I have a Maytag front load Neptune MAH5500BWW problem

Q: Hi. I have the MAH5500B washing machine. My wife called in a panic and said the LCD panel displayed the LR code. I read 120V ac at the receptacle. I read 120V ac at terminals 1 and 3 on connector P6 at the machine control panel. I ran the Quick Service Cycle and everything seems to function except the tub does not spin. Checking across the 10 amp fuse on the motor control board yields 1 ohm resistance. I am thinking motor but I am not sure...any ideas? 

 A: Sure. You will have to replace the Motor control board and the motor with the new Maytag 12002039 motor conversion kit which may be available on ebay https://ebay.us/Aac7zW. If you already have the newer motor control board with plastic cover, you can try just replacing your motor control board. You can look at the photos on ebay and see if they look like your motor control board.

 

It takes about an hour to install. The original motor control boards have a high failure rate on the Neptunes so Maytag decided to redesign both the motor and motor control board. 

 Have you noticed your Neptune getting loud in spin cycle? If so, then your bearings are failing and will need to be replaced. The extra friction caused by the failing bearings can cause the motor control board to shutdown and/or fail. You can get new bearings and seal kit from www.neptunebearing.com. They also rent the special Neptune bearing tool to save you lots of time and effort and the rental incudes access to a video that shows you how to teardown machine, replace bearings using tool and install the seal kit. If you ask a service technician to come over you will receive a dose of sticker shock! They will quote you over $900 to quiet your machine again...

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...

Maytag Neptune MAH4000 door lock all the time

Hi Neptuners, Here is another blog entry I think you will find interesting. This issue is Neptune owner created after changing the defective door latch wax motor. 

"However, after installing the door latch wax motor, my washer's door locked light is on all the time and the door is locked even when I'm not washing anything. Could you tell me what I've done wrong when installing the wax motor? " 

Response: "It's possible that you did not engage the tip of the wax motor in the space provided on the plunger assembly. If you snapped the wax motor in ahead of the plunger, the lock light switch will remain energized. The tip of the wax motor fits about 1/8" into the end of the plunger or the door will remain locked at all times... even if you unplug Neptune." 

I've had a few customers do this when installing the new 12002535 wax motor. If you do this, you will need to unlock door by removing the dispenser bezel's (4) philips screws and removing bezel. There should be a colored pull cord that when you pull it it will unlock the door. 

This Maytag Neptune tip was brought to you by http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/. For all of your Neptune replacement part needs please visit our website.

Until next time...

Well, it finally happened

Well, we cracked our glass cook top :>(

This GE range is almost 9 years old. I guess we were lucky since other objects have hit the glass pretty hard but no damage...

I changed the glass cook top in about an hour with a philips screwdriver, 1/4 nut driver, 5/16 nut driver, vacuum cleaner... a pretty easy job if you ask me.

Yeah! The glass cooktop glows again!

I decided to offer replacement cook tops after hearing about a friend of my mother in law that paid $750 to replace her glass cook top. Wow! $750! Could you buy a new range for that much?

Well, I created the site in about 2 hours... See http://www.crackedglasscooktop.com/ to check it out.

For all of you Neptuners... remember http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/ and http://www.neptunebearing.com/ for all of your Maytag Neptune needs.

Until next time...

Tony Tool knock out plug update

I wanted to update you DIY Neptuners on the Tony Tool kit used for removing and installing the Maytag Neptune bearings. The Tony Tool knock out plugs have been taking a royal beating. 

I think you folks are taking out your Maytag frustrations on the knock out plugs! In case you don't know... They are used for knocking out the front bearing on the Neptune. 

A few of the knock out plugs in my fleet have cracked on the lip. See picture above... Don't worry though... I followed up with Tony and he said the knock out plug will still work without the lip. 

 For more info on renting the Tony Tool see www.neptunebearing.com.

Until next time...

New Maytag Neptune bearing Site

Hi Neptuners! I wanted to inform every one that I have put up a new Maytag Neptune Bearing replacement site where you can order the Neptune Bearings and seal kit to keep your Neptune spinning quietly again. 

The URL is www.neptunebearing.com. I also offer the Neptune Bearing Tool Kit rental for folks to borrow this fabulous tool that will really save you a lot of time when replacing your bearings. 

This custom designed tool was designed for service technicians so I thought why couldn’t homeowners utilize it, too? As a matter of fact, yesterday I sent the first tool kit out to Missouri on its maiden voyage. I will talk more on the tool in future posts once I get feedback from the customers who used it… Jeff

Until next time...

