Maytag Neptune clicks/creaks/groans at low spin speeds but not at high speeds

Washer Repair
1

I have a 20+ year old Neptune MAH5500B front-load washer.

[*]During the normal tumble cycle, the machine emits creaking, clicking, and groaning sounds, especially it seems when the motor reverses directions or starts up. The sound is not constant.

  • When I did a “spin-test” there was clicking/creaking noise a couple of times a second at lower speeds (say below 400), but the noise subsided as the speed increased so that at high speeds the spin was as quiet and smooth as ever.

  • The machine itself was not physically rocking or shaking at any speed and the drum spins smoothly by hand.

  • When moving the drum by hand, I noticed that I could push the drum back about 2 inches, though it immediately springs back to the standard position. Not sure if this is normal.

  • The test cycle completes without any error codes and again the creaking/clicking/groaning noise is only made during some of the low speed tumbling

Any idea what might be wrong?
Belt? Suspension/struts? Weights? Suspension?

Note I replaced the bearings with high quality waterproof Japanese bearings (about $50 a pair) a few years ago and until now it has worked flawlessly.

2

I found and fixed the problem.

Turns out that the bolt holding the large back belt wheel to the inner drum shaft had come loose. This caused the belt wheel to slip and rock slightly and bang occasionally against the outer drum. This explains why the noise was worse at slow speeds and when changing directions since it seems to have stabilized at higher speeds. Also the rubbing of the sharp edge of the wheel rim against the “fins” of the outer drum started to cause a narrow groove to form in the fins.

I added a beefy lock washer, a generous amount of Loctite, and tightened the bolt as tight as I dared.
I also filled the grooves with some heavy duty industrial adhesive filler epoxy.

It now spins smoothly without unusual noises at all speeds from 0-1000 RPM.

Hope this helps anyone else who encounters a similar problem!

3

Hi,

Thanks for the update!

That will help others :slight_smile:

jeff sr.