Maytag gas motor
I guess I'm ready to tune up my Maytag Multimotor. I had trouble getting the flywheel off this 58-year-old gasoline washing machine motor, but by using a clutch-removal tool designed for a Cushman Husky engine, the flywheel came off easily. What I'm looking at is a condenser, a coil and some breaker points. I have a spare condenser, but no coil.
I'm not sure which spark plugs to use, so I guess I need to do a little internet research. I say plugs, plural, because the model 72 Maytag is a two-cylinder, horizonally opposed engine. The cylinders are tiny and it puts out a whopping 5/8 of a horsepower. It's a two cycle with a fuel/oil ratio of 16 to 1, so I'm expecting a lot of smoke.
So what use is there for a fractional horsepower gas motor? If you lived in a house with no electric power, you could use it to operate a washing machine, or to pump a little water, but in the modern world, it's a fairly useless machine. I tried to get it operating in time for the spring scooter meet in Georgia, but that stubborn flywheel prevented that. I figure if you fire up a noisy putt putt that lays down a thick smoke screen, you can attract a crowd at a scooter meet.
To understand that you have to know a little about the kind of people who collect vintage motor scooters like Cushmans. Generally, we are old coots who have loved machinery for a lifetime, and to us, the sound and smell of an old engine is like a picnic in the park. How many machines do you have that still work at 58 years of age?
Maybe you have grandma's sewing machine, or grandpa's Model A Ford, but machines tend to wear out in less than half a century. But if you see a cloud of bluish smoke at a scooter meet, it might be a Maytag.
I'm not sure which spark plugs to use, so I guess I need to do a little internet research. I say plugs, plural, because the model 72 Maytag is a two-cylinder, horizonally opposed engine. The cylinders are tiny and it puts out a whopping 5/8 of a horsepower. It's a two cycle with a fuel/oil ratio of 16 to 1, so I'm expecting a lot of smoke.
So what use is there for a fractional horsepower gas motor? If you lived in a house with no electric power, you could use it to operate a washing machine, or to pump a little water, but in the modern world, it's a fairly useless machine. I tried to get it operating in time for the spring scooter meet in Georgia, but that stubborn flywheel prevented that. I figure if you fire up a noisy putt putt that lays down a thick smoke screen, you can attract a crowd at a scooter meet.
To understand that you have to know a little about the kind of people who collect vintage motor scooters like Cushmans. Generally, we are old coots who have loved machinery for a lifetime, and to us, the sound and smell of an old engine is like a picnic in the park. How many machines do you have that still work at 58 years of age?
Maybe you have grandma's sewing machine, or grandpa's Model A Ford, but machines tend to wear out in less than half a century. But if you see a cloud of bluish smoke at a scooter meet, it might be a Maytag.
posted by Howard at
3:08 PM
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