Maytag Performa Washer PAVT234AWW Not Spinning

[Chemical Vixen]

Model Number

PAVT234AWW

Hello Appliance People!

I have a Maytag Performa Washer PAVT234AWW that will not spin so the clothes are soaked at the end of the cycle. Here are the things I have checked so far:

• Lid switch is working.
• Washer still agitates.
• It makes a normal noise in going through the spin cycle but the drum does not move.
• The belt is fine.
• The transmission turns clockwise but is very difficult to turn counter-clockwise
• There is nothing stuck between the drums.

I'm pretty tech savy in following directions, but cannot diagnose the problem. I figure it's probably narrowed to a brake or transmission issue but I don't know if it is something worth repairing. Thanks!

-Britney

 

[Jake]

Hi Britney,

It sounds like you would need the thrust bearing kit.

You can order it here(Comes with instructions and video):
12002213 Thrust Bearing Kit


Jake

 

[Chemical Vixen]

Thanks for the reply Jake! Would there be any visible signs of wear that I could look for on the drive pulley that would confirm this is the problem?

 

[Jake]

Not until you remove the old one, then usually I find the ball bearings that are broken or just fall out when its removed.

I'm attaching the tech. bulletin and the repair manual below that shows you how to remove it.

Jake

 

[Chemical Vixen]

Well Jake,

I ordered and installed the kit... still no spin

-Britney

 

[Jake]

Thats odd Britney, that should of fixed it from all of what you mentioned above in your 1st post.

Its your transmission then. You can return the thrust bearing kit for a full refund.

Here's the transmission for your model:
Whirlpool 35-6615 Ht Trans S - AppliancePartsPros.com


Maybe more wise to buy a new washer with the cost of that transmission fairly high, most appliance stores are having their annual 4th of July sale all this week now.

Jake

 

[reclaimmyplace39]

I hate to resurrect an old thread (please mention if I should create a new one), but I have a similar issue with my same washer. The drum sometimes does not spin, which leads my clothes to being pretty wet at the end of a spin cycle. My drum still drains regardless. When the drum is not spinning, the agitator is spinning. I have turned the washer over on several occasions with different results and spun the drive pully with different results. Each time, it spins freely, both clockwise and counter clockwise. However, sometimes the drum will spin, other times it will not. I'm fearing a broken transmission, but wanted to see if there were any other ideas/tests that could be done. Would it be worth removing the thrust bearing kit to see if any ball bearings fall out? The reason I have yet to do this is because the drive pully spins freely.

I can provide any other details needed. I'm fairly good with my hands, so hopefully if it's not the transmission it is something I can inspect.

Thank You.

 

[Jake]

Yup, its the transmission that's bad on yours.

Jake

 

[marshaul]

I have the same model and similar symptoms: the drum doesn't spin, but the agitator still turns. Taking a look at the bottom and the belt is moving all 3 pulleys without apparent slipping. The last load I heard some rapid-fire clicking noise during the wash portion of the cycle. I also noticed that, if I depress the lid switch while the spin cycle is active, there appears to be some force acting on the drum (just not enough to spin it), because if I try to move it with my hand I can feel the mechanism helping me along.

So I guess I have either a bad transmission or thrust bearing, but I'm not sure how to determine which.

ETA: It seems that it DOES spin, at least sometimes, but never fast enough to do a good job.

 

[Jake]

Take the belt off all the 3 pulleys, then turn the water pump pulley both ways and see if it turns freely and make sure you don't hear a grinding noise from it.

Do the same with the motor pulley.

If both of those pulleys turn freely both ways and no grinding noise is heard, then it's possibly your thrust bearing kit you will need to replace.

You can order it here (Video Included in part link):
12002213 Thrust Bearing Kit


Jake

 

[marshaul]

I received the thrust bearing kit, but in removing the old one I don't observe any obvious damage or serious wear. The bearing itself turns smoothly. None of the ramped surfaces seem worn off compared to the new one.

What is/are the typical failure mode(s) of the thrust bearing? How do I know the old one is bad?

 

[marshaul]

I figured I might as well try the new kit. The manual says the spin speed on a normal load should be 625 rpm, whereas I'm seeing perhaps 2-3 rotations per second, and a test load didn't come end up as wrung out as I'd expect. Plus, even though I don't hear any grinding when I turn the pulleys manually, it's still making unhappy noises during agitation (though the agitator does move). I guess that leaves the transmission, then.

 

[Jake]

Yup, then its your transmission that's gone bad.

Jake