MAH6500AWW Maytag Washer - Instructions

As Typical with this Neptune front load washer, the Water Seal fails to keep water from getting into the bearings. The bearings start to sound like a jet engine at high speed spins once the grease is washed out (nice grease splatter at the back of the cabinet). You can replace the Lip Seal but the bearings are not part of the kit. It is a waste of time to replace the seal kit if the bearings are already bad or going bad. You can't buy the bearings from here or any other appliance part store. You have to purchase a new tub in order to get new bearings, at $500+. Not worth it. I purchased the Lip Seal Kit with the intention of removing the bearings and replacing. The instructions that come with the kit explain with diagrams how to disassemble. In order to remove the spinner from the outer tub, I had to remove the whole tub, place it face down on some 2x4's and hit the spinner shaft with a hammer and block of wood to get it out of the old bearings. It came out fairly quickly. I removed the old lip seal (you can use the two access holes at the back of the outer tub to bang out the lip seal with a nail) and using a hammer and screwdriver, banged out the front bearing in the outer tub from the back and through the back bearing. This took a little while of moving around the bearing edge and tapping out, especially since there is a pipe spacer between the 2 bearings. It can be moved partly out of the way. The spacer will fall out with the front bearing. I then removed the C-clip that holds in the back bearing and banged out using the same method as the front bearing but from the inside. It too took a lot of tapping around the edges due to lots of corrosion. Once I had the bearings out, I looked up the make and model printed on the covers. Order using a DDU designation which is a rubber seal on both sides, like originals. I cleaned up the bearing mounting surfaces using a dremel tool and wire brush attachment. Make sure you get the metal free of any contamination. Use grit paper if necessary. I also sanded down the spinner shaft and got the spindle nice and shiny. I inserted the larger front bearing first (use a little grease on outside edge), it was a very tight fit and had to tap in using a hammer and metal rod. Make sure it is all the way in. Install the new seal kit (mine was the crummy original design, not the revised one). With the spinner tub on the floor shaft up on some 2x4's (light coating of grease on shaft), place the outer tub over the spinner with the shaft inserting through the new bearing and out the back. The shaft isn't an interference fit with the front bearing so it should slide in easily. WIth the shaft fully inserted, install the pipe spacer (cleaned up) then place the back bearing (outside edge greased) over the shaft and into the outer tub. This is an interference fit and will have to be tapped into place. It also was a tight fit into the tub. WIth it part of the way into the tub, I installed the belt pulley and tightened it down using a longer bolt than supplied, and this pushed the bearing the rest of the way in. I then installed the the C-ring. Not sure why the C-ring is needed with the bearing being such a tight fit. I installed the tub assembly back into the washing machine cabinet and installed the pulley and belt.. After reassembling the complete washer (after much cleaning of dust and soap scum, etc) I ran the unit once with no clothes to make sure any contaminates (grease, etc) where washed out first. So far so good, nice and quiet. If it last me another 5-10 years I will be happy. It will fail again for the same reason since I had to use the same lame seal kit and didn't have the revised version un

Unplug and turn off water.....Removed belt drive cover. Rolled belt off of pulley. Removed pulley from back of splined shaft. Removed front door and front panel. Removed two screws that hold top of washer down, 4 screws that hold detergent/bleach tray to top and tilted top back. Removed 4 screws that hold door seal assembly to frame. Popped clips from back of seal away from outer drum. Note locations to reinstall. Pulled small hose away from seal assembly (located at bottom of door seal. Removed door seal assembly. Removed torx screws from tumblers in inner drum to access nylock nuts that hold inner drum to spinner. Removed inner drum. Pulled spinner shaft from outter drum. Removed seal from inside outer drum where shaft passes through bearings. Knocked outside bearing out with drift from inside outer drum. Be careful no to nick/scratch bearing fit or shoulder. Go to the back of the machine and knock the inner bearing out using same method. TAKE YOUR TIME. Outer drum 600 bucks, so don't mess it up. Bearings are available at local bearing shop. NSK 6206DU and NSK 6207DU. Cleaned well and made sure that bearing fits were in good shape. Cleaned up spacer that fits between bearings. Note the way it comes out of the bearing holder (it is tapered on one end). Tapped outer race of inside and outside bearings into fits (barely) after lying the spacer between the bearings in the bearing sleeve. Used threaded rod and some washers of the proper size to pull bearings together. Tapped outer races to make sure that they were seated. Check spacer sleeve fit between inner races (hold it up in the proper location with your fingers....should be snug. Pressed new seal in per directions. Trial fit spinner into bearings/spacer. Installed pulley and belt. Note how bearing spacer and shoulders and pulley clamp inner races together so that you don't get any slip/slop/slap. Reassembled in reverse. Only problem I had was with the door latch manual releast that I accidently clamped between the bleach/detergent dispenser and lid when closing it up....had to adjust. Drank beer and bragged to wife. Been about 20 loads no....no leaks and as quiet as it was new. Took about 2 hours to take it apart and about 3 to put back together....Not a bad job. Definitely cheaper than an outer drum assembly.

