1949 Bendix now running

[bendixmark]

Hello everyone my name is Mark and I am new to the club.today I got the 1949 Bendix running after unseizing the pump impeller then freeing up the pump drain valve after they had been sitting for 30 or 40 years.The motor seemed a little noisy with more hum than I remember my last Bendix like this having.The other thing is the transmission was very noisy during tumble,sounded like there was no oil in it.Spin sounded okay and the timer advances.Is there anybody in the club who has dealt with these problems?what oil does this use?Good thing I still have my Bendix repairmaster book I got in 1975.Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[revvinkevin]

Greetings Mark and welcome to AW! It's a really great place and you will enjoy it here... I do!

Congratulations on getting the Bendix working again! Is there any chance you can post photos of it? (We like photos!)

Kevin

 

[rollermatic]

hello and welcome

congrats on getting your bendix up and running. they are fun machines and so historic, appliance wise!

i picked up one from a fellow club member melvin (supreme whirlpool) this past year and had asked the same question about the transmission oil but got no definitive answer from anyone on the site here.

i also asked larry the parts pro who many members are familiar with. he owns modern parts house in parma ohio and is a world of info on old appliances. he told me to use type f transmission fluid. as yet i have not done this as i haven't run my bendix since initially giving it a spin.

i picked up a second bendix in lima ohio about 3 months ago, a "tombstone" model as a couple members called it here. as yet i have not even plugged it in.

here's a couple pics of the 2 i have, would love to see some pics of your's. as kevin above said, everyone loves pics!

enjoy the site!

 

[rollermatic]

the "tombstone"

model. it has seen better days!

 

[easyspindry]

Congratulations on your "new" Bendix

I have a 1944 "diving bell" model like the one pictured in the first picture above.

I had some chainsaw oil which I added to the transmission thinking that that oil would be better than nothing.

So far it works well. My only problem is a leak around the porthole door. AND I have found that if I leave the water faucets turned on, water will continue to run into the tub.

They are very simple, fun machines. Lots of action during the wash and rinse cycles, and spin of a whopping 300 rpm. (If you plan to use the Bendix, you'd be well advised to get a SpinX or some type of extractor.)

I hope you enjoy playing with it.

Jerry Gay

 

[turquoisedude]

Congratulations on getting your Bendix going!! I restored an old Westy washer that had a 'dry' speed changer unit and I poured some Varsol (a paint thinner and solvent) into the unit, let it soak, then emptied it again to clean and loosen the gummed up oil in there. It worked great after that cleaning! I also have some 'generic' repair information from a an early 1950s appliance repair guide and they show a Bendix front-loader transmission with explanations on how it kicks from low to high speed. If you think this might be useful, just let me know and I can email it to you.

 

[jetcone]

Peter

that Tombstone machine is so boss! When are you gonna give that a new coat of paint and gussy her up?

 

[rollermatic]

it's on my list!

we've heard miquel brown sing "so many men, so little time" well i say so many appliances, so little time!

i've got a rollermatic patiently waiting for me to put it back together plus 2 more i haven't even started! i hope to tinker with this bendix by next spring. and you are so right, it needs paint bad!!!

any idea on what oil to put it the transmissions on these machines. no one yet has given an answer. someone out ther has to know!

 

[bendixmark]

Bendix transmission oil

I scoured the discussomat archives and an earlier post said 80-90 gearbox oil whatever that is.I will try to post pics of the machine with the help of a friend as I have not moved up to that technology I can barely type my own name.I actually found the machine here akronman posted it as being on craigslist in Attleboro an hour from me and I went and scooped it.It is in really nice shape the door gasket and other rubber is very good and there is almost no rust.Yes I plan to play with it I have been playing with washers since I was 4.My boss at the appliance store I work at used to repair Bendixes back when(he hates them)is also researching the oil as well.I love that tombstone Bendix I would love one of those.I am aware of the sad spin and was going to look into one of those extractors.

 

[bendixmark]

noisy transmission

I took the drain plug out of the transmission in the 49 bendix to see the condition of the oil but NOT A DROP CAME OUT!No wonder it is so noisy.Still need to know what oil to put in for certain.

 

[turquoisedude]

Transmission Oil

If it helps, when I re-did the Westy, I used 5 parts of SAE90 gear oil to 1 part 10W Non-Detergent motor oil. For the 63 Frigidaire, I used compressor oil (but I can't remember the exact specs...). I would strongly recommend that you give the transmission a cleaning with a solvent (Varsol was the brand I used, but I bought that up here in Canada - I am sure there must be something similar at Lowe's or Home Depot...)

 

[combo52]

BENDIX OIL

Use 80 or 90 weight gear oil from your auto parts store. On most washing machines the type of trans oil is not that critical as we are not talking about race car engines. The fact that it ran with no oil proves this point. As Paul suggested it may not be a bad idea to try to flush any old residue as there are worn metal particles in the bottom of the transmission case. But overall new lubricants are so much better than what would have been in there 60 years ago that you really don't have to sweat the exact type of oil to much.

 

[sudsmaster]

A trick used to clean out old car manual transmissions is to run them for a bit with automatic transmission fluid fill. The ATF is highly detergent and will tend to clean out the sludge etc. I imagine that ATF might also work to solubilize old grease in a washer transmission as long as it's only left in for a short time of running, just enough to dissolve the gunk and sludge so it can be drained away. I wouldn't put much of a load on the machine, just run it empty to get the sludge out.

Caveat: I've not tried this in a washer transmission so I will disavow the advice should anything bad happen

 

[sudsmaster]

PS-The first washing machine I ever saw was my Mom's Bendix. She had the "diving bell" type first, and then the square-ish Art Deco model.

I think they are way cool.

She never complained about the spin speed, but I do remember that there was almost always laundry hanging on the clothesline that ran from the back porch off the kitchen to a tree or post in the back yard.

The Bendix washers sat on a big concrete slab a foot or two off the basement floor. I think they drained into the lawn at the back of the house. I wasn't allowed near them... my older brother had ruined that experience for me because of the one time he opened the washer door while it was running and full of water. But I admired them from afar...

 

[ricky5050]

I have looked for oil too

Hi Bendixmark

attached is a link to a thread i asked earlier, my manual for a later machine says to use Shell 27 which is now Shell Tellus 44 but so far i have only found suppliers selling it in 40 ltr drums i think, which would do all surviving Bendix's in the world i think ha ha. But you may find a supplier in the US who could sell you a pint or two.

Richard

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?31207