Spacer between bearings on Maytag Neptune MAH4000

[Tim S.]

I've just replaced the front and rear bearings on the Maytag Neptune front load MAH4000.  I've got the spacer between the bearings in, but it's not perfectly aligned between the two bearings.  I've tried to put the inner tub back in place but the shaft doesn't go all the way through.  What can I do?  Can I somehow align the spacer without punching out one of the bearings?  It's taken a long time to get this far and I don't relish the thought of doing it again. 

Any advice gratefully accepted!

[Jerrod Sessler]

Tim,

Reminds me of replacing a clutch and trying to align the throw out bearing.  What you can do if you can see the center of the spacer is to put something in there that is tapered such as a punch.  You should be able to shove it through and pry on it to align it.  It really depends upon the type of space that is used.  The maytags have odd spaces that go in weird places (in my mind) sometimes.  Worst case is you may have to punch one of the bearings out just a little to loosen the tension on the spacer to move it around.

Jerrod

[tgood]

For the Neptunes, I made a centering tool out of 1" pvc plumbing.  It's a little smaller than the spacer, so wrapped some electrical tape around it in a couple of places. I built up the tape until it was a snug fit to the spacer and the inner bearing. 

On Friday, July 19, 2013 11:04:19 AM UTC-7, Tim S. wrote:

[Timothy Siemens]

Thanks very much for the replies.  I was able to tap the back bearing back a bit so that I could centre the spacer.  Then I slid the shaft in and it worked.  I tapped the back bearing back into place.  Now I've got another problem:  I've put the machine through a test run and noticed that the belt kept moving on the pulley until it scraped the back of the tub.  At that rate the belt will wear out pretty quickly.  I tried tightening the retaining bolt on the pulley, which solved the belt problem but the pulley was very hard to move.  The motor looked like it was really working.  Any ideas on how to fix this problem?

Thanks!

[tgood]

The only time I've had one bind up that bad is when I put the tub seal in backwards.  The lips of the seal face forward.  If you drive in the front bearing too far, it will bind a little.  It's probably hard on the bearings but after washing a couple of loads the tub should spin freely. 

[Timothy Siemens]

Thanks for the tip.  I'm pretty sure I've got the seal in the right way.  Maybe I drove the front bearing too far.  Anyway, I've done about 6 loads now and it's going fairly well.  I'm still having problems with the belt traveling on the pulley until it rubs against the back of the tub.  I'm checking the tension on the belt regularly.  I'm afraid to tighten the retaining nut too much for fear that the motor will burn out because it gets so hard to turn the pulley.  I'll open the machine up again and check the bearings or replace them again if need be.  You really think it will spin freely after a few washes?

[Jerrod Sessler]

Tim-

It is more than likely the pulley is bad.  They are soft and can be tweaked fairly easily when removing and installing it.  It may just be loose on the shaft.  To fix this, either get a new pulley OR you can remove the bolt and install a washer that DOES NOT hit the shaft.  The washer will have to have a very large inside diameter.  So, when you tighten the bolt again, it will put pressure on the washer and the pulley but not on the shaft.

Jerrod

[Timothy Siemens]

Thanks Jerrod.  I'll try the washer suggestion tomorrow.  The washers on there right now are the ones I got with the seal kit.

Tim