My washer was leaking when i opened the front panel to check i found that the water was leaking from door boot which had gashes in it. the task was real easy. and took me 30 minutes to fix it, this was my first time repairing any appliance and i found real easy to do. here are the steps i took:
1. unscrew 2 door screws and the 2 screws opposite to them on the other side (on right if you are facing the washer)
2. take door out by lifting it slightly and then pulling it out.
3. hold front panel from both sides and then push in and twist outward this willl diengage front panel from the hooks on side.
4. tilt front panel towards you about 40 deg. adn pull it up.
5. to take top out, first remove all 4 screws from soap dispenser and take the dispenser out (just pull up after unscrewing)
6. unscrew the electrical unit (where bulb is) in front top by taking out the 2 nuts Note: you must take out left most socket/coupler by pulling it before unscrewing the left nut that will give space for your wrench.
7. In the front corner the Top is bolted to side frame bars you will have to look under top corner and you will see 1 nut on each side, unscrew those nuts and the lift the top ( if you have enough space (about a foot) behind the washer the Top ca n actually go all the way back and rest on wall.)
8. from top view you will see a spring and metal wire system holding your boot, notice the spring position, spring has 2 hooks on each side, with needle nose pliers pull on the spring hook and have someone else disengage wire from spring hook. ( when it is time to put the wire back on the new boot just follow the same thing)
9. once wire is out take the boot out by pulling it from all directions. note: you may still have water in the washer system so before you take the boot out be ready with a bucket to catch it write under the boot plug.
10. your boot is still connected to washer withe the plug at the bottom. with help from needle plier press on clamp and pull plug out. note: if you see water flowing out from drain pipe (where the boot plug goes in try to keep it up to lwer the level of water that will stop the water flowing out (i took help from my 6 year old daughter for this job) now your old boot is out, trash it.:)
11. put the new boot the lip of drum and put the wire back on (again i enlisted my wife and my daughter to keep the wire in place, you cannot do it alone. with 3 of us putting wire was a breeze. put the spring back at the exact same place and with exact orientation.
Note: when you start to put wire and new boot on washer drum lip make sure the tiny cuts/slots on the boot slip into the the notches on washer lip other you will have leak from these spaces.
12.now rest is all easy. attach the drain plug back on and then push the tabs of boot into the frontto secure it.
13. put all the thing that you took out in the same order all the way to door and you are ready to go
NOTE: i did not front panel back on for couple of days to make sure there i no other leak and also to make sue that boot is not leaking.

have fun

The Neptune stacked washer/dryer maintenance manual was a must-have for this repair.

The washer's sound during spin cycle had changed over time from a jet-engine whine to a low rumble. Inspection from the rear revealed that the seals between the spinner and outer tub had failed, and the bearings had been damaged by water intrusion. The bearings are not a replacement item. They are installed as part of the outer tub assembly, so the whole outer tub must be replaced. This requires almost complete disassembly of the washing machine.

The disassembly was relatively easy with the maintenance manual in hand. I had to use a gear puller to remove the pulley, though. I decided to replace not only the outer tub, but the spinner shaft as well since I believed the shaft may have been damaged when the bearings failed.

Reassembly was not so easy. I installed the outer tub, then wrestled with the heavy counterweights. The lower weight was particularly unwieldy, since I had support it from below while attaching it to the bottom of the tub. I finally used books of different thicknesses to hold the weight in place while locating the screw holes for attachment. The upper weight attached easily after I wrestled it into position. This is a concrete weight of about 25 lbs, I would guess.

