MAH6500AWQ Maytag Washer - Instructions

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.

Follow the suggestions on the rope tied to the side of the washer, then mechanically lever the spring open. Only change I would incorporate is using a block of wood to keep the wash drum from moving over as you pull on the rope to open the spring up. GREAT AND EASY FIX!

removed the door &the top took the tightener off the bellow took old one out put new one on and clean all parts and put it back together works like a new one love it.

Set my iPad on the dryer and played the video. Could not have done it without it. Putting spring back on was the hardest, fell off once. Took that long because video connection timed out and had to get another coffee. Part delivery was quick. Found the drain tube out of the bellows was clogged. If it wasn't for the mildew on the bellows could havw fixed the problem if I had known about a drain at the bottom of the bellows.

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.

The replacement was not complicated. It took me more time because the details are not in the videos and I had to do it twice because I didn't get the seal on correctly the first time. I used the Neptune videos available on you tube for the basics. Use the "inspecting front door lock wax motor" video for a start, but be sure to take off the top front crosspiece also for easier access to the spring that tensions the seal retainer cable. You don't have to disconnect any wires, just lay the door lock assembly gently to the left of the washer. The old seal comes off very easily, using the front loader door seal video. My washer was an early one without the drain tube so I had to get the drain tube and clamps separately and drill out the tub nipple to the left below the seal. I used the biggest drill bit I had that fit inside the nipple. The tub is plastic and very easy to drill. Most of the plastic shavings will come out toward you if you drill slowly and don't push too hard on the drill. I also used my shop vac to try and get out any other shavings. I used dish washing liquid as a lubricant to help put the seal on and used too much. It doesn't take very much. The spring that tightens the inner seal clamp/cable was very hard to attach and it did require two locking pliers [vise-grips] and quite a lot of effort. You have to hook one end of the spring to the cable that wraps around the seal, hold the other end of the cable with locking pliers, the free end of the spring with locking pliers, and stretch the spring to hook it to the free end of the cable. There are some other methods described in various forums and one of them might work better for you. When I was an auto mechanic we had a special tool that helped attach springs like this on drum brakes. I was sure wishing that tool was still in my tool chest but it was not. This was the most difficult part for me, getting the cable and spring all in place and stretching the spring without dislodging the seal and having to start all over.I didn't get the seal aligned correctly the first time and had to do it over after putting ever thing back together and washing a load of clothes. I could have avoided that by carefully inspecting the seal before I put everything together. When you put it back together the end of that red or green nylon line that looks like weed eater line goes under the soap/bleach dispenser bezel on the top so you can manually open the door if the wax motor goes bad and it won't unlock.

Basically the problem was the bearing replacement. Although you cant get them on PartsSelect, I got the seal kit on the site. The seal kit is easy, the bearings took two days and an air hammer to extract them and a big hammer to get them back in. All in all it was worth it,

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.

Had to remove the door, the face of the washer, and two face pieces between the washer and the stacked drier. I then removed and replaced the bellow. The installation of the new bellow was difficult, the first time. Getting the silicone part onto the tub is tricky as is re-installing the cable and spring. I must have not gotten the cable properly seated on the lower lip as it leaked and I hade to repeat the job the next day. The second time around was much easier. There is a learning curve, even for me, a retired electro mechanical tech. I thing someone who is not very handy would have trouble with it. This repair should be considered only by someone of intermediate or better skills.

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

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

Followed instructions that came with replacement part, good as new!

I removed the rear access panel, used a nut driver and pliers to remove the old hose. I tried to connect the new hose with the spring clamp on the pump end of the hose. I gave up on that after a few attepmts because the clamp was very hard to manipulate with standard pliers. I used a standard screw type hose clamp (2") that I had instead. The tub end was easier because a standard hose clamp was used there already. The washer no longer leaks, and I saved a lot of money by doing the job myself!

removed front panel. removed brakets holding top. lifted top hinged backward. Removed tension spring and cable that secures the seal to the drum. Pulled seal out. Put new seal back in. Secured with cable and spring. Reassembled top and front.