Thread Number: 95352  /  Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
My new (to me) 2004 Maytag & how to unscrew/extract very rusty tub bolts? 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 1200089   2/24/2024 at 17:41 by norgechef (Saint George New Brunswick )        

Hi guys. I recently bought a used Home Depot exclusive Maytag Performa style washer. Model is HAV4657EWW. The H (HAV) instead of a P or M (PAV or MAV) at the beginning means they were sold only at Home Depot. Or so I’m told. The E at the end means it’s an Energy Star qualified model. All other Maytag washers made at the time (this is a late-2004 model) ended in AWW and not EWW, unless Energy Star qualified. It is decked out with all the bells and whistles, even a stain treat faucet & end-of-cycle signal. I also love the Soak Only cycle. It has Automatic Temperature Control too, but since it’s Energy Star ATC, it dumbs down the temperatures instead of boosting them, which is a bummer, but hot is still hot enough to get the job done. It ended up needing a new pump as the old one was loud and leaking. It’s running very well now after replacing the pump and belt.

I was quite sure that all of the TOL high-end Herrin/Performa and Atlantis washers had stainless steel tubs and so was quite surprised that with all of the other features, that this one did not have one. I had a TOL 2003 Atlantis years ago that had one, and when shopping for a new washer in late 2005 I remember the sales floor at Sears had Herrin/Performa style machines with stainless steel tubs. I went with a lower end model being on a budget at the time, not really **needing** the extra features so I ended up with a plastic tub model but I remember wishing it had the stainless steel tub as the plastic looked cheaper. Anyways, this brings me to my point…

I recently was checking online to see how much a new stainless tub would cost for this model as I wanted to swap out the plastic tub. Anyhow I ended up finding one and it was at a warehouse in Canada so I would not have to pay the duty/exchange and shipping import charges. I went ahead and bought it thinking when it got here, I’d simply get out a wrench and a socket and remove the old bolts, after all I’d never had any problems removing them before (even the rusty ones) on the other 4 Herrin/Atlantis platform machines I’ve had in the past, plus another 3-4 that I’ve worked on. The rest of this machine under the hood looks new for the most part as well, it’s got a small amount of rust, but no corrosion on anything, and certainly is much cleaner and less rusty than most I’ve had and worked on.

I had no indication of the horror that was waiting for me under the agitator. The bolts looked like blooming onions, and as I chipped away, pieces of the top, the sides, everything came off. The shape I’m left with isn’t much. At the top of the bolts there is some shape, but as you move down to where the washers would be it’s like they’re a single lumpy piece. So it’s very difficult to get a socket down onto the bolts, and impossible to keep one on. I had soaked them in a PB Blaster-like solution and left them overnight, still no go.

I have a friend who’s sort of a Jack of all trades coming to try and see if he can help me out tomorrow. His fear is the bolt head will simply snap off with the technique he plans on using. So my question for any of you who might know is…how the hell can I get these 4 bolts off WITHOUT having the heads snap off. I sort of need them to come out in one piece, or at least be able to get them out if they do snap off, since I will need to reuse the old spin hub they’re screwed into to screw the new basket bolts onto. Don’t worry, it comes with a new hub gasket/seal.

So I’m stuck with two options. Either leave the plastic tub alone, and just accept that I’ve wasted my money on this huge nice new tub, or find a way to get it off. I’ll be in quite a predicament however if I do get the bolts off, but they snap with the screw in the hub, and I have no way of getting them out of the hub. That would render the washer useless. So I really don’t know what to do. If anyone has any ideas please feel free to share! I’ll posts some pics below of what I’m dealing with…

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



Post# 1200776 , Reply# 1   3/4/2024 at 20:13 by dnastrau (Lords Valley, PA)        
Evaporust

 I would pick up some Evaporust and let those bolts soak overnight at least. It is a chelating agent that removes rust without damaging the underlying metal (unlike acids). After that, I would get the tightest fitting six point socket on there. Tapping and applying heat may help as well.

Good luck,

Andrew S.

Post# 1200822 , Reply# 2   3/5/2024 at 06:58 by me (Essex, UK)        

I've never tried the stuff, but you can get a freezing penetrating oil spray, the cold shock is supposed to help crack the rust and galling so that the oil penetrates.

It would make the plastic extremely brittle while it is cold though.


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