Inspired by my recent success with this group in fixing my fridge, I'm
moving on to the next issue I'm facing... my washing machine. The
clothes come out soaking wet, so I have to wring them out before
putting them in the dryer, when then runs for hours.

Details:
Maytag Neptune front loading washing machine
Purchased by someone else circa Aug 99, so the motor is still under
the 10 yr warranty
Model # MAH4000AWW
Serial # 40279379WQ

Symptoms:
* clothes are still soaking. sometimes, after taking out the clothes,
there's a bit of standing water left. i don't mean that my clothes are
damp... i mean that something like my sweatshirt couldn't absorb any
*more* water.
* when I come back a couple weeks for my next washing, the machine
smells like stagnant water, so i pull the hose out of the drain pipe,
and bringing it lower than the machine, I let all the water out before
starting my next load.
* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure. i can hear it making noises
like it might be spinning, but it doesn't really sound like other
machines i've heard. perhaps if there's still water, it won't spin as
fast anyway...
* the clothes seem clean anyway, and not soapy. e.g. when i wring them
out, it's clean water that's running off.
* the hose is connected to a drain pipe that is about the height of
the machine, and there are no obvious kinks or anything. although, i
haven't pulled the machine all the way out of the recess for a closer
inspection.


So... it seems like the problem might be a faulty pump, but I can't
find any advice online to help me know for sure. I found the part for
sale online for ~40$, but i don't want to buy that if that's not the
problem... but if it is, can anybody reassure me that it's easy to do
the replacement myself?

any advice on how to figure out what the problem is???

On Mar 11, 12:52*am, nitroamos wrote:
Inspired by my recent success with this group in fixing my fridge, I'm
moving on to the next issue I'm facing... my washing machine. The
clothes come out soaking wet, so I have to wring them out before
putting them in the dryer, when then runs for hours.

Details:
Maytag Neptune front loading washing machine
Purchased by someone else circa Aug 99, so the motor is still under
the 10 yr warranty
Model # MAH4000AWW
Serial # 40279379WQ

Symptoms:
* clothes are still soaking. sometimes, after taking out the clothes,
there's a bit of standing water left. i don't mean that my clothes are
damp... i mean that something like my sweatshirt couldn't absorb any
*more* water.
* when I come back a couple weeks for my next washing, the machine
smells like stagnant water, so i pull the hose out of the drain pipe,
and bringing it lower than the machine, I let all the water out before
starting my next load.
* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure. i can hear it making noises
like it might be spinning, but it doesn't really sound like other
machines i've heard. perhaps if there's still water, it won't spin as
fast anyway...
* the clothes seem clean anyway, and not soapy. e.g. when i wring them
out, it's clean water that's running off.
* the hose is connected to a drain pipe that is about the height of
the machine, and there are no obvious kinks or anything. although, i
haven't pulled the machine all the way out of the recess for a closer
inspection.

So... it seems like the problem might be a faulty pump, but I can't
find any advice online to help me know for sure. I found the part for
sale online for ~40$, but i don't want to buy that if that's not the
problem... but if it is, can anybody reassure me that it's easy to do
the replacement myself?

any advice on how to figure out what the problem is???

I never had a dryer that needed to run for more than 45-50 minutes

nitroamos wrote:
Inspired by my recent success with this group in fixing my fridge, I'm
moving on to the next issue I'm facing... my washing machine. The
clothes come out soaking wet, so I have to wring them out before
putting them in the dryer, when then runs for hours.

Details:
Maytag Neptune front loading washing machine
Purchased by someone else circa Aug 99, so the motor is still under
the 10 yr warranty
Model # MAH4000AWW
Serial # 40279379WQ

Symptoms:
* clothes are still soaking. sometimes, after taking out the clothes,
there's a bit of standing water left. i don't mean that my clothes are
damp... i mean that something like my sweatshirt couldn't absorb any
*more* water.
* when I come back a couple weeks for my next washing, the machine
smells like stagnant water, so i pull the hose out of the drain pipe,
and bringing it lower than the machine, I let all the water out before
starting my next load.
* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure. i can hear it making noises
like it might be spinning, but it doesn't really sound like other
machines i've heard. perhaps if there's still water, it won't spin as
fast anyway...
* the clothes seem clean anyway, and not soapy. e.g. when i wring them
out, it's clean water that's running off.
* the hose is connected to a drain pipe that is about the height of
the machine, and there are no obvious kinks or anything. although, i
haven't pulled the machine all the way out of the recess for a closer
inspection.


