A106 Maytag Washer - Instructions

Could not repair. The gearbox on the agitator was broken and that kept the agitator from working. Do not assume it is a belt problem on a washer built in 1987.

First thing I had to determine what was wrong. The machine had worked admirably for a 1980 model but over the last few years cold water input had reduced to almost nothing. There was also a slight hum during filling but it had been so gradual I really didn't recognize it as part of the problem.
After checking that the cold water faucet, hose and screens were okay I removed the front panel to see how water flowed inside the machine. I suspected the inlet valve on the machine was not working correctly so I looked on PartsSelect and found similar repair stories. I ordered one and it arrived in 2 days.
Repair was simple. Turn off hot and cold water and disconnect hoses from machine. Mine were on snug so it took pliers to get a turn started. Lay them in a pan to catch drippings. On the back remove the single nut above the inlet valve and lift to remove the panel. Remove the two mounting screws for the inlet valve. If needed rotate the electrical connections on the new inlet valve to match the old and transfer the wires. Remove the small output waterline and transfer it to the new valve. Mount the new valve to the panel and resecure the panel to the machine. Snugly attach the hot and cold water lines. Turn on the water and after checking for leaks you're good to go.

Partselect.com gave me a very helpful list of parts per symptom. Said that there is an 88% chance that belts were my problem. Since the machine is 200 miles away I ordered two other parts as well. Belts fixed it! Took front cover off (not totally necessary). When the machine is tilted back belts are exposed underneath. Two belts later I was up and running. This site is really great.

Pull washer out from wall. Remove front panel (2 Philips head screws), swing bottom of panel out, remove panel. Tilt washer backwards, lean against wall to expose area under washer. Roll off old belts, roll on new belts. Move washer back upright, replace front panel, replace the philips screws, move washer back to original position.

Installed drive and pump belt.. very very simple. only tool required was a screw drive to remove front panel of the washing machine.

took front panel off had 2 screws, propped up washer in front, took belts off with hands and put new ones on in reverse order One belt was badly cracked. I am 77 year old female, if I can do it, anybody can. great service on getting belts too. Thank you

Replaced both the drive belt and pump belt in less than 10 minutes. Maytag has the easiest machines to work on.

Removed the old hoses and screwed on the new hoses.

The repair itself is fairly simple. However, being 65 years old getting the new valve back into the back opening of the washer and screwed in was a challenge. The clamp on the water connector hose broke and I had to drive to the store to replace it. You may want to consider giving a heads-ups option of ordering hose clamps to DIYers, when you go to order. Also, the instructions that came with the part was not totally accurate. I had to rotate the cylinders outward to connect to the electrical points. But, my machine is pretty old and that may be why. Otherwise, I am very pleased with how quick I received the part and it was exactly what I ordered. My washing machine is back in business. Thank you

To troubleshoot the problem I removed a panel/blank from the back of the machine. I then started to fill the tub while watching the pump. It immediately leaked from the shaft seal. I ordered the part early the next morning. It arrived late the next day. I was able to remove the front panel of the machine by removing a screw at each front corner of the bottom of the machine. The pump was attached with three screws which were simple to remove. The pump was an exact replacement and fit identically to the original. I tensioned the belt, and tested the machine. Before reinstalling the front cover, I cleaned the interior of the machine a bit and replaced a couple of hose clamps whose steel screws had started to corrode. All in all a simple repair.

This job turned out to be alot easier than I thought thanks to the tips I received on the web site. First I removed the agitator with a small nut drive I believe it was 1/4". Than I removed the two screws holding on the lid and lofted it out of the way. This is where the Hammer drill comes in. I had read someone else had used WD40 to help break free the threads and get the retaining ring off the tub it self. I worked on this for about 20 minutes with lube and trying to tap it off with the hammer and tap method. Finally I looked over and sitting there on the self next to the washer was my hammer drill. It can't be any worse than banging on the thing with the hammer. (They proably don't reccomend) but with a straight tip and a couple of quick shots the gaint nut came right off. I will say that my washer being older I could barely even tell where the threads were so I figured why not. It worked great. I then took the tub ring(plastic) at the top off and removed tub. Again a couple of quick shots with the hammer drill and the ring came right off. I did spend a little time making sure everything was clean and then reassembled machine with no more leaks. It may sound strange but it worked great with no fighting the space constraints, the calcium buildup and no damage to machine. If it doesn't work get a bigger hammer. Good luck

Removed top. Removed agitator and tubs . Replaced seals and reassembled.

The replacement of the Water Inlet Valve supplied by PartSelect (model PS60378) was too easy.
The key issue was to remove previously the whole upper cover of the washer machine, including the Control Panel, and disconnect all the cables from the electronic Control Board, in order to work easy and freely to remove the inner water hose that is connected to the water inlet valve, working from inside and not from outside of the machine.
Care must be taken writing a notepad of the position of every cable, for not making mistakes when reconnecting them to the Control Panel.

My Maytag A308 is about 25 yrs old and has been filling by a trickle for a while - both hot and cold. I replaced the water valve and that fixed the hot. Cold still running slow. I switched the hoses, thinking one might be clogged, and determined that the cold shut-off was clogged. I replaced that with a ball-valve - about $10 - and it works like it used to. My advice to anyone who installs a shut-off to any fixture - sink, toilet, w-machine, etc - NOT to use a cheap washer-type valve - they tend to freeze up over time and do not close when needed. Same for clean-out drain on hot water heaters.

Water valve on the A308 was accessible and easy to replace. Required rotation of solenoids was easy and connections were obvious. PartSelect
pictures were very useful and price was better than other on-line sources.

Ron

I tipped the washer up on 2by4 blocks used 1/4 inch rachet with 5/16 socket two remove 3 screws and the belt from underneath. Took clamps off hoses yahoo saved l00 bucks!