AWM473W2 Amana Washer - Instructions

Unhooked the idler pully spring, removed the 2 hoses from the pump outlets, unhooked the idler pulley srring to slaken the drive belt tension, removed 4 bolts from the motor mount to drop the motor, and slipped the drive belt off the transmission pulley.

Removed 3 torx screws that secure the pump. The pump was stuck to the motor motor shaft from corrosion and had to knock the pump off with a hammer. Reassembly was a breeze.

The most serious problem I had was a black widow spider lurking under the transmission pulley. Never did get it!

I removed the front lower panel. I disconnected the springs holding the motor to the chassis. I removed the belt off the pump pulley. Pay attention to the way the belt runs from the pulley and through the pump. This will aid in placing the pump back on so the belt runs correctly. Disconnected the wires, removed the capacitor bracket so I could take the motor/pump unit out after I removed the 4 bolts holding the motor/pump unit. Removed the 3 torx screws holding the pump to the motor. Matched the new pump to the old to make sure the new one was correct.

Installed in reverse order.

Pulled the old knob off and replaced with new knob
PartSelect sent me the exact part you can't tell the difference.

Found out that these switches go from time to time and are usually the culprit when the washer won't operate. Opened the cabinet facing. Warning: there are plenty of YouTube videos on opening Maytag washers. None helped me with this model. I ended up finding the screws to open near the floor on front. Once it's opened, just replace the faulty switch, reconnect and you're in business. Getting the washer opened was about the hardest part of this repair. Total cost: Less than $30.

I was at work but a friend of ours and my husband did the repair. But what I was impressed about is how fast we got the part. thanks a lot

replaced belt that was wore out. decided to replace pump while I had washer apart.

Wow! My husband and I researched the problem online and ordered the part after reading from others how to take the machine apart. We are very unhandy, so we felt quite an accomplishment fixing the drain hose with rubber elbow ourselves! Thank you for the diagrams that so clearly showed the part we needed to order.

We did not have instructions on how to remove broken agitator. Looking online, we found easy instructions but found it difficult to remove the agitator even though it was supposed to be an easy task.
Our particular model was supposed to "pop" off with little resistance. Not so!
It took some stong muscle and will power to remove the part but putting the new agitator on was simple.

remove front cover disconnect water supply remove hose clamp,take drain line replace with new hose reconnect water supply replace front cover job complete.

Disassembled washer as per directions with seal kit. Removed inner tub. Cut both tub shaft bearing in half; punched out from outter tub. Installed new bearings using .5 inch threaded rod, washer and bolts. Installed new seal on inner tub shaft. Installed inner tube. Re-assembled washer.

Since the agitator and bell housing seperated as once piece from the drive shaft I didn't have to remove them and the schematic showed how the agitator snapped on to the bell housing and the parts I needed for the fix. The new seal went on with no problem, I just used some of the supplied grease on the tight spots. The hardest part was attaching the bell housing. It came to within an inch of the top of the shaft with no problem with a rubber hammer. But the top screw shroud broke when I tried to hammer it the rest of the way using a wood dowel and a block of wood. I couldn't even get the threads of the supplied screw to even touch the drive shaft. So I bought a longer (1 inch) cap screw from the hardware store and added a washer and suplied ring. After torqing it to 5 ft-lbs instead of the 10-20 the plastic beneath the screw was looking kind of thin and stressed and I was afraid of it breaking through or the screw snapping off in the shaft, so I left it alone and used some silicone caulk to seal in the plug that goes in on top of the screw since the side of the shroud broke off. I slipped on the agitator and am testing a load now as we speak. If I get ten more years out of the washer it will definitely be worth the $100 in parts and shipping !

My neighbor did the repair for me and I believe the instructions sent were the reason he had no trouble installing it.

The hardest part was removing the tub from washer by myself. I simply removed the bolts holding the sides to the bottom of the unit and lifted it straight off. Be careful when you remove the springs from the drum so they don't spring back and puncture the drain line. Thank you RTV gasket maker. Once the drum was free from the base, i tilted the drum back exposing the pump housing. I used a pair of pliers to remove both drain lines then removed the 3 hex screws freeing the pump. I had no problem removing it from the motor shaft, it slipped right off. I put everything back together as easily as it came apart.

Removed the tub from outer shell/washer body completely. This made it easier to work. Removed the agitater by pulling upward. Used gear puller to remove bell housing and bell seal exposing the 1-1/2" nut holding down the hub. I remove the stainless steel tub liner exposing the hub assembly. Used the an impact wrench and 1-1/2" deep well socket to remove nut. Used the gear pullers to remove the hub assembly. It crumbled as I tried to remove it, so I used a dremel tool cutter and began cutting it apart. Removed the pieces with a chisel and rubber mallet. When the hub was finally removed' it was easy to remove hub seal and replace. Make sure everything is cleaned up, smoothed and lubricated before reassembly. I also replaced drive belt and pump. It was easy with outer shell completely removed. The washer went back together according to directions. Allow seal glue to set overnight and found there were no leaks.

My Amana washing machine burned up a second belt in about three weeks. Prior to that, the spin cycle was very loud. Online research revealed the problem was most likely the hub bearing. I ordered a new bearing, belt and hub and seal kit. The repair is a difficult one as the parts have been on the tranmission shaft many years with the mounting corrosion and mineral build up. I was able to pull the agitator off with no problem. The drive bell would have been easier to pull had I used a gear puller but did not own one. I use two crow bars to lift it off the shaft and I knew I'd be replacing it anyway so was not concerned about damaging it although I didn't. The most difficult part to remove was the large hex nut. I didn't want to purchase the tool to remove it so I used an open end adjustable wrench adn a hammer to remove it. However it took many hours of soaking the nut in sprayed on WD-40 to loosen it. For a while I thought it wasn't going to budge. Oh and btw, the nut comes off counterclockwise on this model. This is important. Other makes of washers have left handed threads, requiring clockwise removal, but this one does not. The hub assembly was pulled using the crow bar method. Again, it was going to be replaced anyway. The lint filter was cleaned and reused. The remainder of the dissassembly went OK using the directions in the repair manual. http://www.scribd.com/doc/8677902/Amana-Top-Load-Washer-Service-Manual. Reassembly went fine using the repair manual accept that the new drive bell was much more difficult to drive onto the shaft than I thought it would be. I eventually got it on using my shop vac rigid tube to go around it and hammering on a block of wood placed on top of it. I also used this shop vac tube to seat the seal that goes on the shaft just before the drive bell. It was the perfect tool for it as I wasn't going to purchase the special tool suggested in the repair manual. I'd already purchased $185 in parts. The kits come with grease but not the anti seizure compound or the industrial sealant needed. The anti seisure compound can be purchased from an auto parts store. It's not expensive. The industrial sealant is expensive. After researching what it was and why it was needed, I took a chance on silicone sealant. I'm not suggesting it is a good substitute but my washer has not leaked after 5 loads. Plus the sealant is really a backup to the main seal that goes on the transmission shaft before the hub assembly. But I'm pleased overall with the parts and accompanying directions and the washer is working great, spinning quietly. This is not an easy repair. It takes patience and a place to work on it. Frankly, with other things to do as well as go to work, it took me four days to complete, mostly due to the difficulty in removing the large hex nut. It might be worth investing in the removal tool if you're unsuccessful using home tools. Good luck.