1-18 rebuild in Ohio, 1975 Frigidaire WCD

[akronman]

lots to do yet on this machine, but here's a few starter question-------the oil bellows keeps water leaks from the agitator drive, but am I supposed to put any oil down in the bellows after I install it, before it gets closed in by the water bellows? Agitator shaft and internal components inside the bellows are already slightly lubed and no rust, do I reassemble as is without additional lube?

 

Also--picture is of the inside of the exterior tub, tonight I will be replacing the water seal/gasket assembly, this 8 bolt assembly and plate. Per kit directions, a small amount of RTV sealant between all the 8 holes, then I think I will lightly paint the exterior rim of the plate with more epoxy after torquing down those bolts. There are no known other leaks, and I will do more cleanup inside this tub while the tranny is away. I've never repainted the inside of an exterior tub. What paint should I use, or clean it and leave it alone?

 

Thanks again to Bill Fitcoils, excellent work already done by him on the clutch and rollers, and great advice on many of my next steps.

 

Also------tons of parts stores online have diagrams for my 70's Maytag and Filter flo, and some for my 1960 Whirlpool, but no luck for this, just minimal parts lists or most stores don't recognize the model, etc. The label is clear as a bell, MODEL WCD, Ser# 51EH 4512. I don't need parts, but diagrams can be darn helpful for re-assembly. The lint filter is missing and the rail it slides on is busted plastic, I may not bother with them.

 

[pdub]

Lint filter rail

Mark,

I've had luck finding these when needed. Replacing this part is crucial for keeping the lint filter from coming loose during agitation and then bouncing through the tub and damaging the filter or agitator. Here is a link to a site that I've used in the past and their pricing is very good.

Rail part number: 5300638878

 

[pdub]

Lint Filter

Oops, forgot the link for the rail so it's in this reply.

Here is a picture of the lint filter which I find when they are brand new, they work well. The bed of nails are still smooth so when you go to clean it by rapping it against a hard surface right after the wash while it's still wet, the lint comes off pretty well. When you have an older one they the nails seem to get rough with a mineral builup and so the lint wants to stick to the roughness. Just my experience.

Lint filter part number: 5300633790

http://www.universalapplianceparts.com/search.aspx?find=5300638878

 

[goatfarmer]

No oil in the bellows.

 

POR15 or a marine type paint should work out well inside the tub.

 

That ol' washer has been getting around.....

 

[combo52]

RUSTY OUTER TUB

Yes as Kenny suggested I would at a minimum try to re-coat the inside of that tub, thats easily the worst outer tub I have ever seen in one of these washers. I have a good outer tub that I will be throwing away soon and actually I just recycled another a few months ago. Contact me if you want it as it would be best to replace something that rusted.

 

[simplicity345]

1-18 washer parts

if needed any frigidaire washer parts Or Any Frigidaire Parts I Have Them Available I Also Have The Rail For The Lint Filter Part # 5300638878 Available And This Item Is A New Part Any Questions You May Email Me @ [email protected]

 

[akronman]

1-18 springs

of course I'm working on numerous different parts at the same time, letting paint and RTV dry here and there while checking other stuff.

 

The HUGE 3 springs have only surface rust, they are fine. The 3 smaller, lighter weight springs from the bottom damper pan to the floor instead of from the tub supports to the floor------the long one is about dead, one of the short ones is missing, the other short one seems ok. Any PN's available? Or do I take them to Home Depot and size them up?

 

I can't find a parts list or diagram anywhere, but am having fun and appreciate all the advice----

PDUB----thanks for the links---

Mark

 

[akronman]

another pic

here's the underside of the tub, surprising for how the interior looks

 

[jetcone]

Mark

on the 8 bolts for the seal plate you want to be sure to coat the threads with thread-locker before tightening them down. Otherwise they will vibrate loose at agitation and will leak something awful!

 

I'll dig out some doctrine tonight on the 1-18's and post.

Do you have a new tub seal kit for the seal plate? I have tons of those.

 

I have to agree with John, that has to be the worst outer tub I have ever seen on one of these, that porcelain is extra tough too. Before I Pored it I would paint it with "Extend" to neutralize the rust , let that dry and paint the POR on top.

 

 

jet

 

[akronman]

Attn JET

I have all the components for the tub seal, the 8 hole plate and pressed-in seals for the inner bottom of exterior tub, I believe it's all that's left to install for leak-proofing.

Thanks for the painting advice, so far no luck at Home D or Lowe's, tonight I'll search elsewhere or find online paint supplies. I want to do this right ONCE!