Go Danica Patrick!

Congratulations to Danica! What an accomplishment Danica has made setting records and all... 

I wonder if Danica has a Maytag Neptune washer? If so, she better race over to http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/ for a pitstop and replace the 12002535 door latch wax motor before her Neptune blows out... 

In addition, bearings are as important on Indy cars as they are on her Neptune. We have a new replacement bearing and seal kit so your washer can spin as fast as Danica drives!

Unexpected Thank You's from my customers!

I stopped by my P.O. box yesterday and found two thank you cards in there sent by satisfied customers. One even had $25.00 in it!

They purchased my Maytag Neptune R11 & Q6 repair kit and 12002535 wax motor and were delighted because they repaired their washers with my repair kit and saved alot of money.

The alternative is replacing the machine control board and wax motor for about $180 depending on which Neptune they own.

I don't expect thank you cards when you purchase my Neptune kits and replacement parts but I sure do appreciate them!


Jeff

Until next time...

Tax time for Neptune Owner's

That dreaded time has come upon us once again.... 

Tax time. April 15th is the day you need to have your returns postmarked by or electronically submitted via the E-file system. 

Did you know that owning a Maytag Neptune front loader can be just as taxing if you don't know about the 12002535 door lock wax motor? The taxing Neptune models are the 2000 Stacker, MAH3000, MAH4000 and the MAH5500A series Neptunes. Please replace your wax motor if you have one of the mentioned models asap before you lose your high speed spin function and have to repair your upper machine control board. See http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/ for more ways to reduce your Neptune tax...

Until next time...

Replace your Maytag Neptune door latch wax motor #12002535

Let's start this blog off right and dig into some of the Neptune's issues that need to be addressed asap!

The famous door latch wax motor is the number one issue you need to deal with now if you have the Maytag 2000 Stacker, MAH3000, MAH4000 or the MAH5500A series Neptunes. The MAH5500B is exempt from the wax motor issue because it uses a real solenoid to lock the door instead of the wax motor.

Below is a picture of the replacement 12002535 wax motor. Note the black actuator pin. This is the version you want installed. If you have the actuator pin that matches the body color then you need to replace it asap!










Below is the new wax motor installed in a MAH4000 door latch assembly.

















For photos on how to take your machine apart see http://www.neptunewaxmotor.com/. Click on "Neptune Washer Disassembly Pics" link along the left side.

Note: I presently don't have photos for the 2000 Stacker disassembly... if someone would take some I will post them on my website with their credit to help Stacker owners as well.

What happens is that over time the wax motor draws more and more current and this causes the machine control board to get overloaded. The electronic component that controls the wax motor is called a triac, part number 'Q6', and as it overheats it will eventually short out internally. When this happens the center lead of the triac will receive 120 VAC which in turn burns the 'R11' resistor. The R11 resistor burnt on the machine control board is the tell tale sign that the wax motor has failed.

I developed the STAGE 1 kit with wax motor for folks to try and repair the machine control board. You have to replace the original wax motor or the Q6/R11 failure will happen again.

There's more... some control boards sustain more damage than others. For example, on some boards after the Q6 and R11 is replaced the timer will not work or it rotates super fast. For these cases I developed the exclusive STAGE 2 kit. On a very few boards, the water valves will not work anymore. These control boards have to be replaced, unfortunately. I have not developed a repair kit to fix these boards as it is believed that the microprocessor, part number U1, gets damaged.

If you replace your wax motor before the failure then you will prevent the Q6 / R11 burnout. Most Neptune owners don't know about this issue until it is too late that is mainly why I started this blog. To try and reach the Neptune owners that don't know about the wax motor issue.

If your wax motor has failed then more than likely your machine will not spin anymore because the door locked light will not come on and the machine control board never receives the spin enable switch signal to start spinning due to the wax motor not actuating.

I've had a few cases where the R11 did not burn but just the Q6 opened up instead of shorting out. This is the best case failure because you don't run the risk of the 120 VAC back feeding that can damage the timer and/or valve circuitry. You simply replace Q6 and the wax motor and your all set.

If you have any questions about the wax motor issue, please ask me! If you know anyone who owns one of the above mentioned Neptunes please aim them to this blog so they can prevent the wax motor failure plus learn about other Neptune quirks, too.

In my next post, I will address some control board / Neptune wiring modifications some folks are making and why they are not necessary.

Until next time...