So... it seems like the problem might be a faulty pump, but I can't
find any advice online to help me know for sure. I found the part for
sale online for ~40$, but i don't want to buy that if that's not the
problem... but if it is, can anybody reassure me that it's easy to do
the replacement myself?

any advice on how to figure out what the problem is???

Sounds more like a switch not turning on the pump during the spin/rinse
cycle.

You can open the door during the suspect time period by defeating the door
interlock switch - usually by poking something the size of a pencil into a
hole in the door frame.

On Mar 11, 7:38*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
nitroamos wrote:
Inspired by my recent success with this group in fixing my fridge, I'm
moving on to the next issue I'm facing... my washing machine. The
clothes come out soaking wet, so I have to wring them out before
putting them in the dryer, when then runs for hours.

Details:
Maytag Neptune front loading washing machine
Purchased by someone else circa Aug 99, so the motor is still under
the 10 yr warranty
Model # MAH4000AWW
Serial # 40279379WQ

Symptoms:
* clothes are still soaking. sometimes, after taking out the clothes,
there's a bit of standing water left. i don't mean that my clothes are
damp... i mean that something like my sweatshirt couldn't absorb any
*more* water.
* when I come back a couple weeks for my next washing, the machine
smells like stagnant water, so i pull the hose out of the drain pipe,
and bringing it lower than the machine, I let all the water out before
starting my next load.
* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure. i can hear it making noises
like it might be spinning, but it doesn't really sound like other
machines i've heard. perhaps if there's still water, it won't spin as
fast anyway...
* the clothes seem clean anyway, and not soapy. e.g. when i wring them
out, it's clean water that's running off.
* the hose is connected to a drain pipe that is about the height of
the machine, and there are no obvious kinks or anything. although, i
haven't pulled the machine all the way out of the recess for a closer
inspection.

So... it seems like the problem might be a faulty pump, but I can't
find any advice online to help me know for sure. I found the part for
sale online for ~40$, but i don't want to buy that if that's not the
problem... but if it is, can anybody reassure me that it's easy to do
the replacement myself?

any advice on how to figure out what the problem is???

Sounds more like a switch not turning on the pump during the spin/rinse
cycle.

You can open the door during the suspect time period by defeating the door
interlock switch - usually by poking something the size of a pencil into a
hole in the door frame.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

But its a front loader.

How *should* your washing machine work? What should it be doing and when
should it be doing this?

If you don't know the above, then you will not be able to figure out what is
not working!

You need to understand how these things work, then be able to test different
functions to find what is not working, then you can fix the problem.

Learn how electricity works.
Learn how to use electrical test equipment like a multimeter.
Learn how washing machines work.
Then you can learn to troubleshoot a washing machine.


"nitroamos" wrote in message
Inspired by my recent success with this group in fixing my fridge, I'm
moving on to the next issue I'm facing... my washing machine. The
clothes come out soaking wet, so I have to wring them out before
putting them in the dryer, when then runs for hours.

Details:
Maytag Neptune front loading washing machine
Purchased by someone else circa Aug 99, so the motor is still under
the 10 yr warranty
Model # MAH4000AWW
Serial # 40279379WQ

Symptoms:
* clothes are still soaking. sometimes, after taking out the clothes,
there's a bit of standing water left. i don't mean that my clothes are
damp... i mean that something like my sweatshirt couldn't absorb any
*more* water.
* when I come back a couple weeks for my next washing, the machine
smells like stagnant water, so i pull the hose out of the drain pipe,
and bringing it lower than the machine, I let all the water out before
starting my next load.
* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure. i can hear it making noises
like it might be spinning, but it doesn't really sound like other
machines i've heard. perhaps if there's still water, it won't spin as
fast anyway...
* the clothes seem clean anyway, and not soapy. e.g. when i wring them
out, it's clean water that's running off.
* the hose is connected to a drain pipe that is about the height of
the machine, and there are no obvious kinks or anything. although, i
haven't pulled the machine all the way out of the recess for a closer
inspection.


