How to Change a Maytag Neptune Door Boot

Remove the Front Panel and Door

• 1

  Disconnect the electrical power to the washing machine.

• 2

  Remove the four screws in the corners of the front panel of the washer inside the lip of the door opening. Remove the center screw of each door hinge, lift the door slightly, pull it gently away from the front of the machine, and set it aside.

• 3

  Grasp the upper extensions on the right and left corners of the front panel. Push the outer edges inward to release the panel from the clips on the cabinet. Gently tilt the top of the panel away from the washer and lift it off. Set it aside.

Remove the Top Cover and Front Shroud

• 4

  Remove the four screws that hold the dispenser to the top cover. Remove the two 5/16” hex head screws on the hold-down brackets on the top cover. Swing the brackets to the outside, therefore unhooking them from their slots. Tilt the top cover toward the rear and leave it in the raised position.

• 5

  Pull out the sealing lip of the old door boot and unsnap it from the locking tabs around the inside of the door opening. Remove the eight screws in the front shroud, which is the piece that spans the front of the washer and ties the sides of the washer cabinet together. The screws must be removed in a specific order, starting with the lowest of the three screws in the top left corner. Remove the lowest of the three screws in the top right corner. Remove the screw in the lower right corner and then the one in the lower left corner. Remove the top screw of the three in the upper left corner and then the top screw in the upper right corner. Remove the remaining screw in the upper right and then the last one on the upper left. The removal order is very important, so consult the diagram in your washer service manual.

• 6

  Drape a soft cloth over the concrete weight and lift the shroud assembly straight up. Rest it on the top of the tub and lean it back against the top cover.

• 7

  Use one of the hold-down brackets from the top cover and grasp the hook part of the boot clamp spring. Press the wire holding loop into the boot with the other hand to keep it from slipping. However, do not bend this wire or it may cause a leak when the new boot is installed. Pull the hook toward the wire loop and unhook it from the wire. Remove the wire loop gently from the lip of the tub and set it aside.

• 8

  Make a note of the notches on the door boot that line up with the orientation ribs on the outer tub cover. You will need to position the new door boot the same way. Unsnap the door boot from the inside of the door shroud.

Replace the Door Boot

• 9

  Line up the new door boot with the D-shaped edge to the front and the flat side on the bottom. Note the location of the large tab near the top center of the shroud.

• 10

  Stretch the rear edge of the door boot onto the tub cover. Adjust it so the locator notches in the boot line up with the orientation ribs on the tub cover. Now the locking tabs on the inside of the door boot line up with the tabs on the front shroud.

• 11

  Replace the wire loop around the lip of the outer tub cover with the spring just left of the top rib. Hook the spring end over the nearest tub cover clip to keep it in place. Use the hold-down bracket to grasp the hook end of the spring while pressing the wire with the other hand into the boot to keep it from moving. Attach the hook to the end of the wire loop.

• 12

  Lower the front shroud assembly back into place, remove the cloth from the concrete weight, and replace the shroud screws exactly in reverse order from the way you removed them.

• 13

  Find the widest locking tabs on the new door boot, which are located at the 12:00, 4:00 and 8:00 o’clock positions. Spray the boot edge with a soap solution and insert these tabs into the large slots in the shroud.

• 14

  Press the thick rubber section of the new boot into the groove in the shroud, making sure the tabs lock into the slots. Now press the remaining lock tabs into the shroud’s perimeter.

• 15

  Reverse the procedure for removing the top cover to replace it and secure it in place. Reverse the procedure for removing the door and front panel to complete the project. Reconnect the electrical supply.