MAH6500AWW Maytag Washer - Instructions

Using online disassembly instructions removed and replaced front and rear bearings. Then attempted to install the seal kit that was purchased online from partselect. Com. Was supposed to receive both seals plus lubricant so that no matter which seal I needed I would be covered. The kit I received had 2 seals that were identical. . . I needed, as it turned out the early seal kit, but unfortuneatly I had 2 revised kits. Of course I tried to assemble one but it just won't work. The seal kit must be the correct one. I didn't give up. I ordered another seal kit online from appliance partspros. Com and received both kits as advertized. . . One being the early version plus a small packet of grease along with all the other required loose parts and was able to complete the repair. The second time around proved much easier because of the experience factor.

Followed the instructions that were supplied with the Lip Seal Kit, for removal of the inner drum. As expected, once into the project, I found that the bearings that are part of the outer drum, were bad. Reading other installation blogs, prior to starting, I knew the bearing sizes, 6206-2RS & 6207-2RS, and I purchased the bearings, from Motion Industries, before starting the project. Taking a hammer and long 1/2" socket extension I was able to remove both the inner and outer bearings form the outer drum. (Bearings were all but seized up) Once I had cleaned up the aluminum hub which is part of the outer drum and where the bearings mount, I was able to start the process of installing the new bearings and completing the project. Timing could not have been any better to take on this repair project because the aluminum hub was showing major signs of corrosion on the inner side of the hub. I was concerned that the new lip seal would not seal off the inner drum from the bearings/outer durm. This project was competed on 8/21/12 and so far and 6 loads later I have not found any leaks.

Being a seventy five year old man I was reluctant to taking on this job but after getting prices for the repair or replacing the machine I cringed and trying to save some money I took on this job.Got all the information I could find on line I got started.Taking machine apart was easy and remembering to keep parts separated is something I learned from my mechanical back round is a must.Pictures also help.Taking out spinner drum easy.Bearings a nightmare If you don't have a bearing removal tool.Front bearing had to be cut out with a dremel tool and zip wheel being careful not to destroy the race.Removed spindel from spinner drum as I could see that for me to put shaft in hole would have been a problem.Put new improved seal in.Easy part.Reassembled. Springs and clips hard.Washing again and quiet.Wife happy four days later.Old guy sore.All done with outer tub in machine.Estimated savings Big,Big,Big.Getting big steak dinner and big kiss.

Removed front panels, lifted top to open position, removed back cover, removed drive belt, drum pulley, removed rear bearing snap ring, removed seal clips, removed 3 baffels then the 3 mount bolts. Pulled out spinner support and the inner drum. Removed the rear bearing #6206LL with brass drift rod and heavy hammer (came out with little effort. The front bearing #6207LL I soaked with penatrating oil overnight (this bearing was making all the noise as after 11 years water finally got to it) The next morning I had little trouble removing it with the brass rod and hammer, taking my time to work my way around driving it out. After cleaning everything up, assembly was the reverse, carefully driving in the new bearings. The new lip seal was the most difficult getting started without going in crooked. Time spent was a good 8 hours (it would have been more if the outer drum was removed) and the cost of everything was $167.09. Thanks to Part Select, the spinner support assy came the very next day. The two bearings came from Bearing Supply & Depot Inc. The washer operates like new!! Very Quiet!!

I followed the video which I might say is somewhat misleading for the Maytag Neptune washing machine. This is the one with a recall due to mildew and mold build up on the Door Seal (Bellow). First to take it apart you really need a 8mm socket in order to get into tight spaces. Once you start using the socket everything will come apart quickly the last being removing the old Bellow. I found this is easy if you just roll the spring toward the front using a screw driver. Once it clears the front of the Bellow, the cable will fall off along with the spring. You can now remove the old Bellow. The next step is to insert the new Bellows on the rim of the tube. I started by attaching the drain hose at the bottom and then from the video, started at the top make sure you have it center correctly and worked down one side pushing the Bellows on the rim and then do the same thing to the other side part way. Alternating from one side to the other until you reach the bottom. The Bellow is now on the tube, NOW the hard part. First, the old spring was stretched. I bought a new spring at Home Depot. I next took the cable and placed it around the tube with the ends at the top. Make sure to thread the cable carefully so it is in place. Watch out for plugs and the drain at the bottom of the tube. I attempted to attach the spring by myself using a long nose plier and a Grip plier but just could not stretch is far enough by myself as shown in the video. I next took a 16 ga insulated wire you could also get at Home Depot and attached it to each end of the cable and twisted it together in the middle with pliers so it was tight and cut off the excess wire. I attached one end of the spring through the right eyelet on the cable and using the grip pliers and BOTH hands on the grip pliers pull the spring and threaded it through the left eyelet. Hold the spring in place I now pushed the stretched spring against the back lip of the tube. I removed the 16 ga wire buy cutting off the ends and carefully pulling it away. Next, I just followed the video. I pushed all the tabs on the Bellow in to the holes on the tub and then screwed the parts back in reverse order. Good Luck Al

On-line instructions were found easily enough. And followed easily. Hard part was placing the cable and spring which secures bellow on drum. One instruction said "you cannot do this by yourself" (I couldn't see how help would have "helped") the other said "this was the hard part" of repair. I weight 115 lbs and it took me 1/2 hour to finally get the spring hooked through cable end it's a very STIFF spring! I only had a short pair of needle nose pliers - an 8-inch pair would have given me more leverage and shorten "hook-up" time.

