Maytag engine

[Klapatta]

I have heard it said there were probably a million of these engines produced from the mid 1920's well into the post war era.
As is with our Cub Cadets there are variants of the model 92 single and 72 twin that can be very unique or rare.
I recently obtained a very unusual model 72 twin. The serial number indicates that it was manufactured in September of 1937, the second month of the production run that lasted for nearly 20 years. Early casting patterns and paint color further bore that out, also these were painted dark green for only a short while.
The entire engine was covered with filth and after disassembly I spent a week picking on it with a putty knife, then on to oven cleaner, and then over to sand blast for the tank, that 50 year old gasoline, phew!
The power head was in wonderful condition with great compression and no crankshaft axial play. All that was needed was a plugging off of all the ports with rubber plugs and a engine degreasing followed up with a power washing. After drying out it got a generous dose of Marvel Mystery oil, it loved that. Then off for paint.

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What really makes this particular engine stand out is the gas tank unit that it was fitted with. Known as a Blue Diamond generator base, these are extremely rare. That base is able to hold two gallons of gasoline. A tremendous amount of time and effort was put into bringing that back but it was worth every minute of it. Prior to external paint the inside of the tank was treated with POR 15 sealer.
Here it is curing in the Sun to allow the paint to harden up.

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Actually, the photo is a poor representation as the color is very much darker as it should be.
I have all my replacement parts on hand so hopefully reassembly will be pretty straight forward.
I'm sure that as a fresh barn find this thing has not run in 50 years. This will be interesting.

[Tom Scott]

Ken, very cool, thanks for sharing.

So, it appears the whole tank/base is cast iron, or is that aluminum?  Anyway, very cool, keep the thread going and show us the final result.  Running, of course!  Even cooler if you have some implement to run with it.

[Klapatta]

Tom, the gas tank base is cast iron and weighs 22 pounds.
This is it just after being soaked with lye (oven cleaner) for several days.

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After a final sand blasting the inside of tank was treated with POR 15 gas tank sealer. That stuff is very hard drying and behaves much like some form epoxy once cured. While I had the machined surfaces masked off whatever little traces remained was quite difficult to remove with the razor blade.

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I want to allow more time for the paint to cure however I may try beginning the reassembly later today.

[Klapatta]

Once the paint was hardened enough to handle reassembly was easy.

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Note that the Autolite 216 spark plug is specified for this engine.

The magneto will have to be rebuilt carefully, In all likelyhood the engine was shelved because the coil pack had shorted open. Probably due to the resistor style plugs that someone had installed.
Good thing that a modern replacement can be had.

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[dag1450]

Cool Ken! I'm just thinking.... what were these used in? I guess the "generator base"
means a gen set for electric generation. Other uses.... Lawnmower? Washing machine? Farm uses? Looks like a clutch pedal sticking out the side?

[Klapatta]

Dave, it was known as a multi motor because it could be used in a variety of applications. Power was rated at 5/8 HP so applications were limited, the vast majority found their way under the base of Maytag's washing machine. Still, they produced enough power to drive something like a hay lift conveyor, milking pump, small generator, or butter churn. This was from the day when rural America was still largely not electrified.
Production numbers indicate that at their peak 500 of these units a day were being manufactured. This makes the early production and job specific optioned versions the most collectable.
The pedal that you mention is the foot kick starter. The actual drive pulley is found on the opposite flywheel side.
I'm moving forward with it a leisurely pace. I learned just yesterday that I had installed a fuel pickup tube that was too short for the oversize gas tank so the correct length replacement was ordered and I then wound up disassembling the whole bottom end to change that out, so I'm back to parts and pieces again.
There's quite a following for these things and most every part you may ever need is either new old stock or reproduction.
This is going to be a one time affair of a thing for me, I'm not about ready to get drawn into another money sucking hobby :POld short wave radios are very good at that, and another one is in the works so there's too many pots on the stove right now. Good thing that the Cubs are motoring right along and don't need spit other than gas and oil.
Earlier today I moved into reassembly of the magneto base so think I am one more step closer until I take two steps back.