The other problem was attaching the outer tub cover with the rubber boot attached. It is held by 12 clips, and it was difficult to seat the cover tight enough to attach the clips. I started at the bottom and worked around, instaling clips as I went. The last 4 clips were the hardest; I had to cinch up the cover with C-clamps before installing the clips.

The rest of the assembly was not difficult.

I had my wife help locate the new tub on the struts in the back and to help support the motor while I hung it on the outer tub. Otherwise, this is a one-man repair.

Total cost around $350, thanks to Partselect.com reasonable prices. I shopped around and they offered the best price snd excellent service.

I spent about 8 hours on this job.

First- I unplugged and completely drained machine of water by putting hose at ground level near drain . Second- removed back plate to washer saving all hardware. Third- disconnected in and out hose to pump. Twisted pump gently as to pop it out of slots in bottom of machine. Fourth- disconnected wires to old pump hooked to new pump replaced pump, replaced hoses- tested machine then replaced back plate of machine. Done.

Apparently the only way to solve the notorious mold problem on the rubber gasket of the Maytag Neptune front-loading washer is by replacing the door gasket. I ordered the boot kit from you and my husband attempted to do the job without the benefit of an instruction sheet, but I was finally forced to download the repair manual from the Maytag website. Using a screwdriver to remove the the front door, the detergent dispenser, and the shroud, he was able to remove the old gasket, though stretching the spring that held the gasket in place required some strength. The only tricky part was stretching the spring again that holds the replacement gasket in place. With a little ingenuity, a screwdriver (and some dishwashing liquid to make the task a little easier) he finally accomplished it. It took him over 3 hours, but the job is done and the washer seems to be working fine. Your service was fast and efficient and I wouldn't hesitate using your service again, but enclosing a detailed instruction sheet would have been helpful. Now that he knows how to do the job he acknowledges that the it shouldn't take him more than an hour the next time, should the gasket need replacement again. Meanwhile I am going to try tackling the mold problem by leaving the front door open after wiping out the water that remains on the door gasket after each wash.

Download service manual from internet. Removed door and front panel, removed front hold down brackets for top and prop open. Removed old switch assembly and installed new one. Reverse sequence to reassemble.

Unplugged power cord, turned off water and disconnected cold and hot water lines. Removed two screws on bracket at water inlet area on back of washer. removed loose bracket and removed one screw that held water control valve (hot and cold). Unplugged four clipon electrical connections (marked before removal for ease of reconnection) Used flat tip screwdriver to remove hose clip from hose that went from valve into machine. Connected four clip on electrical connections and reconnected intake washer hose to water valve. I put a tiny bit of plumbers grease on plastic valve nipple to make it easier to push nipple into rubber hose. Reattached one screw to anchor valve to metal bracket. Repositioned bracket and attached two screws that anchored it to the washer. Reconnected hot and cold water lines and turned on hot and cold water to check for leaks. Plugged in power cord and started a wash cycle to once again check for leaks before pushing machine back into place. Wife didn't think I was "talented" enough to fix the washer, but I proved her wrong.

My repair (replacement of Maytag Neptune front load washing machine tub bearings) went well — knock on wood. The reason I took on the job somewhat confidently is I read online (probably from your site) the testimonial of someone who successfully did the same repair I faced. It is this persons sharing the recount of what it takes to do this job that gave me the motivation to take it on. For me it was around an eight hour job being my Neptune is a stackable (with the drier ontop). It has been a week now of operation with about 10 loads through the washing machine. It is sooo nice not listening to the previous worn bearing sound best described as a jet plane winding-up during taking off coming from the washer during its spin cycle. I pray the shaft seals stay snug. The job definitely was a major undertaking. Replacing the seal and bearing myself I saved probably saved $900.
Scott

Opened the back panel of the washing machine. Removed the old belt and wrote down the part number. Shopped online for a suitable replacement and found a perfect match at part select.com. I put in an order and it was delivered in a couple of days! I opened the back panel of the washing machinie again. This time I decided to also replace the isolators that came with the kit. For this, I had to unscrew the motor and gently tug it free. I placed it on the floor of the washing machine. I then replaced the 2 isolators as described in the kit, reinstalled the motor and put the screw back on. I then proceeded to place the belt on the motor and on to the wheel. This took couple of tries to get the grooves right. I then tested the washing machine on a rinse cycle and things looked good. Its been working fine so far.

use an online repair manual for your model, but in the manual it states that the tub bearings are not replaceable, if you are a skilled person capable and competent with fixing mechanical things you should be able to replace the bearings, don't forget to put in a new seal. the bearings can be found at grainger.com , have the old ones in hand for proper size as these bearings are only sold by dimension. This repair will take some time and patience.