So... it seems like the problem might be a faulty pump, but I can't
find any advice online to help me know for sure. I found the part for
sale online for ~40$, but i don't want to buy that if that's not the
problem... but if it is, can anybody reassure me that it's easy to do
the replacement myself?

any advice on how to figure out what the problem is???

wrote:

Snipped


see:
http://fixitnow.com/

Interesting site. Thanks:-))

Lou

You can open the door during the suspect time period by defeating the door
interlock switch - usually by poking something the size of a pencil into a
hole in the door frame.

is it ok to defeat the door lock on a front-loading machine?

nitroamos wrote:
You can open the door during the suspect time period by defeating the door
interlock switch - usually by poking something the size of a pencil into a
hole in the door frame.

is it ok to defeat the door lock on a front-loading machine?

Clothes will spill out along with water!

nitroamos wrote:
You can open the door during the suspect time period by defeating
the door interlock switch - usually by poking something the size of
a pencil into a hole in the door frame.

is it ok to defeat the door lock on a front-loading machine?

Sure, otherwise the manufacturer wouldn't provide an easy mechanism for
doing so. Might be a little splash or two...

On Mar 11, 2:29*pm, nitroamos wrote:
You can open the door during the suspect time period by defeating the door
interlock switch - usually by poking something the size of a pencil into a
hole in the door frame.

is it ok to defeat the door lock on a front-loading machine?

If you want laundry and water on the floor, so no!!

On Mar 11, 2:48*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
nitroamos wrote:
You can open the door during the suspect time period by defeating
the door interlock switch - usually by poking something the size of
a pencil into a hole in the door frame.

is it ok to defeat the door lock on a front-loading machine?

Sure, otherwise the manufacturer wouldn't provide an easy mechanism for
doing so. *Might be a little splash or two...

Abd you tried it ??

nitroamos wrote:

* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure.

The high speed spin on this machine is something like 800 RPM. If
it's spinning, you'd know: it will sound like a jet engine taking off,
and if you look in the window, your stuff will, umm, spin round and
round really really fast.

Here is a service manual for the MAH3000AWW. I would expect that most
of the troubleshooting info should be applicable for your model.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/11205556/M...Service-Manual

-- Dave

ransley wrote:
On Mar 11, 2:48 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
nitroamos wrote:
You can open the door during the suspect time period by defeating
the door interlock switch - usually by poking something the size of
a pencil into a hole in the door frame.

is it ok to defeat the door lock on a front-loading machine?

Sure, otherwise the manufacturer wouldn't provide an easy mechanism
for doing so. Might be a little splash or two...

Abd you tried it ??

No, my washer is top-loading. I'm not much into fads.

That said, what could go wrong?

ransley wrote:
On Mar 11, 9:07 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
ransley wrote:
Abd you tried it ??

No, my washer is top-loading. I'm not much into fads.

That said, what could go wrong?

Everything, water and clothes on the floor 30 gallons of it

Like you've never experienced water on the floor?

I doubt it'll be 30 gallons, though. Aren't front loaders sold to the
tree-buggers on the basis that they use less than a pint of water?
Heck, in some front-loaders the water level doesn't even come up to
the level of the door!

Maybe a maintenance bugger, but a pint? OK maybe a few gallons. But
his dryer runs for hours? Sounds like chinese crap to me.

"Ok, I did the test... I fooled the mechanism so that I could run it with
the door open. I ran for 1 rinse cycle, which includes the final spin cycle.
I put in 2 towels and 2 shirts, so a bit of a load, but not a lot. Turns out
there was not too much splashing, and the water never came up to the level
of the door."

Hi-ho. Hi-ho. It's off to work we go...

On Mar 11, 10:09*pm, nitroamos wrote:
Ok, I did the test... I fooled the mechanism so that I could run it
with the door open. I ran for 1 rinse cycle, which includes the final
spin cycle. I put in 2 towels and 2 shirts, so a bit of a load, but
not a lot. Turns out there was not too much splashing, and the water
never came up to the level of the door.