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There will be more setbacks along the way I'm sure because I don't know what I'm doing.

[dgrapes59]

I have always thought the Maytag engines were cool. My grandfather had a couple, unknown condition, sitting in his "project", scrap pile. We sold them on a sale when he passed about 25 years ago. They were a few of the things I have second guessed myself about letting go. (Another is an IHC Hit & Miss engine). Someday I have dreams of doing what you're doing and getting one!

You're doing an awesome job bringing it back, thanks for documenting and sharing! Keep the updates coming and best of luck!

[Klapatta]

I finished up with the magneto assembly and bolted it in place.

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It started on the seventh kick, ran poorly for a minute until the fifty years of crud blew out and then it smoothed right out.

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I put a mechanical tack on it and timed it against a stop watch. It is running at 1800 RPM.

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Ok, so now what?

[chzuck]

Mine has a much smaller base/tank.  I run a small furnace blower to keep cool at shows.
Mine was also made September 1937 s/n823566

[Klapatta]

Chuck- my check of known serial numbers indicates they are closely related. Production began August 1937 with #810000 being the very first one off the assembly line. Mine is #830484 and was produced at the very end of September, 1937.
Yours is number 823566 indicating a production date of mid September 1937. Yours is fitted with the standard small base while mine came fitted with the large generator base tank that enables it to run for up to 12 hours. There are five base styles that I know of with some being more valuable than others.
Both are highly collectable considering their very early serial numbers.
There is a seller on eBay right now that has one of those generator style base tanks. His asking price is nearly 500 for it and is not entertaining offers.
While they are an opposed twin engine, very few realize that both cylinders fire top dead center at the same time.

[chzuck]

If you are looking for something to power with you Maytag, take a look at the photo below.

[Klapatta]

Yes sir. Nice. People set up and drive all sorts of attachments with their little Maytag's and generators are no exception.
While I tried to follow the straight and narrow path when getting it running I got off course a few times. To repaint or keep patina as is? Well, the power head base plate is a replacement part that was glass beaded clean when I got it so that shifted things over toward a full repaint.

The accepted standard green replacement paint among the Maytag community is Rust-oleum Dark Hunter green.
Well, I repainted with Rust-oleum Hunter green.
Somebody was not paying attention in class that day   It will have to do.
None of these parts except the pulley are factory correct either, they are revised replacements.

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The correct factory fitted parts would have been all been painted Dark Hunter green.
The kick pedal is of the swept up style.
The rack gear is a revised part, this was very common. As with the thin and narrow front axles found on the first Cub Cadets, they were inherently weak and easy to break due to lack of supportive ribbing, most always broke at the lower pivot hole.
The tin is not correct either. with the first run parts the welded tab faced in the opposite direction, it was weak that way, and tended to break the spot welds. There was no just flipping it around either.
Now in the field any of these repairs would involve revised parts. They would also be painted black out of the box so in reality this could be just another normal service procedure. And I'm happy enough with it as is.

[chzuck]

Mine was repainted when I got it.  Not concerned that my color or scheme may not be authentic.  I need to get new gaskets.  After running the fan at Rough & Tumble I noticed oil leaks at the exhaust manifold.  Plan on getting a gasket kit and replace most of the gaskets.

[Klapatta]

Charles, does that generator fitted unit belong to your friend that we met at Coolsprings?
Yes, I'm not all that concerned with the shade of green either. It's not like they are worth thousands. A masking and re spray could change that very fast.
I have seen several with the side cover painted that egg shell white, they may have actually done that for a time. I like the look.
The gasket kit that comes from Iowa is very high quality, it is the same vendor who is on eBay.
We will be at Kent Saturday strictly as spectators, are we going to see you there?
 

[chzuck]

No, I am done attending shows for the year.  Laying low for prostate procedure on 10/7.

The generator setup belongs to Dr. Paul Harvey of Coolspring Power Museum.  He built that as a teenager and just recently restored it to the condition in the photo.  A link to the story.

https://www.gasenginemagazine.com/gas-e ... z24fmzbro/