for the older counterweight transmission, but they can be found with a little diligence. I have a GE Filter Flo sitting in the garage, waiting for some attention. Later in the Spring, I might start tinkering with it.
It took me a while to figure things out sometimes but nothing blew up! | ||
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Post# 1027664 , Reply# 3 3/22/2019 at 07:14 (1,859 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Easiest Washers To Work On. WP-KM DD Washers By a country mile, then WP-KM belt drive machines for the more common repairs, after this there are no really easy machines.
Maytag DC and Norge for minor repairs, both bad for transmission problems
GE FF for major repairs [ when you could still get new transmissions etc ] but not easy now.
All GM Frigidaire TL washers had very difficult service problems, although the 1-18s got better for many problems.
WH FL washers were always easy to work on, and they never built a TL washer worth fixing, LOL
John L. | ||
| Post# 1027670 , Reply# 4 3/22/2019 at 08:59 (1,859 days old) by DE409 (Maryland) | ||
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Older Maytag dryers are a breeze. I kept spares for common problems (blower wheels, belts) and most repairs could be done right in the laundry room from the front of the unit. | ||
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Post# 1027675 , Reply# 5 3/22/2019 at 10:30 (1,859 days old) by turquoisedude (.) |
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I'm with John - The Whirlpool/Kenmore/Inglis belt-drive washers are the easiest to work on (do feel free to remind me just how many times I had to go back to the '65 Lady K to make it spin... LOL). Norge machines are not as bad as I had feared and although I didn't have to do major repairs on it, that 60s Blackstone of mine is certainly easy, in that access to most components is from the front when the panel is removed.
Frigidaires kinda scare me - I've not had too much experience with them and I have Phil's knowledge to rely on. I've done a bit of work on GE's now, and I personally didn't find them all that easy to work with. Don't get me going about the older GE Combos... LOL As for dryers, Whirlpool/Kenmore/Inglis are the ones I've run into the least challenges with. The Maytags I used to own were reasonably easy to work on, too. GE dryers are my bane just because you have to really tear the things apart to get at the motor, for example. Not that I'm still stewing about the '57 and it's smoking motor... Ok, I am! LOL | ||
| Post# 1027677 , Reply# 6 3/22/2019 at 10:48 (1,859 days old) by delturner (USA) | ||
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The easiest ones are the ones you have a service contract on and can call someone else to fix! LOL | ||
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Post# 1027680 , Reply# 7 3/22/2019 at 11:03 (1,859 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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 I know I'll get bashed ... F&P toploaders are very easy to disassemble. Easier than a DD. The only tool needed is a Philips screwdriver, although needle-nose pliers can be helpful to detach the bias spring. No transmission, no spanner nut, the hose clamps are designed to be removable without a tool, and the older-style pump is bayonet-mounted to the tub so no tools needed on it. The newer SmartPump requires the aforementioned screwdriver. | ||
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Post# 1027726 , Reply# 8 3/22/2019 at 17:33 (1,858 days old) by rinso (Meridian Idaho) |
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Anything with an easily removed front panel for access. | ||
| Post# 1027730 , Reply# 9 3/22/2019 at 19:20 (1,858 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806) | ||
I’d have to go with Maytag. Maytags may not be the most exciting or most fun to watch, but Maytags are probably the easiest to work on, and have the fewest moving parts compared to all of the other machines of the era.
I now have HOH experience, and working on HOH dryers isn’t all that bad, but one thing I will say is if you have the tension too tight on the HOH dryer belts, but ther shaft will require a lot frequent service, and the air will “skip” over the heating element causing the hi limit thermostat to heat up and switch the heating element causing long dry times, and if the tension is too loose, the blower won’t pull enough air over the heating element causing the hi limit thermostat to switch off the heating element, and those observations won’t make sense, but I had to adjust the tension on the Maytag DE306 dryer I got awhile back to get it dry properly. WP/KM belt drive washers aren’t too bad, and the WP/KM 29” dryers aren’t bad either, but the lint trap plenum can clog up if the dryer gets a lot of use | ||
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Post# 1027736 , Reply# 11 3/22/2019 at 20:22 (1,858 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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MT HOH Dryer Service | ||
| Post# 1027741 , Reply# 12 3/22/2019 at 21:09 (1,858 days old) by Supersurgilator (Indiana) | ||
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I agree the Kenmore/whirlpool direct drives are easiest to work on. Not to many parts inside and everything is serviceable from the front once you get the cabinet off. Plus, its nice not to have any belts to worry about breaking or adjusting! | ||
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Post# 1027745 , Reply# 13 3/22/2019 at 21:29 (1,858 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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I think the first machine I took apart was my Suzie Homomaker washer-drier....with a simple Philips screwdriver...
I think I was in kindergarten when I got it for Xmas 1969...you know, a few years before YouTube finding a store that was open past 6 on a week night was a beYatch though if you needed those hard to find "D" batteries! not to mention trying to replace them if the machine was full of water.... thank goodness the matching blender was there with a pitcher full of Kool-Aid! changing the light bulb in that oven was no easy task either!... | ||
| Post# 1027760 , Reply# 14 3/22/2019 at 22:01 (1,858 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806) | ||
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Post# 1027784 , Reply# 15 3/23/2019 at 06:31 (1,858 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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MT HOH Dryer Service Good Morning Sean, Yes good point about something getting stuck over the lint filter causing the air flow to be restricted and causing the hi-limit to start tripping, that can happen.
But that can happen when small unusual loads are dried in many dryers, it is not possible to have the blower turning too fast unless you have modified the dryer by using a larger motor pulley.
Keep us posted, John | ||
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Post# 1027937 , Reply# 16 3/25/2019 at 05:25 (1,856 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN) |
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| Post# 1029294 , Reply# 18 4/8/2019 at 16:50 (1,841 days old) by candyd10_14x (London, United Kingdom) | ||
UK Hoover and Hotpoint (GEC).
Over in the UK, I'd say these 2 gems from 1978 and 1986 would be the easiest machines I have ever worked on. Hotpoint's (Model 9530A in this pic), you could do with your eyes closed. To change the bearings on these, the front panel comes off and you don't even need to remove the tub, it opens at the front with a removable ring and out comes the drum. The motor is mounted on the top of all Hotpoint FLs from 1973 - 2004, which makes for quick carbon brush changes.
Hoover A3060 - these are worked on and accessed from the rear due to the cabinet being a "wraparound" with no removable front. Completely gutted that machine and fitted the innards of an Aussie Electra to it with ease.
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