SAV5401AWW Maytag Washer - Instructions

Spin cycle sounded like freight train, bad bearing, apparently they all fail the same way, this revised parts kit should prevent premature failure in future.

The following is easy for an experienced mechanic of any type, fully doable by an accomplished DYI'er, between this writeup and the kit instructions (which I do not fully follow) you should be fine. Probably avoid this task if you aren't either of the aforementioned.

Remove lower pannel, top pannel, lift top back. Remove fill hose to outer tub, clear tube to outer tub. Remove entire outer cabinet from base, exposing base and tub. Remove augur assy by popping off cap removing inner bolt, lifting augur out. Remove top of outer tub cap assy by pressing down where each latch is and gently prying latch open with screwdriver. Remove bolts holding in inner tub and remove inner tub. Unscrew the pastic nut on transmission shaft using channel locks (counterclockwise from top), don't worry about destroying this part since a new one is in the kit. Remove (pry off with your hands, don't worry about breaking it) the 'lint filter' (looks like a frisbee) and trash it. Remove the large (about 8")aluminum hub (that the inner tub bolts to) by unscrewing counterclockwise. No special tool needed, just use air hammer if available against one of the T shaped castings to get it loose, otherwise use a drift and hammer same way. Don't worry about messing up the part since a new one is in the kit. Remove the outer tub drain hose, remove six screws holding outer tub, lift outer tub out. Turn outer tub upside down and use a wide crowbar/nail puller to CAREFULLY pry out the bearing/seal assy from the bottom of the tub. Take your time working your way completely around the bearing/seal several times so it doesn't get too crooked while removing it. Clean everything thoroughly. Inspect the area of the bottom of outer tub where you removed the bearing/seal. If all is well and there are no gouges, get it wet with clean water and then carefully press the new bearing/seal assy in with the heal of the palm of your hand, working your way around it so it doesn't get crooked while pressing in. Do not use sealer (unless there are gouges) and do not hammer this. Make sure it is fully seated in the outer tub. Do reverse to put everything back together. I tightened the aluminum hub the same way I loosened it, no problem. There are some rubber plugs in the kit to install in some holes in the tub, scrape or clean any gunk off the inner tub around these holes so the rubber plugs will seat properly. Carefully snug the plastic nut with channelocks by gripping it from the top as opposed to the side (so the fins don't break). Note there is a small o-ring on the transmission shaft to change before replacing the augur. Nice and quiet after the repair, hopefully the new kit (and trashing the 'lint filter') makes it last longer... LOL, it's a bit disturbing seeing the gunk under the augur knowing that has been there all this time while 'cleaning' the laundry! I'll probably start removing the augur every so often to clean under there.

Water was leaking on the floor during the wash cycle and especially during draining of the washer. I removed the front panel at ground level and watched while draining after a rinse.

I t was obvious that water was spraying from a hole in the rubber end of the hose (the hose is a fused assembly of a plastic section and a rubber section).

So, I finished draining, removed the hose (required pliers to squeeze off a hose clamp).

Upon inspecting the hose, it was also apparent that the hole was caused by rubbing against a support bracket for the motor. This should not happen, but it did because the plastic standoff supposed to keep the hose away from the bracket was installed 180 degrees backwards.

So, I simply replaced the hose and turned the bracket around to the correct orientation.

Everything worked as planned and my repair cost was much less than if I had called someone out.

First removed the front panels and tilted the top back.Disconnected the electrical connector to the motor,removed the cabinet base screws and slid the entire cabinet away from the interior after disconnecting the clear tube and the water feed to the panel.removed bolt inside agitator and remove agitator.removed the plastic hold down center nut with channel lock pliers.remove top cover from outer tub(pry out over tabs with screw driver).remove 4 bolts holding inner tub and remove tub.remove inner bottom tub support with pliers(screws off).remove 6 machine screws from frame to bottom of plastic outer tub and remove tub.Carefully pry seal/bearing out of tub from the bottom(remember its just plastic).install is just the reverse of the dissassembly.Note: This is the second seal/bearing for this washing machine in less than 2 yrs..I work in the Site developement/construction field and my clothes get extremely dirty.The dirt is being held under the inner tub support and driven down thru the seals and into the bearing(great design).This go around the intsructions called for the removal of the plastic lint filter under the tub support which I believe was a large part of the problem.I hope so.I'm not going to spend $90 every 2 yrs. on this machine.Good luck.

