PVTEST1Q Maytag Washer - Instructions

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.

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.

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.

Accessing the bearing housing was quite easy and the PartSelect videos were quite informative. Upon removing the lip seal the bearings obviously needed to be replaced. The bearings needed to be purchased from a local supplier and we used Grainger #6L028 (rear bearing) and #6L029 (front bearing). We needed to apply a generous amount of Liquid Wrench and used a long drive punch pin and a 3-jaw pilot bearing puller to remove the bearings. After removing the rear bearing we broked the puller on the front bearing, but were able to remove with the punch pin with the access created at the rear of the drum. Reinstalling the bearings was text book, we used a long bolt with large washers to pull the front and rear bearings together, with the spacer inserted between them.

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.

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!

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

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.

Followed the video, besides the spring, everything was easy.

I just followed what others have already noted. The only challenge was the spring as others have already stated many times. You will need help but be patient and you'll make it work.

Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, the repair video is priceless! Without it, this repair would have been more difficult, but it was so easy to follow along with the video while doing the repair. I rated it easy, but the reinstallation of the wire and spring holding the bellow in place requires significant pulling power. It took a couple tries to get it on, but other than that, the rest of it is cake. From start to finish, the job took less than an hour, but set aside some time for cleaning behind the washing machine if you haven't pulled it out in a while! Also, I have to mention that the part I received was an identical genuine Maytag part and not a remanufactured knock off. The fit and finish was perfect.

Found the part on parts select, which also had a very helpful DIY repair video to replace the part. I followed the video step by step to fix the tub cover, and the washer is back to full working condition!!! I could not be happier with Partselect.com. Their easy appliance break down to find the exact part that is broken; but to also include a instructional video for that part was amazing.