Lesson Learned

[POLLWOOD]

about 3 or 4 years ago, I rebuilt some trunion bearing assemblies for my AT35 maytag/Unimac washers. I did not heed the advice of a machinest who wished to rebuild the assemblies for me, at a profit of course. Rebuilt bearings myself. Turns out he was correct, the castings were worn and I just finished the bearing replacements again. This time the castings were bored out to allow for a sleeve to hold the rear(smalller) bearing. The bearings were still fine, but the castings wore out, enough to create some nasty vibrations.
Oh well , another lesson learned, maybe you can learn from my mistake!
Kent

[BWJR]

You said that these were Uni Macs; how old were these machines?? I currently have two 50#'ers bought in 1994 Speed Queen (Unimacs).

BWJR

[POLLWOOD]

the washers were new in 1990

regards K

[BWJR]

Did you have problems with the door mech malfunctioning?

[POLLWOOD]

I have had some minor problems with the door locks. Usually, the door closed switch (which activates the coin acceptor) gets abused by customers slamming the door with the latch partially closed. I do have to bend the levers back into shape quite often. I have yet to buy any significant amount of door mech parts for these. I have a total of 30 of this vintage. Over the years we have had a # of complaints about the washers being finished too early. If the door is not closed properly it will rapid advance thru the cycle.
I do have a problem with one AT18 that I haven't sorted out yet. Customer puts in required amount of coins, then timer rapid advances thru the whole cycle and then starts up.! I have been swapping parts from the next machine in order to make the problem move, but no luck yet. Its probably the timer, just too lazy!

[MSKLAUNDRY.]

POLLWOOD,

Have you swapped the door lock board or door lock contactor( if you have one of the older AT's it didn't use the relay on the top of the relay board but instead used a separate contactor.

Also check the silver thermistor on the top of the relay board. It sometimes works its way loose from vibration.

[Anonymous]

I agree with Marc I have found it to be the Pc board on top of capacitor 99% of the time.

[POLLWOOD]

I have swapped out the PC board above capacitor, but no luck. Not the capacitor, not sure if that makes a difference

[MSKLAUNDRY.]

On your washer do you have wires attached to terminals 1 through 4 of the relay board?

[POLLWOOD]

now you are testing memory, ouch. I believe there are wires attached to those terminals

[MSKLAUNDRY.]

On second thought that may not be relevant. If you have changed the door lock sol. and the relay board then I would go with the timer next, Not much else could be at fault except a loose wire.

[POLLWOOD]

thks

[TTLES]

Hers's a little additional information on the Unimac (Maytag, Heubsch, Speed Queen)

Bearings ..... major problems that have still not been addressed by the manufacturer. The cylinder diameter is too small and is not a tight enough fit into the front bearing. This accounts for about 90 % of the bearing jobs we do requiring shaft repair. The shaft is too short by about 1/8 inch.....shim the rear of the pulley when reassembling. The weep hole in the bearing housing is too small and in the wrong location. Also add a vent hole to the housing.

Door lock....Perty simple and economical to repair,,,,However some machines are POSSESED!!! They will run 10 or 15 times without a problem, then not unlock at the end of the cycle. If you have one of these ( for some reason the Maytag version seems to be most affected) Do a door lock upgrade... there is a kit for this

When the digital display coin drop goes bad, replace it with a Keltner.
.

[BWJR]

I understand Unimac has come up with a new door lock mech for the problem that occurs with both coils. When I called to ordered the part the parts tech told me not to but it, because it wouldn't solve my problem. What's the deal with that, has anyone replaced this part with any success?

BWJR

[MSKLAUNDRY.]

The problem with the door lock that TTLES discribed is usually do to too much pressure applied to the door lock cover plate and inner front panel. Maytag ones were known for that but all unimac made washer had the same problem mostly 18 and 25 lbs. The fix for it is to loosen the two bottom bolts holding the inner front panel to the frames and move the panel out leaving a small gap between it and the door unlock coil. When the cover plate is installed it should never press on the door unlock coil. If you cannot easily slide the cover plate over the lock mech then it is too tight.