1. ReMoved spring and cable from tub, 2. Remove bellow drain hose clamp at bottom of bellow, 3. Remove bellow from tub side and door frame, 4. Wet door frame with water and dish soap solution, 5. Press door frame side of bellow into slot. Align grooves, 6. slide tub side of bellow over tub edge, 7. Say a prayer to the good of your choice, 8. Reattach bellow cable with spring. This required use of double stands of 60lb braided fishing line to chinch most of the way and then use of a spring hook took in one hand and needle nose in the other. No less than 12 attempts. Be sure to have another pair of hands ready when doing and the whole job will take about 15 to 20 minutes.

What transpired was removing the guts from the old inner door and putting them onto the new door which extended the time. Not sure about the tools because my handyman/friend did the installation while I was gone. He was a little frustrated with it. Otherwise, the door fit well. We decided that using hot water was the problem with the water leaking from the door. Using cold and warm water settings seems to make a difference.

Followed the PartsSelect video for the seal replacement, which was step by step and spot on, I just had to add the bearing replacement part myself. Once it was dissembled I drove each bearing out by tapping them with the hammer and drift. My model had no bearing retainer ring. I did not remove the outer drum from the washer. Clean the aluminum hub real well, scrape it with a utility knife to remove corrosion, wipe with a solvent soaked rag, etc. I disagree with other methods ive seen while researching, like a wire brush in a drill, because you will remove aluminum material from the hub and the bearing wont fit as tightly as designed. tap in the rear bearing til fully seated. I did the rear first because gravity then held the spacer in place. Set the spacer in place, noting that one end is "flared" to a larger diameter, so it seats against the larger race of the front bearing. Align and start the front bearing in place. The spacer needs to align with the bearings so it bears against the inner races of the bearings. So to hold it in place I rolled up a piece of light cardstock, slid it thru the spacer and bearing, and as it "uncoiled" it aligned the spacer. Pretty well. I did have to tap the spacer a little with the drift after the bearings were in, but just a little. After that, back to the video for the seal and reassembly. Only other comment I have is to locate the bearings early. I ended up going to grainger for one and Napa for the other. And no one could seem to cross the "DU" part of the original NGK bearing. The DU means it just has seals on both sides. Pretty standard stuff. That could have been easier. Also hold off ordering extra parts. I have found PartsSelect is really quick getting stuff out. I ordered an inner drum because i heard from other research that that could cause the banging noise. My banging noise was from one bearing disinegrating and the balls breaking up inside the hub. Shipping the drum back cost 70. UPS wanted 160. So that could have gone better, but I didn't want to let the machine sit too long. Next time I'll let it sit a couple days.

Removed tub replaced bearings. Put in new seal. Be aware drawing on instruction shows seal cup instaled from wrong side of seal. Other wise went well. Got bearings from McMaster Carr.

I lifted the lid, removed the front cover and then twisted the pump in its mount. The pump came out of the mount and i put a pan under it. I unscrewed the two clamps then pulled one end out. Water spewed everywhere and it was a bit of a mess. I pulled out the two wiring harnesses and pulled out the pump. It had a key, a quarter and a nickel in it. I had not seen the key in years! I put the ground wire on the new pump and then the main wiring harness. I put on the power wires but later had to take it back off, so do this later. I then attached and tightened the clamps. I put the pump in the mounts and then twisted it into locked position. Then i put on the power line. I put the cover back on and tested it, all good. I saved a lot of money, about $300 between the initial service call and second trip to install it. I like this washer because it gives you problem codes. It is 14 years old, and this is its second breakdown. First time was the PC board under warranty. No problems for 12 years, which was caused by leaving coins and keys in the pockets of my clothes.

The video was great. The only problem was getting the spring back on. It was way too stiff, so I put it in a vise and stretched it a bit. It's a bit fussy but your site made it go pretty easy. thanks

Parts Select suggested the fix with a 99% rating that it was the drain pump motor. When I got the old pump out it was clearly not working. It took 4 days to get the part, but after getting the part it was just plug and play.

Moldy bellow was the reason I replaced the bellow. It tried cleaning the bellow numerous time over the last five year, but once the mold sets in, it's a losing battle. A highly mold resistant bellow would be nice. The available video was invaluable. I would not have purchased the parts if I had not seen the video. I spent a few more dollars for additional parts, because once I got started I did not want to find a bad part and then not be able to complete the repair in one try. Since the bellow was moldy, I expected the door boot drain hose would be moldy also, so, for a few more dollars, I replace it also. Worth the effort. I took me, just under two hours to complete the job, with the help of my wife. I'm some may be thinking, what did she do? She cleaned the parts I took off, so they were clean, well at least cleaner, when I put them back on. This washer was nearly ten year old and had never been apart. I could have finished the replacement bellow in less than an hour, but I took some time to clean inside the washer while it was apart. That's just the way I roll. Fitting the bellow to seal properly was not as simple as the repairman made it look on the video, but that was because he had done this before, probably many time over. He knew what it felt like to fit it and snap it into place. Once I got the feel of seating the bellow, it went smoothly. The boot cable and spring are a bit tricky to hook, as anticipated; I read some previous experiences. So, I thought about how I was going to secure the spring in order to stretch it to the other cable hook. I decided to use two pairs of vice grips to hold the spring and cable hook end. I have two small to medium sized vice grips, which worked perfectly. Otherwise, it is very difficult to pull and hold a pair of pliers closed, at the same time. I sit at a computer most days and am not used to a mechanics world. Use your brain when you don't have the brawn. Job done, no leaks.

I followed the video for the installation. I did find that installing the spring was no way as easy as it looked in the video. Otherwise, OK.