"P Boy" wrote in message
oups.com
James T. White,

Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions. I really
appreciate that.

If you don't mind, I have a few more questions.

1. Which model of Neptune do you have? Mine is MAH5500BWW and it looks
exactly like

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...APPL&ihtoken=1

1.a Is yours different?

Mine is the earlier model MAH3000AWW and was bought in 1999.

2. When did you purchase the original wash machine? I bought mine in
summer of 2001. I am still evaluating the possibility of replacing the
motor/board and trying estimate how long it will last after the
repair.

I have never noticed any mildew on my machine. I have also performed
all the board control tests and my "machine" control board seems to
work fine. It visually looks ok too. As of this writing, on my motor
control board, R34, R35, Q5, IC3, IC18 and the 10Amp fuse are damaged.
IC18 is the part that I can't find (well cheap) :-(

It has been a while and I can't find the receipt, but I think my
replacement motor control assembly cost less than $150, so you might
check the price for a whole replacement module. I bought mine from a
local (Houston, TX) parts distributor that sells to the trade.
Strangely enough I was referred there by a Maytag repair shop.

3. Do you know what might cause the "motor" control board to fail?

Other than poor design or a batch of bad parts, the only thing that I
can see that would make the MCB fail would be voltage spikes. That part
takes 120VAC directly off the mains so it is susceptible.

4. Have you noticed any other difference on your replacement part,
such as board layout, ICs, etc.?

The replacement boards looked identical (mounting and general component
layout, although I didn't do a detailed comparison.

5. I found from other thread that the replacement motor is quieter.
It's true on you case?

I didn't have to replace my motor. My motor checked OK with an ohmeter.
Three coils of equal resistance and no shorts from the coils to case
ground. I can't remember exactly how I checked the motor tachometer
circuitry but it seems like the repair sheet that came inside my machine
pretty well led me to replacing just the motor control board.

Thanks again,
P Boy

P.S. James Sweet, your technical information is much appreciated as
well. I will consider the 600V triac if I get this thing to work
again.

Mr. Sweet's advise appears sound. Just be sure that you check the
datasheets for both the TO-92 and TO-220 packages and get the pins in
the right places. Using a little higher wattage resistor might also
make some sense.

Good luck with your repairs and let us know how it turns out.

--
James T. White