Brand: Maytag
Model Number: MAV8500AWW
Main Symptom: will not spin at high speed to fling out the remaining water; the tub is still trying to wobble, after replacing (see all of the parts below)
What happens & when:
Error Code (if any): Maytag Atlantis
Parts or tests already tried: the motor, the motor tensioner spring, the tub springs, the snubber ring, thrust bearing assembly, the water pump, and the belt twice now
Photos / video link:
One thing is a possibly warped inner tub. U can take it out and roll it across a smooth surface and see if it wobbles
Hello and Good Day Jeffrey,
That is an interesting theory. I will get a good look at the inner tub. To be more accurate, the tub is leaning off to one side, away from plumb, not necessarily wobbling. In addition to the parts that I have replaced, what other components keep the tub vertical when it goes into spin mode ? Please advise.
I was looking just ahead of the mechanics given all of the parts that I have replaced. So the question is, with all of these updated parts, what is keeping the machine from kicking in to high speed spinning? As I understand it, this Maytag, Neptune, MAV8500AWW has a two stage motor that provides the second high RPM’s to finish spinning out the last of the water.
Apparently there are two electronic components that make this possible; a motor capacitor and a relay switch. Please direct me to these components with any information that you can find and help me to troubleshoot and resolve the failure to shift into high speed spin. Your thoughts ?
PS If the machine were not working so well, without any noise as symptoms, I might be tempted to think that the issue is in the transmission.
If the wobble is pronounced enough the tub will never come up to full spin speed. The motor capacitor is only there to provide the initial boost to get the motor moving against the resistance of the transmission , pump and tub components.
As far as a relay I did not see one listed in the parts o
r on the wiring diagram. Spin speed is controlled by the timer energizing either the low speed or high speed windings in the motor,
On the Maytag Atlantis MAV8500AWW, considering everything you’ve already replaced, I would stop replacing suspension and drive parts for now. Your symptom points much more strongly toward the brake not fully releasing, excessive drag at the tub/spin bearing, or the transmission itself.
The important detail is that the new thrust-bearing assembly must be adjusted correctly. On this design, turning the transmission pulley counterclockwise makes the cam climb upward and release the brake before driving the transmission into spin. Maytag specifically says the brake-disengagement point needs to be checked whenever those cams are reassembled.
Unplug the washer and remove the front panel.
Turn the large transmission pulley by hand:
Pay particularly close attention to the spacer immediately above the thrust bearing. Maytag’s service procedure says that when you rotate the pulley far enough to release the brake, that spacer should rotate with the pulley. If the pulley rotates but the spacer remains stationary, Maytag identifies the brake rotor/lining assembly as defective.
This is the first thing I’d suspect.
The thrust-bearing kit uses different-thickness washers to set exactly where the brake releases. If the wrong washer combination was installed, you can have a brand-new thrust bearing but still have a washer that:
drains normally → begins spinning → can’t get up to full RPM → clothes remain wet.
That’s because the brake is still dragging.
Maytag’s procedure uses reference marks on the cam/pulley to determine the correct release point; the adjustment is made by changing thrust-washer thickness.
With the machine off and empty, rotate the inner basket.
I’m interested in whether it feels:
A. Smooth/free — relatively easy to rotate.
B. Heavy/dragging — considerable resistance throughout rotation.
C. Rough/notchy — bearing-type resistance/noise.
If the brake is definitely releasing but the basket still has substantial drag, I’d move the spin bearing/tub seal high on the suspect list. Maytag’s troubleshooting information specifically identifies a binding tub seal/bearing as a cause of slow spin.
This is becoming quite plausible given your parts list.
The service literature lists slow spin as potentially resulting from a binding tub seal/bearing, brake that isn’t disengaging, or a transmission/drive problem.
And the MAV8500AWW does have a separate transmission, brake rotor/lining, brake stator, spin bearing, etc.—those weren’t replaced by installing the thrust-bearing kit.
So my troubleshooting order would be:
#1 — Verify thrust-bearing/brake adjustment
#2 — Verify the brake completely releases
#3 — Check basket/spin-bearing drag
#4 — Transmission
I would not buy another motor, belt, pump, snubber, or set of springs based on the symptoms you’ve described.
One more thing: the wobbling may be a consequence rather than the cause. If the basket can’t accelerate through the lower-speed portion of spin because something is dragging, it spends much longer in the RPM range where the suspended tub naturally moves around. Fixing the failure to reach full spin may therefore cure much of the apparent wobble.
If you can tell me what happens when you rotate that large transmission pulley counterclockwise by hand—especially whether you see the transmission/brake assembly lift and whether the basket then turns freely—I can narrow this down considerably before you buy another part.
Jeffrey,
I just found your entire reply; I will study it closely now. Thank you !
Thank you for your prompt response. I see. So it is possible that the timer is malfunctioning, and that could be the source. But, as you note, the wobble, and the unknown cause of the leaning to one side, may well be preventing the high rpm spin. I actually replaced the timer some 10 years ago, and some sections of the dial are not as responsive. I have only washed one load of laundry since I reconnected the machine; I will see how it behaves today.
Jeffrey, This is an excellent troubleshooting guide. One clarification that I did not provide, I have been replacing these parts starting a year ago. The thrust bearing assembly was installed about one year ago, and it worked beautifully immediately after installing it. I was very meticulous in my installation. But, I will use your test to see if that spacer is rotating with the pulley to see what is indicated. Please provide any details, drawings on this brake rotor/lining assembly.