Here's what I observed:
* It looked like it got enough water in the tub...
* It spun at about 1 +/- 0.5 cycles per second, so 60 rpm, for about 5
seconds. Then it would stop, and do it the other way for 5 seconds. It
repeated that pattern, *while it was rinsing, for maybe 5-10 rounds...
* Then the water drained out. I thought I could hear a bit of
gurgling... but it's hard to tell if this was the sound of the water
going through drain pipe, or the sound of the pump slurping up the
last bits... but i'd guess the later.
* Then I guess it came time for the spin cycle, but it wasn't spinning
any faster than what I saw before (~60 rpm). It would spin for a while
in one direction, then switch. If it's supposed to be spinning at 800
rpm, then that's the problem right there.

Agree, that would seem to be the problem. Have you checked to see if
it spins fast between wash and rinse? That would help narrow it
down between control coming from the timer or brains as opposed to
something else.



* I pulled it out of its recess, and opened the back panel. The rubber
belt seems ok. it passes the 1" test prescribed in the service manual.
* I tried turning the wheel, and it felt a bit difficult to turn it
all the way by hand... i don't really have a good way of quantifying
the resistance, but i could turn it with 1 finger, even with
(difficult) the clothes. it did squeak a little bit... i tried
spraying some wd40 where the wheel meets the tub, but that didn't make
a difference.
* I ran it again with the back panel off, so i could see if it looked
like the belt was slipping... but that didn't seem to be happening.

Thanks for the service manual reference! I didn't know it was
available, because I thought maytag's website would have provided it
for me. anyway, i've looked through the whole thing (almost) and here
are some possible conclusions based on the observation that it tumbles
just fine, but doesn't spin:

1) there could be a balance problem; the inertial or displacement
sensor might be stuck. this would be consistent with my observation
that it was tumbling in both directions, trying to balance the (small)
load. it's evening now, and my machine is outside (covered...) so i'll
wait for tomorrow to test this.

That seems possible.




2) There could be a problem with the door lock, because someone said
that when they tried, the door popped open on them, although i've been
unable to duplicate that. the "locked" light does turn on... although
i'll need to test that the "Door Locked" light turns on when the timer
is in the Spin cycle explicitly...

If the door locked light turns on during the regular cycle, I doubt
very much that is the problem. It seems unlikely it would indicate
locked during the rest of the cycles and only go open during the spin
cycle.




3) there are a series of things to test continuity for... so maybe
i'll need to run to the store and get one of those devises.

4) check to see if there's a drain restriction


Given that it doesn't spin, I doubt that is the problem. But I would
have checked that first, as it's easy to do. IF it has a a drain
filter, make sure it's clean. I'd reroute the drain somehow
temporarily, even if it;s to a couple of 5 gal buckets, so you can
keep an eye on it. IF this is one of the newer front loaders, they
don't use much water. Also, seems unlikely it could be a drain issue
because I would think if it couldn't drain, you'd have other symptoms,
like soapy clothes.








ok... enough for today. :-)

On Mar 11, 3:59 pm, wrote:



nitroamos wrote:
* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure.

The high speed spin on this machine is something like 800 RPM. *If
it's spinning, you'd know: it will sound like a jet engine taking off,
and if you look in the window, your stuff will, umm, spin round and
round really really fast.

Here is a service manual for the MAH3000AWW. *I would expect that most
of the troubleshooting info should be applicable for your model.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/11205556/M...00AWW-Service-...

-- Dave- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

In article ,
"Bill" wrote:

Learn how electricity works.
Learn how to use electrical test equipment like a multimeter.

I'm glad you put those in that order. Too many threads on here where the
OP tries to diagnose an electrical problem without any electric circuit
fundamentals. Says he "has a multi-meter but doesn't know how to use
it." So he gets tediously spoon-fed step-by-step directions that more
often than not lead nowhere.

It's been my oft-stated stance that if a person does the first, he will
not need instruction in the second. If he tries to do the second in a
stand-alone fashion, he will never succeed at it.

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:52:43 -0700 (PDT), nitroamos
wrote:

Inspired by my recent success with this group in fixing my fridge, I'm
moving on to the next issue I'm facing... my washing machine. The
clothes come out soaking wet, so I have to wring them out before
putting them in the dryer, when then runs for hours.

