Maytag Washer model LAT8640 leaking

[snowdog]

Looking for any helpful suggestions, debugging advice, how to proceed regarding my leaking washing machine.

About 2 months ago I had water on the floor in my basement utility room. This occurred during a very strong rainstorm/hurricane leftovers. Have had problems with that b4 in the past so I figured that is what it was. But the way the puddle seemed to stretch from where my washing machine was had me wondering.....that was atypical of where water has gotten in b4.....I had been doing wash at the same time so that was a possibility but I could see no evidence of where water might have come from the machine (it had already finished running by the time I saw the water).

Next time I did some wash I made sure to check the washer the entire time. Saw no leaks. And have run it about 12-15 times since then. No problems. 4got all about the water issue until this week....

I did some wash 2 days ago - 2 loads. 1st load went fine and was in the dryer. Started 2nd load in the washer. Happened to go into the room a few minutes later and saw puddle moving rapidly across the floor from the washer. It was still in the fill cycle. Looking around I could see that the water was coming from the top left had side of the washer (if facing it). Turning the fill off stopped the water coming out of the top side on the left. Turning it back on it immediately started leaking again.

Have not tried to use it since but suspect it is either an intermittent problem, or one that has gotten worse, suggesting some kind of valve, line leaking where it should not etc, as opposed to a leaking seal but I could be wrong.

I want to find out how to figure out what the problem is b4 I decide to give up and buy a new one, who knows maybe this is an ez fix. But I need to take the top off to look in there but can't figure out how to do it. So #1 is how do I get the top off to look inside fully around the drum? I can't see that with the top on.

The washer is a Maytag LAT8640. I bought it brand new when I moved here many years ago (28 years now). The dryer that I bought at the same time has had some issues but I have been able to fix it every time & it is still kicking. Maybe it is just time to bite the proverbial bullet and replace them both but I'd like to see if this is fixable first.

Any advice from you pros ?? Thx a ton and Happy Holidaze to all reading this.

[snowdog]

After much reading and watching numerous youtube videos I was able to finally find advice which actually seems to correspond to my washer (after following much which made no sense/did not work). Am going to post that here in case anyone else is in same boat as me and could use the clues:

(1) To be able to remove the top you first need to remove the entire front of the washer itself extending up from the floor to the top piece. Front does NOT mean the front of the control panel on top at the rear (which is what I mistakenly thought much of the advice I was reading was referring to). This unit has 2 "hidden" phillips head screws near the bottom of the front of the machine, down near the floor. At first I did not even know they were there. They are about 4 inches up from the bottom, tucked into what I'll describe as a beveled shelf.

(2) Once you remove those 2 screws the entire front piece can be taken off by lifting up on the bottom and tilting it up about perpendicular to the floor then it just lifts off. One of the erroneous things I was doing was following numerous explanations saying to get this off you needed to insert a flat blade tool under the top lift and press in to release some clips. I tried doing that for what seemed like hours including using a hammer to jam that in there but accomplished nothing - because there are no clips.

(3) Once you remove the entire front of the washer if you look from underneath up towards the top front there are 2 bolts with heads upside down that you have to remove with a ratchet, I found that 10mm worked for me.

(4) After taking those off the entire top can be tilted upwards like the hood of a car engine and can be left hanging titled up all the way leaning on the wall etc.

From there I could see the innards where the water leak is coming from. According to some things I read and videos I watched the part that appears to be bad on my washer is called an "injector" and commonly goes bad. It sits between 2 black hoses inside a clearish plastic shell. Supposedly this is an ez part to get (as part of kit with new hoses as well) and I am on that path now trying to figure out exactly what part # I need, where to get it, how much it costs etc........

[handyandy]

Thanks for updating your post, I learned something. Thanks!

[snowdog]

I can't get this to work.


Here are 2 links that show/explain how to fix this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz4yA158Bh0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhr5xZhxlOI

In the first video the repairman gets a "kit" that includes both hoses on the intake/outtake as well as the center piece plastic bracket which contains BOTH the injector valve & its sleeve gasket inside. However that kit does not match the machine he is trying to fix (the plastic bracket piece does not attach to the washer the same way and won't work) so he removes the new bracket entirely from the new hoses, then removes the new injector valve + gasket from that, takes out the old bracket from the old hoses, removes the old valve + gasket, and replaces the new bracket with the old one and puts the new valve + sleeve gasket in that etc etc.

Which is a bit more complicated than the other video, which is when he simply bought a new valve & gasket like I did, and replaced the old ones inside the bracket. Which is what I did...

However I am still having the same problem. The water shoots out the bracket or the hoses where they are clamped down, because the damn injector valve creates more resistance to the flow of the water than the water coming in can overcome, thus it shoots out elsewhere rather than where it should be going.

I have tried numerous times to reseat the valve in the gasket, the gasket in the hoses, etc etc and keep having the same problem. I have tried putting comments on both of those videos asking for help but no answers yet.

I am also trying to buy a complete kit assembly instead hoping that it is put together correctly and even tested to assure that it allows water to flow through it without backing up/leaking but am getting stymied in that every one I find is listed as incompatible with my washer, I believe for the exact same reason as in video 1 above, that the outside bracket piece is not the same thing.

Goddam this is a pain in the azz. Should be a very simple fix!!!! Oh & I didn't mention it but the order I placed originally for the valve + gasket actually arrived damaged with the plastic injector smashed and unusable (had to call and get another one which is what I just tried to get to work today for hours and hours with water spurting out at me in all directions right out of an episode of the THREE STOOGES.......I give up for today....

[ZebraHead]

My experience suggests two possible facts - the gasket is leaking water (between the door and the drum of the machine or somewhere else) and so the machine starts leaking under certain circumstances. Or the second, less realistic option - the machine leaks due to a general breach in the sealing of the casing. But this would lead to bigger problems. I recommend trying to detect the problem clearly and then solve it. I don't know how useful this will be, but I'm from orange county, and I came across a pretty good refrigerator repair orange county service. At least they repaired the engine for me.

[snowdog]

I did get this fixed, sorry but 4got to post that but now have a different prob which I will raise in another thread.

The problem was with the diverter valve like I said above just that it took me like 3 days to the get the "art" correct of putting the rubber sleeve OVER the diverter valve then putting that whole thing inside the rubber hose connector that it mates with. Doing that was EXTREMELY difficult to achieve because once insert into the tight rubber hose it kept pushing the diverter valve rubber sleeve slightly OFF PLACE making it leak. So I fixed that. However now about a year & half later there is another issue which I have given up on and instead bought a NEW machine that has yet a DIFFERENT set of challenges due to horrible design of the machine and connecting hoses. Unbelievable....will ask about that in a different thread...

[davosut86]

I did get this fixed, sorry but 4got to post that but now have a different prob which I will raise in another thread.

The problem was with the diverter valve like I said above just that it took me like 3 days to the get the "art" correct of putting the rubber sleeve OVER the diverter valve then putting that whole thing inside the rubber hose connector that it mates with. Doing that was EXTREMELY difficult to achieve because once insert into the tight rubber hose it kept pushing the diverter valve rubber sleeve slightly OFF PLACE making it leak. So I fixed that. However now about a year & half later there is another issue which I have given up on and instead bought a NEW machine that has yet a DIFFERENT set of challenges due to horrible design of the machine and connecting hoses. Unbelievable....will ask about that in a different thread...

So diverter valve was the issue?