Vintage Maytag Washer A612 - Possible to use single speed replacement motor in dual speed machine?

[mookie3333]

Hi all.  My machine actually calls for a Whirlpool 12002353, which I can't source anywhere because it's discontinued.  I have incorrectly purchased a Whirlpool 12002351 (single speed) motor which mounts perfectly, but only has 5 wires instead of 6.  Conductor colors don't exactly match up.

A612:          Black, White, Red, Yellow, Orange, Brown.

12002351: Black, White, Red, Yellow, Orange (no Brown)

Given this info, at first I thought just hook it up this way, and abandon the brown, which must be slow .. but don't think that's correct, because brown doesn't go to the speed selector switch.  The speed selector switch shows connectivity to orange on slow, and black on fast.  

To make matters worse, the 12002351 came with a harness (22004373) that introduces new colors: white, red, yellow, black and blue.

Anyone have any idea how to hook this up?  12002351 came with no instructions at all.  Also, I don't even have a wiring diagram for the A612, otherwise I could at least determine which low speed wire I could abandon, and would know what the 5 remaining machine wires are for. 

Appreciate any help anyone can offer!  

 

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Going from a single speed to two speed is completely doable - I just did one.

But as you have found - the wire colors don't match up at all between the two, (I had never done this before - doing appliance repair for 39 years and assumed they would be the same except for the slow speed which is the ORANGE wire).

You can easily go from a two speed motor to one speed also but just have to make sure you don't try to use the low speed, (if you do, the motor will surge since it always starts on the hi speed and goes to low speed when the motor switch opens to remove the start windings from the circuit it also switches open the points for hi speed and the power for low speed on the ORANGE wire takes over).

You washer only has two buttons form speed control - the timer settings are the same for both - just never push the GENTLE/GENTLE button or make a wire jumper to bridge from hi-speed wire to the ORANGE low speed wire so as it's in hi-speed no matter which of the speed switches/buttons are pushed in.

You are correct that BLACK on the two speed motor is the hi/reg-speed.

If I remember correctly the only wire color that goes to the same color on both motors is the WHITE wire.

I've only got a wiring diagram for a two speed motor which you should have with your machine.  You need to find a diagram for a Maytag with a single speed motor to find which wires to swap, (the diagram for the one speed motor was with the machine I swapped motors on and that is where I marked the changes).

I will see if I can find a one speed motor wiring diagram to attach here and that you should get you going.

EDITED to add pictures and wire swaps:

Two Speed------------One Speed
Wiring-----------------Wiring
  YEL ------------------ BLK -  Neutral (Thru Overload)
  WHT ----------------- WHT - Neutral (Direct)
  BRN ------------------ BLU - Start
  RED ------------------ YEL  - Start
  ORG ------------------ Open (Slow Speed)
                                         Leave off or attach with BLK
  BLK ------------------ RED (HI/Reg Speed)

If the motor runs in the wrong direction for spin and agitate then swap the BRN and RED wires.

 

 

Edited May 11 by Budget Appliance Repair