Maytag A490 washing machine purchased in 1986. Oil leaking out bottom causing belts to squeal. Purchased lip seal repair kit 207843. Have disassembled washer per instructions, including removing the brake package. However, looking at where I expected to see the old seal that needs replacement, instead I see the end of a bronze bushing. Wassup wit dat? I can’t see any way to install this new seal nor any way the oil is supposed to remain inside the transmission.
Only thing I can figure is that this bronze sleeve is supposed to be farther up inside the transmission and has slipped down to this point, completely obliterating the original seal in the process. Is this possible?
I fashioned a perfect tool from a length of copper tubing, and used a flat washer and the drive pulley to press the bronze sleeve farther up into the shaft. At first, it moved – and I thought “Aha! I’ve got it licked!” But alas it only moved about 1/8" before hitting a solid stop. There isn’t even any remnant of a seal that I can see, it looks as though this thing is made to have that bronze sleeve at the lowest point in that transmission. There is no place to put the new seal, and no existing seal that I can see. Any seal below this bronze bushing would do no good, as the square thread on the shaft goes up into the bushing, oil would just leak through the thread.
If there is any way to seal this transmission, it is apparent to me that it would involve a teardown of the entire transmission – and even that would provide no guarantee of correcting the problem at this point. Unless and until I can get some clarity on what’s going on here, I’m probably just going to close this thing back up and run it until the transmission seizes up from lack of oil. Then I’ll either search the junkyards for a replacement transmission or just buy a new washing machine. I hate the new “Lost in Space” style washing machines, really hoped to avoid that route.