Also many people do not realize that the nut that goes on the end of the plunger for the door unlock coil is not supposed to be tightened all the way. It is supposed to be slightly loose which is why they use a fiberlock nut.
Is it also important that when replacing the door unlock coil you also change the plunger that comes with the new coil, don't get lazy!!!

[BWJR]

Thank You Marc,

I will try all these thing that you suggest. Off and On I have had trouble with these two 50#'ers for about 9 years. What about the new retro fit mech i mentioned?

Thanks,
BWJR

[MSKLAUNDRY.]

The new mech while better than the original is not worth changing to and may not solve your problem.

[TTLES]

Part # F746507-2 For "L" catch 120 volt.....We have done a number of these on problematic machines during the last 10 years or so. This retrofit DEFINATELY SOLVES THE PROBLEM. The kit includes a new pin style door lock with a single coil. A new PC BOARD, a small relay and instructions for wiring changes that must be made. When this problem first surfaced, I was back and fourth with the techs at Unimac. Their quote to me was ...."We know the problem exists, we don't know why. We know that the upgrade kit solves the problem, save yourself a lot of agravation and do the upgrade " end of quote....

(I corrected the part #) MSKLAUNDRY

[BWJR]

Marc,

TTLES says its worth making the change to the new door mech. Why do you feel its not worth the time or money? By the way how much do they want for the part?

[MSKLAUNDRY.]

Ttles is 100 % correct that they have much a better reliablility. However you haven't stated what specific problems you are having, BWJR. Not unlocking at end of cycle, not startiing, etc..

I have a older price list (CD) and have list price at 180.37, so depending on who you get it from and what discount off list you get will determine what price you will pay.

Note: Current list price may be higher as I don't have the current CD handy.

Again is it worth it, that would depend on how many washers you have and how often you have problems with them. I would say check out what I said previously and then decide for youself.

[TTLES]

The kit I mentioned will solve the problem of the door not unlocking at the end of the cycle, if the problem is intermittant or sporatic. It will not eliminate any problems that are caused by a defetive timer , capacitor, or other non related components. Certain machines, for some unknown reason develop this non-unlocking condition. We usually change the PC board and the lock and release solenoids. Before we do this , we tell the customer that this probably will not solve the problem, but they might get lucky. We explain that the only 100% solution is the upgrade kit. Most people have spent enough time, money, and agravation with this problem, that they opt for the kit. Again, this works on those machines that run ok for 15 cycles , then trap some ones clothes !! Turn off the power, start again and the machine will run fine for a few more days, until the owner gets another phone call about someones clothes stuck in a washer! If this describes your problem, the go for the kit.

[BWJR]

Marc,

Over the past 8 years I have had a mix of all the problems. Fast forwarding through the cycle , stopping after the pre-wash and not advancing to the wash cycle, not being able to open the door after the wash is done. (The machine just continues to turn in one direction.and never stops. This is the most frequent problem.
sometimes I come in and the washer timer is setting just past the pre-wash cycle, the door is open, the clothes are out and the machine can not be used. I don't know how the customer got there clothes out or what ever happened, since my mat is partially unattendant. I then have to manually advance the timer and it may go for 3 months before it ever happens again. I have two 50 # Unimacs, which turn about 10 times or more on Sat. and Sunday. I bought them in 1994 and this problem has existed for 9 years.

BWJR

[BWJR]

By the way TTLES, would you ever buy another Unimac? I know when these two go, I will never buy another Unimac.

BWJR

[TTLES]

I don't want to give the wrong impression. I think that the Unimac is a good machine. LIKE ALL OTHER BRANDS, they all have their own shortcommings and positive points.. Example , You can replace/repair the door lock on a Unimac for about 70% less than a Gen 5 or 6 Wasco. I have yet to find the perfect machine.....(actually the Gen 4 Wascomat came pretty close !!!) The thing that really gets me is that Unimac knows that they have a problem with the cylinder shaft and the fix would amount to pennies, but they refuse. For a while they were almost giving away the door lock upgrades ( they kept it a good secret). Maybe your dealer could help you out with the cost of the kit.

[Anonymous]

Ttles,
What washer would you buy new if you had to buy one?

[TTLES]

I would put more emphasis on the dealer and even more on the installation. As I said all brands have there pros and cons. The only brand I would probably stay away from would be Continental Girbau.