That is a nifty garage sale find and nice to hear it run smoothly. It would look great if you fully restore this little two cylinder Maytag engine. My friend here in Oregon has an operating Maytag washing machine that he demonstrates at our Powerland Steam Up every July. It is nice to save these old time machines from the scrap heap.
What a cool antique! A great example of the durability of simplicity in design. Perhaps that little thing is the original boxer engine. Now you just need an appropriately sized motorcycle to put it in!
I have been working with these engines for 50 years. Very interesting design, and a great project! One word of caution that I have experienced. The crankshaft on these units are ver fragile, and when you add 80-90 years of age to the metal stress cracks will appear. Starting the engine with the pedal puts a lot of stress into the crankshaft, and they will break. I just wrap a rope around the v pulley and start it that way. These engines are very easy to start if in good condition. Hope you enjoy the project, and thanks for sharing it with the community!
I have always used a good outboard motor oil, however mine never ran under a load of any kind. I have in my possession a sealed qt. of genuine Maytag multi motor oil that I found at a old Maytag dealer in VA. The container does not have any oil weight or spec.
I always put in a new set of rings in these small engines, also bigger ones, grind rod caps 'tll they fit snug, good cleanup or sand blast, then the paint, decals if available and there you are, just like new.
There is a company called Flywheel Supply that has an extensive list of parts for Maytags. They list a starter pedal for the Model 72 for less than $20. One warning on these engines, don't crank them over without grounding the plug wires, the coil can be easily damaged.
That is an amazing find ..they still have parts for these machines. I think the part he wants is on Page 3 Gear pedal with gear $55.00. Must be NEW OLD stock?
Nice find! An option was a long flexible exhaust hose to put outside. Kept the noise and exhaust away from the washer. Also, look for a straight 30w non-detergent oil. Fewer additives that don't combust well.
I think it would be great if you really fully restored the old motor. Would be amazing if you could find an old washing machine to attach it to. Just for demonstration.
On your starter lever with the broken lower part. Can you remove and file flat upper half, then take solid metal stock and make a bearing cap to replace the broken missing lower part. Drill through holes to bolt new lower part to upper part. Thinking like a main bearing holds crank to an engine block. Boxer engine runs smooth , one would expect it to shake off the table, yet it just did it's think.
modern oils for 2 stroke are far far superior than what these engines used to run. You can run any type of oil fine with it but if you want no smoke, run synthetic oil.
Obviously that's why the washing machines were outside on the porch, keep the fumes and noise outside. That engine runs pretty fast, it must have driven an agitator vertically? I would think if it spun the tub the centrifugal force would force the clothes to the wall of the tub and wouldn't wash them very well. Do you know how the machine operated?
The drivetrain did include more gears to slow it down. Wringer washers didn't spin, they only had the agitator. When you were done washing you would shift the drive to power the wringer to squeeze the water out of the clothes instead of spinning them like todays machines.