Details:
Maytag Neptune front loading washing machine
Purchased by someone else circa Aug 99, so the motor is still under
the 10 yr warranty
Model # MAH4000AWW
Serial # 40279379WQ

Symptoms:
* clothes are still soaking. sometimes, after taking out the clothes,
there's a bit of standing water left. i don't mean that my clothes are
damp... i mean that something like my sweatshirt couldn't absorb any
*more* water.
* when I come back a couple weeks for my next washing, the machine
smells like stagnant water, so i pull the hose out of the drain pipe,
and bringing it lower than the machine, I let all the water out before
starting my next load.
* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure. i can hear it making noises
like it might be spinning, but it doesn't really sound like other
machines i've heard. perhaps if there's still water, it won't spin as
fast anyway...
* the clothes seem clean anyway, and not soapy. e.g. when i wring them
out, it's clean water that's running off.
* the hose is connected to a drain pipe that is about the height of
the machine, and there are no obvious kinks or anything. although, i
haven't pulled the machine all the way out of the recess for a closer
inspection.


So... it seems like the problem might be a faulty pump, but I can't
find any advice online to help me know for sure. I found the part for
sale online for ~40$, but i don't want to buy that if that's not the
problem... but if it is, can anybody reassure me that it's easy to do
the replacement myself?

any advice on how to figure out what the problem is???



I suspect the pump. Run a load without clothes and watch the drain
pipe flow. That should provide another clue. If the replacement did
not work, all you are out is the $40, not bad! But if your repair
worked, you're back in business and saved some money on a replacement.

On Mar 12, 10:18*am, Phisherman wrote:
On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:52:43 -0700 (PDT), nitroamos
anybody reassure me that it's easy to do
the replacement myself?

any advice on how to figure out what the problem is???

I suspect the pump. *Run a load without clothes and watch the drain
pipe flow. *That should provide another clue. *If the replacement did
not work, all you are out is the $40, not bad! *But if your repair
worked, you're back in business and saved some money on a replacement.


what do i watch the drain pipe flow for?

Phisherman wrote:
On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:52:43 -0700 (PDT), nitroamos
wrote:

Inspired by my recent success with this group in fixing my fridge, I'm
moving on to the next issue I'm facing... my washing machine. The
clothes come out soaking wet, so I have to wring them out before
putting them in the dryer, when then runs for hours.

Details:
Maytag Neptune front loading washing machine
Purchased by someone else circa Aug 99, so the motor is still under
the 10 yr warranty
Model # MAH4000AWW
Serial # 40279379WQ

Symptoms:
* clothes are still soaking. sometimes, after taking out the clothes,
there's a bit of standing water left. i don't mean that my clothes are
damp... i mean that something like my sweatshirt couldn't absorb any
*more* water.
* when I come back a couple weeks for my next washing, the machine
smells like stagnant water, so i pull the hose out of the drain pipe,
and bringing it lower than the machine, I let all the water out before
starting my next load.
* I don't know if the machine is spinning, because it's front loading,
i don't know how to find out for sure. i can hear it making noises
like it might be spinning, but it doesn't really sound like other
machines i've heard. perhaps if there's still water, it won't spin as
fast anyway...
* the clothes seem clean anyway, and not soapy. e.g. when i wring them
out, it's clean water that's running off.
* the hose is connected to a drain pipe that is about the height of
the machine, and there are no obvious kinks or anything. although, i
haven't pulled the machine all the way out of the recess for a closer
inspection.


So... it seems like the problem might be a faulty pump, but I can't
find any advice online to help me know for sure. I found the part for
sale online for ~40$, but i don't want to buy that if that's not the
problem... but if it is, can anybody reassure me that it's easy to do
the replacement myself?

any advice on how to figure out what the problem is???




Mine started this today different model So may not apply to yours
First thing to check is the coin sump
A rubber boot just before the pump It will not go into spin if any
water is left easy fix if thats it I did find some coins but no go BUT
I discovered technicians packet inside the machine by the pump
run a diagnostic check that came up with
door lock Switch even tho the door lock light is lit
In diagnostic mode you can run a spin with out the door lock
And it worked but if lock isn't working, machine will not spin
in regular mode even with the lite lit and locked not enough voltage to
the control board during spin cycle So I have a door lock on the way and
use diagnostic test spin till it gets here
Spud