Also, it appears that the transmission has dispensed some oil on the tile (grout) below and so this hunch may well be spot on; however, would the machine wash well, and spin (not so great) if it were the transmission ?
yes there are cogs in the transmission that lock the transmission in spin but release in gitat
Jeffrey, The inner tub has tremendous resistance to spinning; I have to apply a great deal of energy (pushing at left, pulling at right) to get the the tub to move an inch. What does this indicate to you ? Prey tell.
What does that mean ? Please clarify.
Ah — that observation by itself does not condemn the spin bearing. On the Maytag Atlantis MAV8500AWW, the inner basket is normally held by a spring-applied brake whenever the machine is not actively in spin. So trying to rotate the basket from the top can require tremendous force and may move only a little. That can be completely normal.
The important test is from underneath, not by forcing the basket:
This is the distinction I would make:
So, prey tell: stop wrestling that tub from the top. 
The resistance you’re feeling may simply be the brake doing exactly what Maytag intended.
If you tell me what the large center pulley does with the belt removed—both clockwise and counterclockwise—I can narrow this down to brake/thrust bearing versus a genuinely seized tub bearing.
Yes, got it. It may (likely will) take a day over the weekend to pull the appliance out of its (converted hall closet) wash room, into my living room, again. In the meantime, please send any and all images, videos of this tub bearing (potential) culprit. Even if the OEM part is discontinued, please. Thank you.
Blue is the brake
red is the release cam
Good Morning Jeffrey,
So, I ran a load of clothes through my Maytag, Atlantis, and it worked pretty well. It agitates well, and it is spinning much better, with the new motor tensioner spring and new drive belt. In fact, it sounds like it is changing gears into the higher RPM gear, without getting wicked fast, which is leaving the clothes more than damp, but not quite sopping.
One thing that I noticed is that the inner tub spins at a pretty good clip with water and wet clothes in the tub, but, once the clothes are out, when I check to see what the tub is doing while on “spin”, only the agitator is spinning; the inner tub is NOT spinning.
What does this indicate to you ? What is engaging the inner tub with weight, that is not engaging the inner tub to spin when the tub is empty?
Here is one more clue; when it is increasing in RPM’s, after the initial speed, it does sound like there is something providing resistance, keeping the transmission and the inner tub from spinning freely up to full speed; it is groaning (not grinding) like something is dragging the assembly of parts.
Please share your thoughts on this update.
Thank you sir.
Enjoy the day !
Michael
Michael, that update points us in a much better direction.
The key clue is the agitator spins during Spin, but the inner basket sometimes does not, along with the groaning/dragging sound as it tries to accelerate. That makes me much less suspicious of the motor, belt, or tensioner at this point. The drive system is obviously turning.
On this Maytag Atlantis design, the weight of the clothes is not supposed to engage the basket. The basket should spin empty just as readily as it does loaded. If anything, a loaded basket is harder to accelerate.
My primary suspect now is drag/binding in the brake/bearing/transmission area.
During spin, the drive system has to release the brake and drive the basket. If the brake isn’t releasing completely—or the tub/bearing assembly is binding—the transmission can turn while the basket either:
That fits your wet-clothes complaint very well.
Also, what sounds like the washer “changing gears” probably isn’t actually a transmission shift into a higher gear. The motor/drive system is accelerating the basket toward full spin speed. The change in sound you’re hearing may actually be the point where the drive system is fighting that excessive mechanical resistance.
With the washer unplugged, try rotating the inner basket by hand again.
You’ve already described the basket as requiring a tremendous amount of force to move. That is not normal. It shouldn’t take you pushing on one side and pulling on the other just to move the basket an inch.
That mechanical resistance is probably the heart of the problem.
I would do one more isolation test before buying anything else:
Removing the belt takes the new motor, tensioner and pump out of the equation. If the transmission pulley is difficult to turn and the basket remains extremely resistant, we’ve isolated the trouble to the basket drive/brake/transmission/tub-bearing side of the machine.
I wouldn’t put another motor, belt, spring, pump, or suspension part into it.
You’ve already improved the drive considerably, and the washer is telling us that the motor can transfer power. The fact that the agitator is visibly turning while the basket remains stationary during Spin is the clue I would chase now.
And Michael, don’t run it very long with the lid switch bypassed/open for observation. An empty basket that suddenly releases and reaches full spin speed can get moving very quickly.
If you tell me what happens when you turn the transmission pulley by hand with the belt removed—in each direction—I can help narrow this down to the brake, transmission, or tub bearing before you buy another part.
Hello Jeffrey,
Well, I took it for another spin today; this is the third load since I replaced the basket tension springs, the motor tensioner spring, and the drive belt, *again, (*I replaced the drive belt last year this time). And today, that basket was spinning like a top ! The clothes were damp +, but not sopping.
I see that I replaced the drive belt last year with a non-OEM belt from Amazon, (which I almost always avoid). That one time, I paid less, and I got less: quality, wear, and performance. With the new tensioner spring, and the new “Maytag” drive belt, the machine seemed to work very well today.
Thank you again for your research and feedback. I will see how it behaves this week and report back.
Lastly, I did forget to install the motor cover this time; what are your thoughts on that oversight ?
Please advise,
Thank you again.
Michael
As long as there are no leaks and nothing gets spilled on the motor you’re ok.
