Maytag Performa washer won't drain

Oct 06, 2007

- I pulled off the front panel, and when I removed the hose connecting the drum to the pump, the water poured out. I actually drained the washer that way. I also removed the hose going from the pump out the back and held it upright and ran water through it. Don't ask me how, but I forgot to watch the pump as the spin cycle ran. I kept watching the clear outgoing hose for a flow instead. I'll have to do that tonight.

When I tightened the pump belt, I went beyond the 1/4 inch that the packaging bag suggested, but not beyond the inch that your diagram mentions. I'll release it a little anyway.

Is there a way to open the pump without breaking it, or would I need to replace it?

Thanks again.

Oct 06, 2007

- Now I'm really scratching my head. I removed the hose between the tub and the pump and let a little air in there. I started the spin cycle, and I could see by the foaming bubbles that the pump was spinning fast. I decided that, even though I'd already checked, I'd remove the hose behind the pump and put a garden hose in it. Water flows through it.

For a moment, I ran the spin cycle with the tub and pump connected, and the water flew out the outgoing nozzle of the pump. I reconnected the rear hose and restarted the spin cycle, and again the water only trickled out the back end of the hose.

My next guess is that the pressure of the garden hose pushes water past some obstruction that manages to hold back the lighter pressure of the washer pump. I'm off to buy a hose, and hope that does it.

Oct 07, 2007

- There's a connector between the rear runoff hose and the hose leading to the outbound plumbing that seems to be a sort of venting connector. The problem seems to have been in that. With that removed, the water flows fine. No idea why. I've temporarily replaced it with a straight connection, but I'm guessing it has some useful or necessary function? I've included a jpg of it. Anyone know its function, and necessity?

Thanks again.

Oct 07, 2007

- OK, final outcome. I replaced the air gap with a straight connector temporarily, because I couldn't find an air gap anywhere. It backed up in the outgoing hose, beyond the connector. I removed a pipe in the basement and found a couple of pennies jammed in a pipe. Then the machine worked fine. I decided to try the air gap again, and now it's working fine.

Here's what has me still scratching my head. The problem began when I noticed that the water was only trickling out of the washer. It wasn't backed up in the outgoing hose, it just wasn't flowing. Could the belt have been a secondary problem? Maybe aggravated by the backup? Maybe the backup caused a jam in the air gap that cleared when I rinsed it?

It's working fine now, so I'm not complaining. Just wondering.

Thanks for all the help. Guess I didn't look far & wide enough for the clog.