I hope my short page helps a lot of people.  I am assuming that you came to this page because you have a Maytag Neptune washing machine, and you are having problems with it.  I am not an appliance repair person, but a very good friend of mine is.  Kevin Rogge of Clearlake, WA is probably the best ever.  He also likes to look after his customers, so when he noticed an inordinate number of failures in the Neptune for the same problem, (that is the door lock, wax motor, won't spin problem) he asked me to investigate. 

IMHO The Neptune is a wonderful machine, it only has a couple of problems that Maytag has not been able to remove (Yet!)  Number One of those problems is:  Sometimes, the door lock light doesn't come on and the machine won't spin!  

When you encounter this problem, you can verify that it is the Q6, R11, Wax motor problem by removing the three Phillips head screws from the top-back of the console, pulling forward on the top lip, while pushing in at the bottom of the console's sloped surface and rotating the console face forward.  Attached to the right side of the back panel there will be a circuit board.  Along the bottom edge of this circuit board are a number of white connectors.  The furthest left is "P7" the next one to the right is "P2".  About 1.5 inches up from plug "P2" there are two 1/4 watt resistors labeled R11 and R75.  R11 is the one closest to the  bottom of the board.  If you have the classic "Door Lock/Wax Motor" problem, this resistor will be obviously burned.  You will need a 5/16th nut driver to remove the board.  

When you replace the board, please remember that there are three single wires with push-on connectors.  The Black wire goes to the relay K1 "COM", the Gray wire goes to K1 "NO" and the white wires go to "P5" behind the transformer.  If you do not put these wires back in the correct place, your machine won't run.  (When you originally remove the connector from P5 you will need to slip a small screwdriver under the lip of the connector and pry gently while you pull on the white wires.  The clip grips very tightly if you just try to pull it off, but comes easily if you help it by prying up from under the connector)

If you have this problem, or (because of the main board): No cold water, no hot water, or if R52 is burned and the timer motor is not running, I will repair your board for you for $30.00 US, plus return shipping.  Priority Mail cost is $7.50.  If you wish to use UPS, email me for instructions. I guarantee my work, and will try to return ship your board by the next business day after receipt.  I will E-mail you when the board arrives, and when it is return shipped.  One caution please:  U1 on the board is a CMOS part and is static sensitive.  If at all possible, please use a static bag, or at least some protection at is static dissipative.  (If you have nothing else aluminum foil works)  Please DO NOT use Styrofoam "peanuts" for packing. A check (made out to "Herman R. Goetjen") in the box with the board is the easiest method of payment.  I will also accept Paypal at "herman@imbris.net" but I prefer a personal check.

Our address is:

Herman R. Goetjen                                        

8 Rainier Ave S. 

Tonasket, WA 98855 

Because we live 19 miles out of town, and my mail box is not very large, I am requesting that you use as small a package as is possible (the original Maytag box is the perfect size) so I don't have to drive into town to pick up your package and then back into town to mail it back out.  Thank you for your consideration.  

I am now using the USPS "Click-N-Ship" program.  Because of this, when I email you shipping information it will include a USPS tracking number.

One more request:  Please do NOT put insurance on the package.  Even if the package is small enough to go in my mail box, I have to still go to town to sign for insured packages.  Tracking is OK, just not insurance.

OR, If you can repair a circuit board yourself, here are instructions to do so:  

1: R11 (and R52) are 3.9K ohm, 1/4 watt, 5%, carbon film resistors.  Make sure you scrape off some of the green solder mask that is covering the trace so you have some clean copper to lap solder your replacement resistor to. 

2: The reason that R11 is burnt, is that Q6 is/has been shorted.  Q6 is a MAC97A6, 400 volt, logic gated triac.  I always replace them with MAC97A8, (or equivalent)  600 volt triacs because I believe that is the real problem anyway.   Do not install the triacs as deeply as Maytag did.  it is possible to damage the component.  Leave 1/4" to 1/2" of lead above the board.  Also, use vibration bends on the resistor R11, if possible, and mount flush to the vibration bend.  (This is because the already weak trace has been weakened even more when the original resistor burned.)

(R52 burns when Q3 shorts.  If R52 didn't burn, there is no need to replace it, though I still recommend that all 4 triacs be upgraded to MAC97A8's when you repair the board for any problem.)  Caution!  The copper Maytag used for these traces is VERY! thin.  It is VERY! easy to damage this board so use a lot of care when you solder on it.

I believe that the reason that Maytag has never been able to permanently fix this problem is because they have not figured out that the problem really starts with the triac, not the Wax Motor.  I do not believe that the board has adequate voltage spike protection.  An input line filter would probably save a lot of boards (and motor controllers to).  IMHO the wax motors are damaged by the same spike that destroys Q6, not the other way around.

