1-18 Model WC Update

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westytoploader

Well-known member
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Sep 4, 2004
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Tonight I primed and fired up the 1-18 for the first time! On spin, both speeds work well, and it gets up to speed rather quickly, which surprised me since it is based on the Rollermatic. The one thing that I'm thankful for is the 20+ years of soft water running through it--really helped preserve the life of the machine!! I did, however, notice slight "dry bearing noise" and a few squeaks, and the brake doesn't work as the tub takes awhile to come to a complete stop. I removed the cover, put wires "Y-B" and "PK" together as per the repair manual, and the Jet Cone Agitator roared to life! Both Normal and Gentle speeds worked (it appears that the motor changes speed instead of the clutch), and it did rumble/grunt a little, but nothing out of the ordinary. Once I take the front panel off (when I give it a good cleaning) I'll get a better diagnosis of what's going on.

Sad news too--I pulled the inner tub on the '68 Kenmore today, and beneath the layers of caked-on calcium deposits (time was not too kind to this one, unfortunately) the centerpost was badly rusted; completely rusted through in some portions. The "donut seal" was also nearly gone and the motor mount wouldn't loosen to replace the belt, although those were not that big of a problem. The rust was what got me though...sure wish it was kept inside and ran on soft water. I later took it apart, and saved the agitator, motor (since the mount wouldn't budge I took it off the mount), water valve, tub ring, and complete top/wiring harness/control panel assembly as well as some other key working parts. I already have a plan in effect (and a new console) for the '82, so when I acquire another late-model BD Kenmore I'll just swap the tops to get the chrome recessed lid handle, curved control panel, and "agitate-during-fill" PP cooldown. Still wish this one had been in better shape.

I also pulled the belt off of the White-Westy dryer and surprisingly, the drum supports are in good shape with no play in them! Tomorrow I'm going to pick up and install the 220V cords for the White-Westy and 1-18, and later give them a better going over/replacement of necessary parts before trying them out.
 
No...I'm beginning to think that new electric dryers don't come with cords (not sure because we've always used gas), so many people just re-use the cord off of their old one.

At least both will have nice new cords though!
 
Electric ranges and dryers never come with cords, you always have to buy them separately yourself.
 
My old 1-18 *sniff*

Hey Austin.. Glad to see all the support you had when you were getting my washer and dryer *lol* I wish i could have fixed them guys but they are in good hands.
I'm glad to see you are fixing them up...

The washer and dryer just had normal use... yes my mom used spray and wash sprays and that probably did take the paint off the back..

Austin when i walked in my mother was in tears to see her old washer and dryer gone.. *l* poor thing... Keep me posted I'd love to see pictures of them once you have them.

Jess' in S.A.
 
cords

and the reason dryers and ranges need to have cords installed is that they were orignally hard-wired in (cable from wall went right into machine)

1- cause it was "safer" (220v was considered dangerous)
2- the outlet and pin configuration had not yet settled as "permanent"
3- some areas allow ground and neutral to be combined so 3 and 4 pin/conductor/prong cords could be used.
 
Chug!

So sorry to hear about your mom missing the machines, Jess--I know my grandmother was the same way when her '71 Kenmore couldn't be resurrected anymore.

Yes, Austin, rumbles aplenty seem to be the norm with 1-18s. I believe I recall one of the members describing the wash action as sounding "like a diesel engine" back when I found mine, and they weren't kidding!

Ross and Roger were over the other night (still haven't had time to post pics yet), and we used the 608 and the 1-18...the one you can put a sleeping baby next to, no problem--the other, you can't have a conversation in normal voice. It's the charm of the Frigidaires! :-P

Best of luck with your 1-18s, and very sorry to hear about your Kenmore :-(

--Nate
 
Found the leak...

Right after school I immediately started on the 1-18. After taking the front and top panels off and getting to work cleaning (which took a good 3 hours or so), I still couldn't find any traces of leakage. The tub ring cleaned up really well (especially considering how it was before), and the agitator cap, lint filter, and bleach cup (though cleaned of grunge first) are in the Bosch right now.

Guided by the 1971 Frigidaire Tech-Talk (1971 to 1979 machines really don't differ that much mechanically), I re-connected the fill, pressure switch, and recirculation hoses, wire connector, etc...and decided to water-test it. Connected the "Cold" side (and capped off the "Hot" side since water valves do tend to "dribble" with only one hose), and the Jet-Circle Fill worked perfectly...nice and clean! Couldn't find any leaks though; the vacuum breaker is OK. Cranked the water level dial down to "Mini" and the agitator started hopping. After a while water started dripping off of the protective tray (and I quickly grabbed a rag...), so I shut the machine off and spun the water out (the brake did kick in after that). Although I'm not exactly sure where the origin of the leak is, I'm happy to have narrowed it down (at least the tub ring and vacuum valve...two trouble-prone areas...are 100% leak-free). Any ideas guys???

Whew...it's been a long day. Could not believe I would ever go through that many paper towels & rags--time to do a load in the GE Portable!!

--Austin
 
Hmmm...

Assuming it's not a bellows/seals thing, I wonder if the lint filter accoutrements are all okay...mine gets grouchy if the filter isn't seated just so...

...just a thought...

Does it leak if you put water in it and don't run the machine for, say, a few hours (so as to rule out some moving parts and perhaps parts of the recirculation system)?
 
Do the threads on the pulsator nut turn clockwise or counterclockwise to loosen? I sprayed it down with PB, waited about 7 minutes and it STILL won't budge! Not sure if I'm turning it right though!

--Austin
 
Update

Borrowed my neighbor's impact wrench and the pulsator nut came right out! Didn't even have to hold the tub! Got the tub nuts out and the tub pulled...still looking at that one and trying to find the leaky seal. Bellows are in very good shape though (of course since they're 6 months old).

Many thanks to Greg N. (Gansky1) for all the excellent advice and help to my numerous technical "newbie" questions and phone calls!
 
Austin, Was't it you that was trying to remove the pulsator on another machine some time back? If not disreguard this. But I did suggest an impact wrench to someone here. Other members seemed to think it may take out some kind of bronze bearing. Glad to hear that worked for you though. Good luck on your project
Greg (Fixerman)
 

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