The door had become more difficult to close and then eventually stopped locking. The relay worked but the mechanical mechanism was not working properly.

I did not use a manual. Just read some tips for removing the latch assy.

Latch Assy:

1. Removed the four screws that hold the lid to the detergent.
2. Remove the door and the 2 screws holding the door frame (opposite door hinges).
3. Pull the front panel forward, then remove a screw from each side that holds the washer top lid in place (nut driver).
4 Remove two screws that hold the latch assy (nut driver).
5. Unplug the wiring harness.
6. Reassemble in opposite order.

Lock Hoop Door Assy:

1. Remove the four screws that hold the door together and separate into two pieces.
2. Follow instructions to remove lock hoop (instructions should come with new assy)
3. Reassemble.

Pre-ordered the spinner support & seal kit, searched online and found a repair manual, disassembled machine according to the manual, removed snap ring outside of rear bearing, used hammer and drift punch to remove bearings, went to local bearing supply store and purchased 1-6206 2RSJEM and 1-6207 2RSJEM for a total of $43. Used needle scaler to remove the ~1/8th inch of scale from inside of the outer drum and outside of the inner drum and other parts encrusted with scale. Installed new bearings and the seals and new spinner and reassembled the rest of the washer. Now we can't hear it when it spins!

This kit came with instructions. I followed them closely. The only thing I could add is clean the tub spindle with steelwool to remove any debris or rust. then wipe down spindle to remove all steelwool particles and follow instructions to reassamble.

I followed the other instructions provided by your toher users. Basically I reomved the 4 face screws secruing the front pannel assembley and the door hinges as described with a philips head screw driver. Removal of the door was easily accomplished once you played witht he hinges to slide them upward slightly to clear the lips. The soap dispenser was then loosened by removing the 4 corner screws. Take care not to completely remove the soap dish. It simply needs to be moved aside with the flexible hoses still attached. This is accomplished once the top lid is hinged upward out of the way. The face panel can then be removed and set asside ater removing the screws holding it in place. Remove the damaged boot with the anterior face (door side)first. It simply gets pulled away from the sealing flanges. With the top lid removed you should have direct visualization and access to the retaining cable and the spring tensioner. I found that neither of the previously described methods of taking the tension with pliers or having an assistant were particularly helpful. Under the soap dispenser you will notice a hole in the top lip of the side frame. I attached a piece of rope to this hole using a small snap link. The other end of the rope had an "s" link set into the middle of the rope and the other end hooked over the spring hook. Now puliing back on the loose end of the rope back towards the attachment point creates a mechanical advantage easing the spring open and then using pliers you can easily remove the retaining cable. Ease off the spring and then set aside. The posterior portion of the door boot can now be removed and the old piece discarded. Take care to disconnect the drain plug at the bottom first. Replacing the boot was fairly straighforward. I attached the posterio portion first taking care to align the indentions were appropriate. Once is was attached and aligned, use the rope assembly once again to draw tension on the spring in a controlled fashion. Hold the other end of the cable with some needle nose pliers and slip over the spring hook once enough tension is applied. This method only took me one try and the mechanical advantage created was very effective. I then turned my attention to the anterior portion of the boot and pushed it into the flanges. I also found the the required pressure was a bit stiff and your fingers will get tired quickly. Use a smooth stick or a spatula particularly underneath the door latch assembly since space is tight and you will not be able to get your fingers underneath it. Put the face palte back in place and reattach the screws. Put the soap dispenser assembly back in place and hinge the lip back into place. Reattach the screws for the soap dispenser and lid. Reattach the door and test everything for any leaks. It was not very diificult at all and it took roughly 30-45 minutes. Read all of the other stories as well to help get an overal flavor for the job beforehand.