Maytag A1910 washer that won't agitate but will spin

[btuckertx]

Hi Doc,

OK, so now that I have the washer put back together and it isn't leaking anymore, I'm back to my original issue, except that it is backwards: The washer will agitate but not spin. It did spin briefly when I first tried, but it hasn't since then. I looked underneath and the motor is working, but the transmission drive pully isn't moving. The pump is working (water is being pumped out), so the motor is trying to spin the tub, but is unable to.

Any suggestions?

[Doc Ryan]

It sounds like the brake may not be disengaging for the spin cycle. I would start by inspecting those components to make sure they are assembled properly.

(click to enlarge)

[btuckertx]

Hi Doc,

I was sort of wondering about that too. This is the original brake assembly in my 30-plus year-old washer. It has never been taken apart, so if there is an issue there, I assume that something has broken within the brake assembly. Is there a repair/rebuild kit available?

Thanks.

[Doc Ryan]

Unfortunately, it looks like the brake is discontinued. The part number is WP6-2011900, you could try searching for a used one off of an old machine.

I located the service manual that you can download here. Check out page 3-50 for information about disassembling the brake.

[btuckertx]

What mechanism causes the brake to engage/disengage? Could this be as simple as a flakey lid switch? Is there anything else that controls the brake?

[Doc Ryan]

If the motor is working, then the lid switch would be good. If the lid switch was bad, the washer would be silent when it got to the spin cycle.

Read pages 3-41 and 3-42 for an explanation on how the brake disengages.