Maytag A608 slow spin and goes out of balance regularly

A new drivebelt will make little to no difference in spin speeds if the sliding motor carriage isn't up to par. This will be your main culprit. Overtime, the silicone dries out, the carriage tracks accumulate trash, and the 4 rollers wear out or break apart. Whirlpool recently killed off the 205000 motor carriage spring, glide, and silicone kit. Grab one while they're still available.

With both belts off, gently spin the water pump pulley by hand. It should turn smoothly with little effort.

Broken motor pulley: Twist the transmission/pump pulleys in opposite directions. If they move independently, you need a new motor pulley.

Adjustment of the pump belt is absolutely imperative here. The tighter the pump belt is adjusted, the looser to the transmission belt becomes. Most adjust too tight and this results in sluggish agitation, poor spin acceleration, poor spin speeds, and gives false indications of suds locking.

You'll have to pull the front cover and run a load of laundry to determine the out-of-balance issue. There are many circumstances that come into play here:

Be sure the machine is perfectly level. An unleveled washer will result in the inner tub being off center which will trip the the out of balance circuit.

Inner tub that got knocked out of balance. An empty tub should run smooth as silk during the spin cycle with no laundry. If it oscillates, the inner tub isn't properly centered.

Loose tub bolt on either side of one or more of the 3 tub braces. You'll generally hear a knocking sound during the spin cycle.

Suspension springs incorrectly tensioned during maintenance (damper pad replacement or lubing).

A broken suspension spring/anchor (highly unlikely).


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Post# 1133681 11/16/2021 at 12:38 (889 days old) by Jon (Dallas, TX)
Checkrate/Likes So my Mom has her Moms 1979 Maytag A608 washer and it’s at our summer vacation home so doesn’t get a lot of use except for 2-3 months out of the year. During the summer of 2020 and 2021 we noticed that if we wash a load of sheets and towels together the machine will often spin slowly and never quite get up to a full spin and also tends to go out of balance quite quickly. I have a similar machine an A490 and rarely have the issue with similar loads. I’m wondering what it could be. I’ve replaced the belts in the past. I think the slow spin is related to the unbalanced loads but when I do a similar load in my machine it does eventually get up to full speed and doesn’t trigger the out of balance switch. I am wondering if perhaps the tub springs are worn out and not holding the tub in place well enough? If so, can they be replaced. I think even the Newton models made up to 2005 use the same springs so maybe they are still available as replacement parts? But before I venture to do this I’m wondering if any Maytag experts can put their two cents in. I don’t want to replace this machine. My Grandmother bought it new and it has been very reliable for us and I replaced the belts once because they were worn out and had a chunk missing and another time the rubber hose from the tub to the pump cracked from age 3 years ago so I replaced that. The slow spinning now…even on other loads that may not go out of balance is becoming an issue (yes, it’s on regular action speed) as the clothes come out quite wet which then means more time in the electric dryer and electricity at the location of this hime is very expensive. For now I respin the load if I feel it’s too wet making sure it just wasn’t the out of balance timer switch that was triggered stopping the spin cycle. Since the machine is in the basement I usually just wait when I respin the load to monitor it. I use half a spring clothespin disassembled to override the lid switch so I can keep it open to monitor what’s going on. Jon

Post# 1133684 , Reply# 1 11/16/2021 at 13:34 (889 days old) by Jben (AL)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I don't have a vast experience with the old Maytags but have been using a A506 model. Those three tub springs sure seem stout to me, so I doubt they are causing your issue. Have you watched or checked to see if the two motor glides are free of dirt and lubed so that the motor can freely move? Also, let's make sure you are using OEM belts and not something you got at the discount auto parts store. I always clean where the belt rides on the pulleys with some acetone to remove any grease/grim on those surfaces. View Full Size

Post# 1133791 , Reply# 2 11/17/2021 at 15:20 (888 days old) by Jon (Dallas, TX)
Checkrate/Likes *Definitely genuine belts* I definitely bought genuine belts as this is the third machine I’ve replaced belts on and used the auto parts store belts on the first machine I replaced belts on way back in the late 80s and found out from the Maytag store that the genuine belts were required when I went there to buy replacement belts for the second machine in 2010….yes it was the last of the Maytag shops. I will need to check if the motor glides still move…there is a lot of rust down there from a bleach dispenser hose that was leaking for years unfortunately and would drip bleach right down on those parts. It will be a while before I will be at that house again, But I can tell you that when I checked how much slack was on the pump belt…it was quite a bit but I know there is supposed to be some for sure. I just can’t remember what the specs are for the slack offhand but I think it’s 1/2 inch gap when the belt is squeezed together? While other machines with less mileage on them may have stronger springs…if my springs are stretched out wouldn’t that cause my issue? Tub wobbles a lot with one set of queen sheets and two bath towels not those giant bath sheets. Way more than I think it should. Jon

Post# 1133815 , Reply# 3 11/17/2021 at 18:00 (888 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)
Checkrate/Likes 2 1/4" gap at center of the pump belt before the motor carriage begins to move. The machine is to be sitting in normal upright position, not leaning back, when checking the gap so as to not have any effect of the motor's weight on the movement.

Post# 1133910 , Reply# 4 11/18/2021 at 21:26 (887 days old) by qsd-dan (West)
Checkrate/Likes 1 A new drivebelt will make little to no difference in spin speeds if the sliding motor carriage isn't up to par. This will be your main culprit. Overtime, the silicone dries out, the carriage tracks accumulate trash, and the 4 rollers wear out or break apart. Whirlpool recently killed off the 205000 motor carriage spring, glide, and silicone kit. Grab one while they're still available. With both belts off, gently spin the water pump pulley by hand. It should turn smoothly with little effort. Broken motor pulley: Twist the transmission/pump pulleys in opposite directions. If they move independently, you need a new motor pulley. Adjustment of the pump belt is absolutely imperative here. The tighter the pump belt is adjusted, the looser to the transmission belt becomes. Most adjust too tight and this results in sluggish agitation, poor spin acceleration, poor spin speeds, and gives false indications of suds locking. You'll have to pull the front cover and run a load of laundry to determine the out-of-balance issue. There are many circumstances that come into play here: Be sure the machine is perfectly level. An unleveled washer will result in the inner tub being off center which will trip the the out of balance circuit. Inner tub that got knocked out of balance. An empty tub should run smooth as silk during the spin cycle with no laundry. If it oscillates, the inner tub isn't properly centered. Loose tub bolt on either side of one or more of the 3 tub braces. You'll generally hear a knocking sound during the spin cycle. Suspension springs incorrectly tensioned during maintenance (damper pad replacement or lubing). A broken suspension spring/anchor (highly unlikely).

Post# 1134002 , Reply# 5 11/19/2021 at 20:20 (886 days old) by Jon (Dallas, TX)
Checkrate/Likes *So…* I’ve checked several of the above earlier this year with the tub cover off. The machine spins beautifully with nothing in it so the inner tub likely isn’t out of balance. All of the springs are in tact and seem to be tight. The motor carriage may be a part of the culprit here. With the rust in the area, it may have frozen up. I’ll have to check that. I’ve noticed the same issue on my A490…but not as severe and there’s no rust and I think the motor carriage works fine, I’m wondering if the springs are stretching out on these machines as they get older. I’ll have to check the tension on the belts and the pulleys as well. Jon