 

Do any of you 1-18 pros know part numbers for the smaller springs, from pan to base? Otherwise I'll take the rusty ones to  Home D and see.....

 

I already have one coat of a Krylon yellow-ish on the cabinet, and have figured out a good way to strengthen the rusted bottom on 2 sides, pictures will follow in a few days--

 

[akronman]

it still leaks

When I first re-assembled, it leaked out that little trough like a sieve. So I took it apart, used a piece of plastic pipe to further seat the seal into the outside base of the inner tub, see picture. The flange or base, 4 big bolts hodling it, is very decrepit, and so are these pictures. I re-assembled after further seating it, and installed thebig tub nut, but no bellows, and filled until it started to leak again. Significantly less leaking, but still a constant drip. Is the terrible flange keeping me from seating this seal flatly, levelly? With the tub out and upside down, the lip points up at me, perfect mate to the spring seal around the shaft in the oputer tub.

 

Do I need a new inner tub flange/base? Will I ruin this seal removing it and need a new one for the new flange?

Thanks

Mark

 

 

 

[akronman]

bellows clamp

I've had the water bellows on and off maybe 3 times so far, using this: It's just a small clamp, anf I used 2 ratchet sockets to push directly on the ring instead of the big pads which would have pressured the bottom bellows ring instead. I have installed with this somewhat cumbersome tool and removed the ring also, just go slow and hold those sockets in place with fingers while tightening the clamp. So far, the $35 I saved by not buying the Official Frigidaire Bellows clamps will allow me to buy a new seal, I'll probably ruin the one as I remove it and install a new flange, oh well.

 

[fltcoils]

dribble and leak

I had only noticed a leak when it was agitating, not when it was simply filling or sitting...at least that's my recollection from this summer. That's why I bought the tub seal, expecting that was the only water leak path. A visual inspection of the OE seal showed me a very decayed rubber in the seal. The persistant dribble after replacing it perplexes me. Good job tho' getting the 8 bolts loose the change the base section. You are a brave man.

---------------
I expected to POR15 the tub if I kept the machine, my impression was that some of the rust was deposits from well water rather than broken thru porcelain. You might try wiping with "Iron out" to cleanse the area of deposits if you haven't already.
POR15.com

------
springs: Perhaps John saved springs when he parted those tubs out recently?

------
The filter rail only helps if you have a filter. This machine doesn't. Need both.

 

[akronman]

Hi Bill

Bill------I removed the inner tub bottom seal from that worn out pot metal flange, I had not cleaned it very well. So I took a small wire brush and a small screwdriver for scraping, cleaned up the seating area well and rinsed and let it dry. Then, exactly and very carefully, I painted RTV Sealant around the mating/sealing outer edge of the seal and the pot metal, and found a plastic pipe fitting like under a kitchen sink, fit perfectly to allow me to gently hammer the seal in place. Then more RTV at the very outer edge of the flange, where some bits of the pot metal had entirely flaked away, I think that was the leak. I carefully made sure that no RTV got on the center of the seal where it mates to the springy seal inside the outer tub. right now it's waiting for a 24 hour cure before re-assembly. And right now I am convinced it's the right fix, but we'll see over the weekend.

 

And the more I clean, the more I think you are right about rust deposits from well water, not rust through at all, check out the exterior shot, it's perfect.

 

Those vertical springs are pretty lightweight, easy to extend, I've got a variety from Home Depot and Lowes and I bet it won't be rocket science to replace them quite adequately. They are so simple and flexible compared to the thick upright massive springs, it can't be as exact an item as those.

 

I have repainted the cabinet, but I'll never use Krylon again, yuck. Other white paint jobs on other machines worked great with some specific brand of Appliance Epoxy Paint, this Krylon is a close enough yellow for my eyes and my old basement, but it's streeaking and some dripping which didn't happen ever with that White epoxy paint elsewhere, but I'm not gonna worry. I'll take pictures as I re-install the cabinet, I have a pretty good, easy, cheap way to reinforce the rusted out edges.

 

I told you 2 weeks, I am on track! I have both the filter and rail on order, I do want the WHOLE MACHINE, even if my painting is pretty bad.

Thanks again Bill! I am having fun and still nothing scares me to fix and you already did plenty of the hard parts with tranny and clutch, thanks

 

I have that rare fabric softener dispenser, but the various booklets also mention a bleach and dye dispenser tube that fits down inside the agitator, Has anyone seen one, any pictures?

