this concerns a Maytag "atlantis" clothes washer, model MAV6200AWW, style Y7909215, sn 20105180ac,about 12 years old.
the wash and rinse cylces work fine. at the end of the rinse cycle, the water drains completely, but the spin cycle does not happen. the motor runs fine, good and loud like it always has up to now, but the basket does not spin at all. I have a generic handyman home appliance repair book which says that in situations like this, the spin solenoid is usually the primary culprit. ok. i have a volt-ohm meter (VOM) and know how to use it. so: (1) how do i find the spin solenoid on this machine? (2) how do i test it, i.e. i assume i need to take a resistance reading across its terminals; what is a "good" read-out value for it? (3) anything else i should check for? (anything in the lid switch that might be wrong?)

first, unplug the washer. turn off the water on both hoses.

now look around the base of the control panel carefully for screws, and remove them. the panel should tilt back. someplace in there will be the "serviceman's sheet" comprising the schematic diagram and a timing chart of when the timer starts which actions.

the serviceman's sheet will have the colors of the wires to the spin solenoid. look for them and follow them. since the solenoid is used to modify the transmission, you will find it on the transmission someplace under the wash tub. it should be child's play to lift the wires and check the resistance of the solenoid with the DMM ohmmeter.

no resistance, replace.

now try to actuate the solenoid lever... if it's a push solenoid, you might have to unbolt it to make sure it moves freely. if not, use an innnocuous solvent like mineral spirits to clean the actuator bar, and reoil with turbine oil, non-detergent. that's easiest to find at a sewing and crafts store in 4-ounce "zoom spout" oilers, but if you want quarts or gallons, check mcmastercarr.com. 5 gallon cans are usually availiable at your local airport flight maintenance facility for something ungodly in the several hundreds of dollars range.

if the solenoid is reassembled and the sheet is tucked safely back under the control panel and this spin still doesn't work, you likely have a bad timer. might be the transmission. if they are still availiable at the appliance parts store or online, you are pushing $300. seriously consider a new washer in the $600-800 range at this point. "a major consumer information magazine", so I don't mention the copyrighted and fiercly-guarded name consumers union and get anybody in trouble, says the life of a washing machine averages 12 years.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,

dear SWSCHRAD:
thank you for your response; it was most helpful. the solenoid was good (resistance, moving freely)... to make a long story short, after putzing around, i decided to go w/ the obvious - i replaced the belt (after comparing to a new one at the appliance parts store -- my old one didn't LOOK worn ) and that solved the problem.
thank you.

gotcha.

Maytags classicly do use a belt and a reverseable motor to set up both wash and spin cycles. I plead tired. if that slips, yes, it will fail to operate reliably.

not much else uses the reverse and a belt to set the spin cycle up. I seem to remember now, in the dim recesses of memory from 30 years ago, Norge also had motors that were reverseable.