3: There are three other MAC97A6 triacs on this board that control the AC to: the timer motor (Q3 and it's related resistor R52), the cold water valve (Q9) and the hot water valve (Q17).  These also fail, so when I repair a board, I automatically replace all of these parts with the MAC97A8 (I am using the St Micro Z00607 now, even better part) at the same time.

4: The last thing you must replace (Or at least ensure that it is ok)  Caution!  The resistance of this wax motor is dependent upon it's temperature!) is the Wax Motor in the door latch assy.  Published resistances are 1900 ohms at 59° for the brown shaft wax motor and 850 ohms for the new style Black Shaft wax motor.  Meter it, tap it and meter it again.  If the resistance has changed by tapping it the "heater" inside has been damaged. The Maytag PN for the new black shaft Wax Motor kit is PN 12002535.  It should cost you about $20.  I highly recommend upgrading to the new Black shaft wax motor even if your old brown shaft version is still OK.

The black shaft wax motor is a much stronger part and if you have a brown shaft wax motor I would strongly suggest that you change it out, even if it appears to be ok.  I have yet to see a black shaft wax motor that has actually failed.

(For those who wish to use my repair service, I can now supply the wax motor.  The cost will be $20, as you will already be paying for shipping the board back, there should be no extra shipping charge.  WA residents, 7.9% sales tax please)

To get to the Wax Motor:

remove the four screws from the soap dispenser, the two screws that hold the door hinge to the cabinet, and the two screws on the other side of the door opening from the hinge.  With your fingers pry the front panel out of it's clips and lift it up and out of your way to expose the two "L" shaped brackets that hold the top down.  Remove one screw from each bracket, and the top will hinge back out of the way so you can access the the door latch assy.  The wax motor is the brown component on the right with two wires going to it.  One wire will be white and one will be brown.  There is an "S" shaped spring holding it in place.  Remove the spring and then back the motor into that space the spring occupied and then out.  Replacement is the reverse.

Flash!

I have just found one other thing that may happen at the same time as a Q6/R11 failure.  Symptom appears to be that R11's legs have not been welded to the pads when it burned.  Problem is Q2 has been shorted by the same spike that killed Q6.  Q2 is a KSP55 -60 volt, 500ma, PNP transistor made by Fairchild (I am now using the St Micro MPSA56 for this part, again, better part).  If it fails, you might want to replace it's compliment also which is a 2N3904 at Q7 even if Q7 has not shorted. (<2% probability)

I have also just found out that Q7 will keep the machine from completing the cycle it is in.  If you have otherwise properly repaired your board, and everything works, Except! at the end of the cycle the machine does a slow intermittent tumble that lasts more than a minute or two, Q7 is probably to blame.

CAUTION!

I have just had two customers that have had the same secondary problem.  After replacing the board and the wax motor, the door lock light came on, but the machine still would not spin.  The problem was; when they removed the wax motor they over compressed the "S" spring that holds the wax motor in place.  When this happens, the Spring will compress when the wax motor plunger extends instead of the lock shaft closing the "door locked  spin enable" switch.  (The one by the light bulb.)  If this happens to you, you can expand the spring back into shape by pulling it apart before reinstalling it.

(Adobe acrobat required)

(lots of useful info)

4  MAC97A8 Triacs,

1  KSP55 transistor

1 ea 3.9k ohm 1 watt carbon film resistor

1 ea Maytag 12002535 wax motor kit.

$35.00 US (Priority mail shipping included)

Cost without wax motor:

$15.00 (Priority mail shipping included)

Washington state residences please include 7.9% sales tax.

Repair and upgrade of your board with a new black shaft wax motor:

(If I do the work and supply the parts including a new black shaft wax motor)

$57.50 

including priority mail shipping anywhere in the US. 

or $68.00 for Global Priority Mail to anywhere in Canada)

Repair and upgrade without a new wax motor:

$37.50 including shipping

Thank you

All repairs are guaranteed.  If I can't fix your board, there is no charge.  If I repair your board and it fails again, I will repair or replace it for free. 

(One exception:  if the Micro-controller, U1, fails.  Reason is, U1 is not available).

A couple more items:

I am now suggesting that you protect your Maytag Neptune with an "Isobar Ultra" line filter/ surge suppressor.  You can find them on the web For $25 to $30 for a 2 plug version.  The Ultra has a built in line filter which is what the Neptune should have.

Several people have asked for more specifics on the "Isobar Ultrablock"

The link will  take you to Tripplite's web site where you can read the specs.

The best price for the "Ultra" appears to be from "buy.com"

1-800-688-9900