 

This machine has 2 different "cool down" cycles, which I find to be a waste of water and space on the dial! Someday, all I want is some machine with a regular cycle AND an optional second rinse. With that and 2 speeds, it's all I ever need, but that's just me.

 

 

[pdub]

Spring Part #'s

To answer your earlier question about the springs, here are some part numbers.

outer tub support leg to base: 00638848 (qty. 3)

centering to base: 00638849 (qty. 2)

centering to base counter balance: 5301126212 (qty.1)

Hopefully someone has a good used set of these or at least the ones you need.

 

[fltcoils]

Glad you are making such quick progress

I do hope that upper part of the seal on the basket does indeed seal ok, I'm sure you got the lower part on the tub set fine. And then you are off to up/dn washing experience.

---------
filter - you found a filter? great
-----------
Timer - you might consider oiling the timer, I used singer sewing machine oil. The mechanism has bearings and journals that are years dried out.
-----------

A helical spring is best understood as a torsion bar. It's just more compact because it is wound around and around. That's what really is happening. When you stretch it out the wire twists like a torsion bar does.

So... you get a comparable strain vs stress curve if you have a similar length and diameter of the "torsion bar rod". That's what is important here, to get a similar force from the spring between the max extended to max compressed positions.

Most spring programs determine this by finding the circumference of the turns, and multiplying that by the number of turns. Given this "length" of bar - another fn then takes the wire diam into consideration, and the material, to give you the final lbs per inch stretch of the spring.

What this means is to get a correct replacement 1st get a similar size wire. Then find a similar net length of the "springy" part based on turns X circum. The hook ends could just as well be rope, they don't contribute to the function except to set the 'free from load" length.

 

[fltcoils]

Other references for springs

http://www.efunda.com/DesignStandards/springs/spring_calculators.cfm

http://www.spring-makers-resource.net/compression-spring-design.html

http://www.spring-makers-resource.net/spring-design.html

 

[akronman]

it still leaks

All that epoxy and hoping didn't do much good. I may have installed the seal upside down? Here is a picture from someone else thread last spring, cleary showing that the flat side of the seal faces outward as the mating surface. I wish I had checked this closer earler, mine is currently opposite. So, with the inner tub upside down on the floor, does the lip go down inside the flange, leaving the flat surface uppermost to mate the outer tub, or does the flat surface go down into the base, leaving that lip to overlap the seal in the outer tub square plate?

Thanks in advance---remember the picture is someone elses, my seal is currently opposite this picture

Mark

 

 

[combo52]

1-18 OUTER TUB RUST

Hi Mark you are making great progress, some times I wish that I would just stop and work on one appliance at a time, but I usually have about 5 or ten in pieces at a time. If the rust in the outer tub was just from rusty well water it would just clean off. This machines tub was subjected to some type of abuse such as , leaving water stand in the tub for long periods, possibly with LCB in it, or some other type of corrosive water condition or acids must have been used.

 

[pdub]

Seal replacement pic 1

Here is some stuff I scanned that may help.

 

[pdub]

Seal replacement pic 2

page 2

 

[pdub]

Exploded tub assembly pic

for reference

 

[pdub]

Agitator and bellows assembly

for visual reference (pic of bleach dispenser)

 

[fltcoils]

Spring idea

For the springs you might try a throttle return spring.

I was at the car parts store (advance auto) and saw a number of "help" kits with such. I suspect one of these is a close match to these small springs for spring rate.

The rotary seal is a face seal, so you want the nice flat face installed out from the basket so it can mate with the other side on the tub.

 

[akronman]

1-18

Well today I got 2 loads of clothes through, what a powerful machine! 1st time, no hot water, so I checked continuity and none on the hot solenoid, though I was getting 117 volts when the temp dial called for hot. I was able to swap the solenoid with a leftover from a Whirlpool, now I have hot-warm-cold, all is well there. There is still a significant tub leak while filling, as soon as it gets to the level of the seal, but it almost entirely stops during agitation and spin. I have temporarily tied a hose to the overflow plastic tray that keeps drips away from the tranny and motor, and runs out the front of the machine(no front on it yet, too much to watch and check.) I  believe I will need a new flange/tub support for the inner tub, and a new seal for that, but the spring seal from the 8-hole base of the exterior tub seems fine.

 

 

Another leak is at the start of spin, from right undert he plastic tub top, that old gasket looked pretty settled in place and cheap, I will find some peel-and-press foam like for windows before I tear her down again, I bet new stuff would solve that minor leak problem.