removed outer enclosure to expose inside workings. removed all retaining springs to tub and transmission housing. Inverted tub to access agitator pulley and belt. Removed pulley and cut belt off.(I knew I was replacing it, anyway.)Had to remove large tub bracket to exchange new pulley for old. Disconnect bleach reservoir filler tubing on tub assembly. Disconnect power connector to drive motor. Removed water pump to access drive pulley where new belt belongs. Aligned belt to pulleys and checked idler pulley tension which was acceptable. Replace helix drive lug against spin/agitator and tightened retaining bolt. Assembled components in reverse order and conducted test run. Success. Smooth running machine and saved about $200 on professional labor costs. I had no repair manual but you should have a personal confidence in general repair work. Something like a history of taking things apart and putting them back together successfully. I had an independent appliance repair guy examine the washer and he said it was too complicated for him. Once I had it apart, it seemed fairly basic. Good luck!

firsted layed washer back On A Angle For Easy Acess To Motor Removed Both Hoses And Four bolts pulled Motor Assembly out replced belt @ idler Pulley Reinstalled Motor.

I first grasped the fabric softner dispenser and pulled it up and off agitator. I then removed the bolt from the center of the agitator with a 1/2" socket, 8" extension and ratchet. I grasped the agitator assembly and pulled it up and off. Reversed the procedure to install. The bolt can be started by placing a piece of paper towel over the socket, then inserting the bolt into the socket. It will hold it there while you start the bolt. I also took the opportunity to clean the accumulated soap scum from under the agitator while it was disassembled. An easy fix!!!

I was doing laundry one day, and noticed that the washer did not drain. I drained the water via a shop vac and checked the hoses. There was a baby sock stuck in the hose leading to the pump! I cleared the jam and the washer finally drained again. Once I ran another load, the washer wouldn't drain. I repeated the procedure, and found that the motor was spinning but the pump was not working. I disconnected the machine and proceded to remove the pump. I found that, due to blockage, the motor had reamed out the housing that turns the pump. So, at the advice of my father, who has used this site for other repairs, I entered the model make and number. I was able to view an exploded schematic of the washer in order to correctly identify the part I needed. I found the part, ordered it, and it came to me in about 2 days. I replaced the pump, and my washer has worked great ever since. Thank you PartSelect.com.

I first unplugged the washer. I removed the 2 screws that hold the front panel and removed the front panel, they are located at the very bottom outer edges of the front panel.
I then removed 4 of the large springs that are attached to the drum, this washer has six but I only removed the front 4. Removed the two hoses going to the water pump and drain hose, removed 4 bolts that attach the motor to its mounting bracket. Unplugged the wiring harnesses going to motor and what looks like a capacitor mounted to the side of the motor.Then I removed the drive belt. ( when the machine would first start to spin it would make a clacking noise which ended up being a chunk out the the drive belt causing the belt tenshioner to slap causing that noise and letting the drum spin during the wash cycle. So far very easy. I then removed the motor and when it is disconnected you can then remove the water pump. Three hex head bolts need to be removed and it pulls right off. I then removed the six bolts that hold the brake pads in place. I applied silicone grease to the new brake pads and installed them. The pad at the back of the drum was very hard to line up with the holes. I used a very small screwdriver to line up the disc brake mounting holes to get the bolts started and it worked fine. I then put it all back together and it works great. I have to add that I have been an auto mechanic for 28 years and not to brag but this is not your average repair job.

Unplugged washer then took back off control panel. Removed clamp and tube from pressure switch. Pushed in tabs with a screwdriver and lifted top. Removed clamp and broken tube. Put new tube in place and tighten clamp with nutdriver. Closed top and put other end of tube on pressure switch with clamp. Put back on control panel and plugged in. Clamps are to big for application but do work. So far so good!

Remove the electrical power plug and disconnect the water hoses at the back. Remove the lower front panel by taking out the two screws at the bottom edge. Then lift out the upper front panel which exposes the two sheet metal screws holding down the top panel. Lift open the top panel and secure it up about 90 degrees so it doesn't flop over backwards. Twine tied to something overhead works fine. Replacement procedure for the valve is obvious, once exposed.

