My top load washer smells like moldy, nasty water

Water fill is controlled by inlet valve and pressure switch. Either of those may be bad or obstructed.

there is probably some sort of debris in the water pump a button or other items blocking the flow of water please make Shure to try and turn the water pump by hand in order to free any obstruction eric

you can run a regular cycle with bleach as instructed in the manual. there may be mold on the rubber where the door closes. wash this with water and bleach. to avoid this problem in the future you can loosen the light bulb then you can leave the door open a little all the time with no light. press the off button when not in use.

Maytag makes very dependable machines. They are fairly easy to repair and parts are easy to find. If I was in the market for a used washer, a Maytag would be my first choice. Since its used there is no guaranty that the thing isn't going to need repairs. If you can see it run through a cycle before buying it would be a plus. My first washer was a mid seventies model Maytag. I had two minor repairs twice in 15 years and its been working ever since at my buddy's. I hope this helps you.

the main motor needs to be serviced , sounds like the couplings broke , hope this helps , AJ

Hi Jewel,
You may want to try some Washer Magic, or similar product specifically designed to clean out washing machines. I personally use Affresh in my front loader and it works very well.

SG

try running it throgh a cycle with nothing but hot water and bleach let set for a couple of minutes between cycles with water in it may have to do a couple of times

I had the same problem and I fixed it fairly easily in about 45 minutes:

The root-cause is the incredibly stupid design of the plastic ring that snaps over the plastic wash tub. It is filled with many nooks and crannies that rarely contact the wash water, thus getting scummed up and moldy. See a picture of the gross mess here: http://www.falselaborblog.com/2008/08/moldy-maytag.html

The fix involves opening the top (easy) and removing the ring (fairly easy) and can be done yourself if you are the least bit handy.

Unplug the unit.

***If you are mold-sensitive, wear gloves and breathing apparatus or have someone do this for you.***

Tape the lid shut so it doesn't flop open when you raise the lid.

Use a putty knife to push into the front seam about 1 1/2 inch from each corner. This unlocks the top and it will open just like the hood on a car. Carefully secure this in the open position and don't let it fall on your head or your hands.

You will see plastic fasteners holding the top ring around the outer plastic wash tub. These will unsnap (you may need a flat-head screwdriver for some of them).

Carefully lift this out and try not to puke when you look at the underside (see photo http://www.falselaborblog.com/2008/08/moldy-maytag.html). Take it to a laundry tub or bathtub and thoroughly clean it by scrubbing with hot water, detergent and bleach.

Before replacing the ring, use a thin brush to clean between the upper part of the wash tub and drum---the scum and mold will be in here also.

Replace the ring in the reverse of the above steps.

Prevention: There is none. You will have to do this every 4 to 6 months to prevent mold from infesting all of your clothing, etc.

I'm experimenting with limiting wash load size to "large" and never using "super", reserving the "super" setting for running periodic (hot water + Clorox) to see if it reaches the idiotic upper ring and keeps it clean. I am not hopeful that this will eliminate the need for these overhauls.

P.S.: The person that designed this washer should have all of his/her underwear and bed linens washed in an uncleaned Maytag Atlantis for life.

a cycle with just hot water and chlorine bleach will help but you may have to work at it a litle longer to get the door seal any cleaner in future run a short cycle with bleach and leave door open between use as much as possible..there is a new tablet shaped cleaner out now that may help in routine cleaning ckd with local dealer or repair personel also may ckd grocery shelf

there is a new product on the market call affresh that works wonders with that nasty mold smell

check it out http://www.affresh.com/home.jsp