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Maytag Top Loader will spin not agitate

I have an old maytag washer (Model number: LAT9605AAE) that is giving me issues. Here are the symptoms I’ve discovered.

-Washer will spin, drain and fill.

-Motor is running during the wash cycle, but not turning the agitator

-Agitator will not turn, even by hand. Agitator itself is not broken (doesn’t have dogs or anything to break off as it connects directly to transmission)

-The drive belt was horribly worn down. Also if the wash cycle is allowed to run there is a burning smell eventually and after a few minutes it starts sounding funny and high pitched. I’ve replaced the belts and the problem persists.

-When I try to hand turn the flywheel that the drive belt connects to, it is very difficult to turn counter clockwise, and relatively easy to turn clockwise. When I turn it counter clockwise, the whole drum turns, but the agitator will not turn independently. The whole drum also turns when I rotate the flywheel clockwise.

-When I turn the fly wheel counter clockwise I hear a thunk noise at the beginning. This does not occur when I rotate clockwise. I can’t tell if the thunk is coming more from the brake assembly or the transmission.

So it seems like my problem is either coming from the brake assembly or the transmission, is there anyway to tell which of the two might be the cultprit? Or could it be a different problem altogether? Would appreciate any help as I am at the end of my knowledge/expertise/youtube watching!

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I have the same problem with our old Maytag washer. During the wash cycle, the agitator will not operate and I can hear the motor operating and the belt spinning. During the spin cycle, the drum will spin and the pump will operate to remove water. When I turn the fly wheel clockwise by hand, as in the spin cycle, it turns the drum easily. When I turn the fly wheel counter clockwise by hand, as in the wash cycle, it becomes difficult to turn, but with effort it does operate the agitator spindle. I removed the transmission cover and found the gears intact and working correctly; so there must be some other component of the agitator drive train causing the problem. I replaced the drive belt, but that did not correct the problem. Some other component appears to be causing the agitator drive spindle to be very difficult to turn. I'd love to fix it myself, but my wife is getting impatient with my trial & error process. Looks like a new washer is in our future!

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You could have a problem with the transmission or the agitator itself. You can go to this website that has parts and a exploded view of the washing machine https://www.partselect.com/Maytag-Washer...

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Thanks for the tip! The agitator doesn't seem to be the problem as I've removed and inspected it. When I've looked at those parts diagrams it does seem to be either the brake housing or transmission. I'm hoping I'm wrong on that because neither are particularly cheap!

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When I met my wife her washing machine agitator stopped working. This machine was at least 10 to 15 years old. I had to replace the locking parts on the agitator. I just barely replaced the rubber bushing on the drivetrain. This washer is 25 to 30 old and works great. I wouldn't buy a new unless I actually had to. All of the new ones have computer controls and they don't seem to last long. I even picked up a extra washer and dryer that I keep in storage in case one of mine fails and I can't repair it.

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01 - Drive Motor

The drive motor might be defective. However, the drive motor is rarely at fault for this symptom. Before replacing the drive motor, first check all of the more commonly defective washer components. If none of those components are defective, consider replacing the drive motor. To determine if the drive motor is defective, first ensure that the motor is getting power. If the drive motor hums but doesn’t run, is noisy, or does not turn freely, replace it.

Drive MotorOEM Part #12002353RC Item #1066793

02 - Agitator Assembly

The agitator might be damaged or stripped away where it connects to the drive system inside. To determine if the agitator is stripped inside remove it from the washer and inspect for damage or wear.

Agitator AssemblyOEM Part #WP207228RC Item #4430817

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Thanks for that advice. I don't think it is the drive motor as the drum still spins, which I assume is powered by the drive motor.

I also took apart the agitator and it was not stripped. The spindle/driveshaft that the agitator connects with was quite difficult to turn. Leading me back to think something in the transmission is my problem.

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I just fixed my maytag mvwc465hw3 that would not agitate. The problem was simple to fix and plain to see once I took the belt cover off the motor on the bottom of the washer.

The shift actuator has an arm with a plastic pin that is supposed to go through a hole in a shift lever on the transmission. It was not through the hole, it was next to it. Had to remove the two screws that hold the actuator and put the pin through the hole and remount the actuator.

Seems it was never put together properly from the factory. It never worked properly. It certainly can’t come out of the hole accidentally.

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I have the same issue with Maytag model A183. It's an old Maytag but was working after I moved to another location. So I fired her up after not being used for another 10 years. It runs except the agitator. It spins. None are stripped. It drains, runs clockwise and counter clockwise except during wash cycle it just spins clockwise. I removed agitator and nothing is worn out. I also removed the belt to turn the pulley attached to the bottom of the transmission. It turns and I can feel it will agitate back and forth. But I'm missing something that I don't know. Any idea? Motor runs fine and drains fine, just not agitating.

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Was having the same problem. 40 year old Maytag washer was doing everything correctly (filling with water, spinning, and emptying water) but not agitating. Repair guy said it's the transmission and time to replace, but I was reluctant. I saw a video that said liquid detergent and fabric softener leaves a film behind the drum that needs regular descaling. So as a last ditch effort I poured 4 cups of vinegar and hot water into the drum and left it for several hours. With fingers crossed I turned it on, twisted the agitator a bit and off it went agitating on it's own. I let it do a full cycle and it's agitating with no problems. I will descale it every few months from now on because I want to keep this old set for as long as possible.

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