IS there a Ghost voltage in your Maytag Neptune front loader?

I get this all of the time… “I get 120 volts at the wax motor but the wax motor does not extend. Is the new wax motor you sent me defective?” 

Well, since it is Halloween you may be reading a ghost voltage. Actually, you can read a ghost voltage anytime you take a voltage reading when there is no load connected, i.e. the wax motor. The Neptune door latch wax motor has a much lower impedance than your voltmeter, around 1,000 ohms. Your voltmeter can have 100’s of thousands of ohms impedance so when you take a measurement you can read a much higher voltage than what is really there. 

You will find that if you connect the wax motor back up and connect the meter to the wax motor terminals you will have zero volts. That is why your door does not lock which keeps your spin cycle from happening. If you replaced your Q6 and R11 you need to make 4 ohmmeter checks to verify you did not damage any of your copper traces on the backside of your control board. 1. Connector P7.4 to pin 3 of Q6 - should be close to 0 ohms 2. Q6 pin 1 to Q22 pin 1 - should be close to 0 ohms 3. Q6 pin 1 to Q3 pin 1 - should be close to 0 ohms 4. Q6 pin 2 to C16 (lead closest to P7 connector) If you don't read close to 0 ohms on any of these checks turn board over and follow the copper tracks and find out why you don't have 0 ohms. 

You might have the use the repair wire to fix a break in a track. Tip: Some breaks can be right next to the component pads and can be very difficult to see. A meter is important to locate these breaks. Note: pin 1 on the Q's is looking at the flat side the very left pin. Pin 2 is center pin and pin three is the far right pin when looking at the flat side. If all of these checks show a short and the Neptune fills with water when started then my STAGE 2 kit should fix your control board. See www.neptunewaxmotor.com for all of your Maytag Neptune needs.

Until next time...

New Maytag Neptune tonytool comment

Here is a comment from Dan K. today regarding the tonytool he rented from www.neptunebearing.com. 

"Jeff thanks much, by the way the DVD video is great. It is funny and it was easy to follow. Thanks again for a well designed tool. Dan K." 

Well, Dan, I can't take credit for the Tony Tool design... So far I have received great feedback from folks that have rented the Tony Tool to assist in changing their Neptune bearings. You will know when it is time to replace your bearings when your Neptune front load starts getting loud in high speed spin cycle. 

By the way... If you bother the lonely Maytag repairman it will set you back around $1,000 to have it repaired the expensive way which is to have the whole outer tub replaced! Ouch! 

Why change the outer tub? When you can change just the bearings and seal kit?

Until next time...

"AT THE END OF FINAL SPIN CYCLE THE CLOTHES ARE VERY WET...WHAT TO DO?"

What does this statement/question mean? It means a lot if you are a Neptuner! 

If you own a Maytag Neptune MAH3000, MAH4000, MAH5500A or a 2000 stacker you will be asking this same question soon enough! 

Here is the answer... Your door latch wax motor, Maytag part # 12002535 has shorted out and has damaged your machine control board. This will happen on every model listed above that shipped from Maytag. If you haven't asked this question yet you can prevent this failure by visiting http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/. 

If you are asking this question right now there is hope. You can purchase a repair kit which includes parts you can solder on your control board. There is a video that shows you how to remove the damaged components and solder on the new components. 

If you decide you don't want to do the repair yourself then I can get you a quote for a new Neptune machine control board and wax motor combo. Again, that site for Neptuners is www.neptunewaxmotor.com . Tell everyone you know about it in case they know someone who has a Maytag Neptune front loader.

Until next time...

door latch motor on the MAH5500BWW model

Here is a question I get often... 

"Just wondering if the door latch motor on the MAH5500BWW model was a concern and needed changed. Thanks, Doug " 

Hi Doug, you are good... Your Maytag Neptune door latch assembly was replaced with a one piece assembly and does not have the defective 12002535 wax motor in it. To see if your Neptune is affected by the defective door latch wax motor, see http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/. 

In addition, when your Neptune starts screaming when high speed spinning it is time for bearings and a seal kit... I can save you $800 to repair your Neptune or even more if you would have decided to replace it with a new front loader set... You can also rent the famous tony tool which makes changing your bearings a snap! It even includes access to a step by step video. See http://www.neptunebearing.com/ for details.

Until next time...

Stayin' Alive can literally help you stay alive!

It was recently discovered that the Bee Gee's disco hit song 'Stayin' Alive' has 103 beats per minute where the recommended chest compression during CPR is 100. 

So you better drag out your old disco albums and listen to the Stayin' Alive track again to get a feel for the fast paced chest compressions! 

If you own a Maytag Neptune front loader check out www.neptunewaxmotor.com. While disco beat chest compressions won't bring your Neptune back from the dead... You can check out to see if your machine will fail due to a defective door latch wax motor, Maytag part #12002535. 

Most Neptunes can be revived with new parts that I supply... I also offer a replacement bearing and seal kit for those Neptunes who squeal during spin cycle at www.neptunebearing.com. Don't forget that I offer the exclusive tony tool rental program to help reduce your bearing change labor and time!

Until next time...

Joe the plumber

Hey Joe, If you need some more work opportunities I could show you how to fix Maytag Neptune front loaders. 