It sure does have some really exact needs for water level and great turnover, less water seems best, I have a learning curve for sure. I like how the spin starts on low speed and gets most of the water out before switching to high gear, and the ring of spray is fantastic and timed right, I like the rinsing on this machine very much. Seems much more effective than spray rinsing through one port, like all my others.

 

I haven't yet bothered with the softener dispenser, next time.

 

The springs are still not perfect, with a heavy load the tub wants to go left, but I just need to swap around from a variety I have found until it stays better in place. I appreciate the pictures from above with spring PN's, but lots of trouble finding this WCD model on any web parts stores. I think I am about 85% ok with these springs, a tiny bit more time swapping and washing.

 

The agitate and spin take a bit of time to get to full speed, maybe 15 seconds. Is this just because it switched from agi to spin and vice versa, or dirt and grease on rollers, belt too tight? It always gets up to speed, relatively quickly, I'm not sure if this is good or bad news on the slow start.

 

Between the water action and tranny, NOISY WOW. Also fun.

 

I just couldn't wait to see it work, had to put it back together even with that leak to find out what else it needed, so hopefully only one more teardown. I have become a pro on the bellows installation and removal, have my perfect homemade clamp, works first time every time.

 

The filter and rail should be on my front porch tomorrow or Tuesday.

 

I very much appreciate Bill Fitcoils and Patrick PDUB on advice and emailed diagrams and info, it's great. And anyone else I've missed. I am not done yet, check back for more questions, but so far this is looking like a great and fun leaky wonder!

 

 

 

[akronman]

some pictures

Here she is running with the fabric softener dispenser in place. I'll fix the dent in the dashboard as a final bit of work.

 

[akronman]

more

and here's the dispenser during rinse fill, empty except for a bit of froth. I did check before the spin, it was still full after that popping up and down, I guess they built it right. It was all bubbles, of course. But this machine does a final spray, fortunately only 12 seconds or so, after the final rinse, so some of the softener is just down the drain, like a WP/KM.

 

[akronman]

1-18 springs

One notch stronger/thicker on the spring the tub kept crawling away from, and now it does full loads on hi speed spin and stay well centered.

 

I tried a Perm-Press cycle, like most other brands, rarely useful to me.

 

This thing doesn't have a brake after spinning, does it? Long slowdown to stop.

 

Now done with 5 loads, leak is during fill, not during agitation or spin. And this is with the front off to watch everything, there's no pump leak, hose leak, solenoid leak at all, it's that darn center tub seal stuff.

 

But, overall very impressed, I'm getting better at less water for greater turnover, and while suds are fun to watch and all get out in that excellent rinse, I think this is mostly a "HE" detergent machine. And the rinsing is great, I can only rarely imagine the need for a second rinse.

 

Well Done, Frigidaire!

 

[philr]

These 1-18 washers are fascinating. I really like watching and hearing mine while it washes. The only thing I don't like much about them is their lint filter! (I have hard water, that doesn't help cleaning the lint filter). At least, I found a way to make it hold better without having to replace the rail!

About the tub brake, mine didn't work at first but after repeated uses, it began to work better. Now, it stops every time (but not as quickly as in my GMini washer). When I bought my washer, I tested quite a few Frigidaire Rollermatics and 1-18 and none of them had a working tub brake.
I didn't bother filling and testing the agitation on mine before I bought it but when I arrived home, I discovered that it was leak free and it wasn't noisy during the agitation like the two Rollermatics I had tried with no water (unlike the 1-18, these were time filled). I still had to soften the surface of the agitate roller as it had flat spots. I got a brand new replacement one but the old one is ok so I decided not to replace it.

 

[akronman]

Slow start to agitate or spin......

...seems to have resolved itself by about the third load, maybe motor/belt/rotors just needed to get used to running again, this has barely been used in months.

 

This thing does NOT have any tub brake working AT ALL. If it doesn't hurt anything to run like this, I'm not dumb enough to stick my arm in while running.

 

The new spring solved ALL the balance and off-kilter isues, even with a full load. The spin is listed as 650, just above GE FilterFlo and old Center dial Maytags, but it looks a lot faster and clothes seem dryer as far as I can tell.

 

There seems to be an art to exact fill and correct turnover, other than that I am impressed and happy, my late Mom had one of these in 73 til we moved in 79, and we always closed the laundry room door when running it to keep the noise to a dull roar.

 

Phil----I have both a new rail and filter coming via UPS, but please explain your trick for no new rail--

Thanks

Mark