As the other posting said, it appears our problem was due to constant overloading, as an inspection of the machine with the bottom service panel removed clearly revealed all three milkstool legs broken away from the round center piece. My teen-agers are now aware that I am somewhat displeased about this.
My first action was to order the repair manual. In retrospect, it was only marginally useful as a job aid, but was essential in verifying ID of the part and understanding details of how the machine works. I started by following the manual which said to remove the agitator. The agitiator didn't want to be removed, even after repeated attempts and applications of varying amounts of both physical and vocal persuasion. So, I reconsidered what I really needed to be doing, and dislodging the agitator (and subsequently all of the spline seals) really wasn't necessary. I just needed to get to and replace the crushed milkstool (and leave everything with a seal alone!).
So, Phase 1 - I removed the front panels, and tilted up the top. I then disconnected the power cable to the motor and the inlet/outlet hoses to the pump (more on my haste in this step in a moment...). The wiring harness is held in place on the machine back and milkstool by plastic retainers that release when compressed. I then disconnected the green ground wire, the panel that holds the blue water inlet valve assembly, the black hose on top of the tub and the clear air pressure hose (just pulls straight out of the tub side connector). This allowed the top to be removed and set aside. I then pulled the drain hose through and pulled the plate that holds it in place from the back, then removed all the screws that hold the cabinet to the base, then set the cabinet aside. Next, I disconnected all 7 springs from the base to the tub, and the tub was free. I pulled the tub from the base (not too heavy) and inverted it to get at the motor/pump/milkstool.
Phase 2 - gently removed the idler spring and removed the belt from the pulley. Pulled 10 1/2" self-tapping screws that hold the milkstool to the tub and the motor to the milkstool (these can be discarded as you get new ones with the milkstool). Now pulled 6 screws that hold the brake pads in place, and pulled the brakepads. The manual says to replace the pads whenever pulled, but these didn't look terribly worn, and work just fine after reassembly. The pulley then came off easily, and then subsequently so did the milkstool (with integrated bearing). Reassembly was the reverse of disassembly, and all seemed logical enough until I got to reattaching the hoses to the pump. The manual does not make it clear which one goes where, and I forgot to take a picture of that part of the machine before dismantling. Long story short, I put them on backwards, and you'll probably not be surprised to hear the machine didn't work as anticipated when we turned it on! (wouldn't spin, wouldn't pump out the water and made a nice puddle in the laundry room). Once we ladled out all of the water from the tub and reversed the hoses, everything worked fine. So - words to the wise (1) mark hoses, wires, etc with tape, grease pencil, whatever works for you BEFORE disassembly and (2) take close-up digital pics as you progress.

Overall, this repair should have been quite easy. The problem was removal of the old seal nut assembly. It was a bear to remove, and ultimately I had to surgically remove it from the washer in pieces. Unfortunately I broke the outer tub (plastic) in the process of getting the nut off. Once I had the silly plastic nut off, and the tub repaired the balance of the repair was absolutely easy.

My summary: This repair is really easy IF the plastic seal nut assembly comes off easily. If it doesn't budget easily, go ahead and chip it apart to get it off, being careful not to damage the threaded part of the agitator shaft. The new one will completely replace the chipped away nut.

took off the front cover.
disconected the wiring from moter.
removed the motor.
replaced the brake pads one at a time used a flat screw driver to spred the plates apart.

The Plasatic Helix Drive Lup
took bolt at the botom of shaft off
this released the Helix drive lug.
took old lug off and inatalled new
replaced bolt and washer.

first I unplugged the electrical plug then I removed the lower covet by taking out the 5/16 screws. I then took out the 5/16 screws that hold the top part of the front cover and removed it.
I then worked the belt off the aggitator pully and removed the hoses from the pump. I then used a 1/2 in soclet on long extension th remove the four bolts that hold the motor and pump assembly. I then worked the assembly out of the cabinate and using a long #20 torx bit I removed the pumfrom the housing. I removed the belt, then I removed the housing off the motor and replaced the Idler bracket with the idler pully. I then re-assembled it in the reverse of taking it apart. Works great with the new idler and belt.
David Hilton

Remover agitator/Auger assembly. Install new agitator/auger assembly. Washer still would not agitate. Called repairman and found the transmission was bad. Fortunately transmission was still under warranty. 10 year warranty on transmission.