The Maytag repair man does not seem lonely these days... The main issue is the door latch wax motor. This device will short out and damage the upper machine control board. I'm trying to locate Maytag Neptune owners to educate them on this issue. 

Every MAH3000, MAH4000, MAH5500A and the 2000 stacker Neptune shipped will fail unless this device is replaced. Once you have this failure your door will not lock and this prevents the high speed spin from happening. When you open the door you will have sopping wet clothes! Again, this can be prevented by replacing the 12002535 wax motor. See www.neptunewaxmotor.com for details. 

Now, as the Neptunes age, the seals are wearing which allows water to get to the bearings. You can get the bearing and seal kit along with the tony tool rental so you can save $750 and keep your machine running another 5 - 10 years. I know money is tight for Neptune owners so I developed this kit to save them money by not purchasing a new washer and dryer. See www.neptunebearing.com for details.

Until next time...

Does anyone know where to get the repair kit with resistors and wax motor that people are talking about?"

I hear this question alot! Yep... goto www.neptunewaxmotor.com to purchase the Maytag Neptune control board repair kit + wax motor. 

Don't forget when your Neptune starts to squeal in high speed spin it is time to replace your bearings and seal kit. Save $800 and do it yourself! 

See www.neptunebearing.com to order the bearing & seal kit. If you are not a mechanic you can use the revolutionary tony tool to replace the bearings. The tool kit rental is also offered with the new bearings and seal kit, too! Check it out!

Until next time...

A Maytag Neptune repair Question I received

Hi Neptuners, here is an actual question I received after Noe replaced the R11 resistor and Q6 triac. Most control boards will work after this process but occasionally one will be stubborn because it suffered mode damage than usual. If you find that your water will not fill then you will need to replace the machine control board. 

"Hi, I replaced the wax motor, R11, and Q6 for the no light no spin symptom. My Neptune MAH3000 still will not spin. Any troubleshooting hits where else to look? Thanks, Noe" 

Hi Noe, I was working on developing this information so folks can check their control boards out after the R11/Q6 repair with a simple ohmmeter. If you have an ohmmeter, check for continuity on the following points: 

If wax motor does not energize - i.e. door locked light does not come on in spin cycle. (note: Wax motor takes 45 seconds to work) 1. Connector P7.4 to pin 3 of Q6 - should be close to 0 ohms 2. Q6 pin 1 to Q22 pin 1 - should be close to 0 ohms 3. Q6 pin 1 to Q3 pin 1 - should be close to 0 ohms 4. Q6 pin 2 to C16 (lead closest to P7 connector) If you don't read close to 0 ohms on any of these checks turn board over and follow the copper tracks and find out why you don't have 0 ohms. 

You might have the use the repair wire to fix a break in a track. Tip: Some breaks can be right next to the component pads and can be very difficult to see. A meter is important to locate these breaks. 

Note: pin 1 on the Q's is looking at the flat side the very left pin. Pin 2 is center pin and pin three is the far right pin when looking at the flat side. If all of these checks show a short and the Neptune fills with water when started then the low cost Stage 2 kit should fix your control board. 

See http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/ order form to order the STAGE 2 kit. Jeff

Until next time...

Tony Tool substitute?

One of my customers who rented the Tony Tool offered a suggestion for the PVC knock out plug. He smashed his fingers using the PVC knock out plug because it is too short for his liking. It turns out he made a new front bearing knockout tool using 1 1/2 pipe and fitting. He even sent the contraption back with the tony tool kit so I took a photo of it compared to the Tony Tool knock out plug. 

It looks like it has about 2 more inches to work with. Who says bigger isn't better? I was surprised because this is the first complaint I've received for this tool kit. Everyone else praised the tool kit and how much time it saved them. 

If your Maytag Neptune is starting to squeal while in high speed spin I would recommend replacing your bearings as soon as you can. You want to catch them before they separate which makes the bearings much more difficult to get out because the Tony Tool relies on the inner bearing race to pull it out. 

To purchase the Neptune bearings, seal kit and Tony Tool rental point your browser to http://www.neptunebearing.com/. 

If you have not replaced your door latch wax motor yet you need to check out http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/ to see if your Neptune is affected by this defective part that will run $450.00 to repair if you bother the lonely ole' Neptune repair guy!

Until next time...

steve jobs heart attack?

I heard this was not true... Where do these reports come from? Anyway.... If you own (or know of anyone who owns) a Maytag Neptune front load washer please check out www.neptunewaxmotor.com for important reliability information that could cost you $450.00 to repair. It involves the defective 12002535 door latch wax motor that can be replaced and prevent the machine control board failure. 

See www.neptunebearing.com for information that could save you $900 when your Neptune bearing starts to fail. There is even a effort and time saving tool kit you can rent to reduce the bearing replacement time considerably. When your machine sounds like a jet taking off in spin cycle then it is time to replace the bearings and 12002022 seal kit.

Until next time...

team sarah - Does anyone in Team Sarah own a Maytag Neptune?

Does anyone know if anyone in team Sarah owns a Maytag Nepune front load washer? If so, please tell them to stop by http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/ for important information regarding the reliability of their Neptune.

Until next time...