Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Maytag Neptune Front Loader Washer Mold Question

Here is another blogosphere question that an unhappy Neptune owner had made recently... Q: I have a maytag neptune front loading washer and there is mold on the front seal. I tried to get it off with bleach etc to no avail. Does Maytag have a replacement part I can get (that works better than the old one). The appliance is only 3 years old.... needless to say between the digital display I had to replace on the dryer and this issue. And the new rattling in the 3 year old dryer.. I am done with Whirlpool/maytag/ and product they build. I have a problem with my whirlpool fridge also...Their products are garbage and I would tell ANYONE to STAY AWAY !!!! A: Yes, you can replace the door boot. The part number is 12002533 and a link to purchase these is on my www.NeptuneWasher.com page.  You may also need the hose which can be found with this link https://ebay.us/xrwXtD via Ebay.

In addition, if you have a MAH3000 you can add a drain hose to the new boot. That way the water in the boot pocket can drain after every wash cycle which should help reduce the mold colony potential. Note: Some earlier MAH4000's also were shipped without the drain hose kit. Below is a picture of the door boot with drain. Below is a picture of a door boot drain hose retrofit. You actually drill out the center of the nipple which allows the water to drain back into the outer tub. As for the quality of some manufactures you listed above... I occasionally do searches on the Internet for other front loaders and I see folks who have problems with other manufacturers, too. Let's face it... Our appliances work very hard and there are a lot of environmental factors that play into how long your machine will last that is really beyond the control of any product manufacturer. 

 I know... The grass is always greener on the other side... but the fact is you own a Maytag Neptune and the good news is that the issues are posted on my blog over time and they are what they are. The three main issues of the earlier Neptunes are the door latch wax motor, moldy door boot and the motor/ motor control board combo reliability. 

 I will now add a forth issue to the list and it is a wear issue and that is the bearings. Unfortunately, Maytag does not have part numbers assigned to the bearings so service technicians are going to leave you a $900 quote to fix your Neptune bearings. They will want to transplant the whole outer tub which runs about $450 by itself! Fight back and replace your bearings yourself with the help of http://www.neptunebearing.com/page4.html. If Shirley in the video can do it... so can you! You can even rent the Neptune Bearing Tool Kit which really reduces the time you are replacing the bearings and there is an awesome step by step video that shows you how to take the Neptune apart, replace bearings and install the seal kit. 

The bearing failure victim in the video is the standalone Neptune but the stacker bearing job is not that much different. Once these four issues are taken care of you will be the proud owner of a happier Neptune front loader! Lastly, don't forget to sign up for the Neptuner list so you will be kept up to date with more Neptune information and other valuable tips as they happen.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I have a neptune stackable (MLG2000AWW) with a terrible mold problem and we are looking at replacing the door boot. I know we will also need to retrofit a drain hose like you show in the pictures of this post. It looks like the door boot part does not come with the drain hose. What part would we need to get for that retrofit? Any other advice for doing this repair?

Jeff said...

Hello, yes, you can order the door boot drain hose kit at my http://neptunehelp.com/index_files/Page667.htm order form.

Look for BOOT HOSE for $14.00.

The kit includes a hose, guard and clamp. You will need to drill a hole in the left nipple on the tub cover and clamp the new hose to it and this will allow the water to drain out of the door boot pocket.

Jeff

GoAskAli said...

Hi
I just had a maytag repairman tell me I need a new outer tub for my front loader MAH7500AWW. Or. BUy a new machine!! So I went online I saw you can replace bearings. Why wouldn't the tech suggest this? I really can't do this by myself.....will any repairmen do this? This seems crazy to replace a washer, when it is fixable.

Jeff said...

Hi Alison,

you can replace your Neptune bearings without replacing the large outer tub. Go to http://www.neptunebearing.com where you can order the bearings and seal kit as well as rent the awesome Neptune Bearing Tool Kit which really saves you time.

The tool kit includes a cool step by step DVD, snap ring pliers, wire wheel to use with a drill to clean the bearing locations. I also throw in a new bearing spacer which sits between the two bearings in case yours is cracked or really corroded.

Until next time...


Jeff

Al Henning '77 said...

We have Maytag Neptune Model MAH4000AWW. The door boot/rubber gasket has a lot of mold, and doesn't drain. (There is no drain hole at the bottom.) We have had this about 10 years; it was purchased new. Maytag replaced the gasket after about 4-5 years, for free. But, the mold problem remains. Any recommendations would be welcome, in terms of treatment, repair, or replacement. Thanks.

Jeff said...

Hi Al,

Yes, you have discovered that some of the Maytag Neptune MAH4000 front loaders did not ship with a door boot drain.

The good news is that you can replace the door boot and add a retrofit drain hose kit to your machine. You can purchase the Neptune 12002533 door boot and Drain hose kit at Neptune Help.

Have you replaced your door latch wax motor yet? See neptune help song for more info and a video that shows how this device fails... All MAH3000, MAH4000, MAH5500A and most 2000 stackers shipped with the defective 12002535 wax motor.

Lastly, I offer new bearings and seal kits for the Neptunes as well as a cool tool kit rental... See Neptune Bearing for more info.

Until next time...

Jeff