Pictures and progress to follow:
1955 GE COMBO Restoration
- Thread starter jetcone
- Start date
Mmmm . . .
What a beauty, can't wait for the pix!
What a beauty, can't wait for the pix!
In the lab
waiting for attention
waiting for attention
all rubber
gets replaced as its all cracking after 58 years of service.
gets replaced as its all cracking after 58 years of service.
under the skirt
she needed a new water level hose, new drain connector and a new tub fill hose. Thankfully the door gasket is in good shape.
she needed a new water level hose, new drain connector and a new tub fill hose. Thankfully the door gasket is in good shape.
But look at the crap
I found in the sump and pump, pounds of precipitate, it would have clogged the whole drain system and might have jammed the pump when it was first turned on. My shop vac took quick care of this mess.
I found in the sump and pump, pounds of precipitate, it would have clogged the whole drain system and might have jammed the pump when it was first turned on. My shop vac took quick care of this mess.
I'm looking forward to hearing about the transmission operation and the spins between water changes.
toploader55
Well-known member
Hey Jon...
Is that the Combo that Paul rebuilt for you a few weeks ago ?
Is that the Combo that Paul rebuilt for you a few weeks ago ?
turquoisedude
Well-known member
LOL! No, this one WORKS...
Edna you will be SLAPPPED! Mightely
and Biblically as "they" say!
Yes Tom me too, the tranny looks in fine shape so I let it be for now. All the components on the bottom are now restored or replaced!
[this post was last edited: 11/26/2013-17:15]
and Biblically as "they" say!
Yes Tom me too, the tranny looks in fine shape so I let it be for now. All the components on the bottom are now restored or replaced!
[this post was last edited: 11/26/2013-17:15]
The motor restore
I always like to get into the motor on a machine this age. It always needs fresh oil on the bearings and a good scratching on the switch points.
I always like to get into the motor on a machine this age. It always needs fresh oil on the bearings and a good scratching on the switch points.
close up of
a very dirty motor, but it confirmed my first look at the machine, its kitchen grease which means this lived upstairs in the kitchen. Always a better machine to restore!!
a very dirty motor, but it confirmed my first look at the machine, its kitchen grease which means this lived upstairs in the kitchen. Always a better machine to restore!!
All cleaned
new drive belt in front installed, motor back on the machine, new drain hose, new air hose. Now the base components are restored its time to move to the upper components.
new drive belt in front installed, motor back on the machine, new drain hose, new air hose. Now the base components are restored its time to move to the upper components.
Cleaned pump
lubricated, new hose , clean wires again showing their colors:
lubricated, new hose , clean wires again showing their colors:
toploader55
Well-known member
It still...
Looks like Paul restored it
Ducks and Runs and takes the next boat to the Sandbar.
In Bahnstable of course.
Looks like Paul restored it
Ducks and Runs and takes the next boat to the Sandbar.
In Bahnstable of course.
Darn!
I was born at the wrong time. I love the look of these older machines. I love the simplicity of their construction, and the relative ease of maintenance. I hate the scarcity of parts.
It's nice to see the in depth work you're doing here. Looking forward to seeing more.
I was born at the wrong time. I love the look of these older machines. I love the simplicity of their construction, and the relative ease of maintenance. I hate the scarcity of parts.
It's nice to see the in depth work you're doing here. Looking forward to seeing more.
55 GE Combo Restoration
Wow can't wait to see and hear it running. Next time I come up there we can do competing loads in this and the LKM gas Combo and one of the Bendix Duomatics.
I would imagine that GE got away from the little Gorman-Rupp electric drain pumps so quickly because of durability problems, this style pump was not really built for 90 minute dry cycles.
It will be fun to see it run.
Wow can't wait to see and hear it running. Next time I come up there we can do competing loads in this and the LKM gas Combo and one of the Bendix Duomatics.
I would imagine that GE got away from the little Gorman-Rupp electric drain pumps so quickly because of durability problems, this style pump was not really built for 90 minute dry cycles.
It will be fun to see it run.
Yes John
get yur butt up here so we can finally finish that LKCombo!!
Why do you think these pumps are so bad? It looks very durable to me, the bearings are in good shape the impeller looks good. That style motor usually runs cooler too. Did you see lots of failures in the field?? Maybe we can ask them whats up with their pumps since they are a global leader--see link.
And get "that Smitty" to place an order dammit!
Eddie - love the new avatar. You on the other hand…well… we'll discuss your Paulophile tendencies in private!
http://www.gormanrupp.com
get yur butt up here so we can finally finish that LKCombo!!
Why do you think these pumps are so bad? It looks very durable to me, the bearings are in good shape the impeller looks good. That style motor usually runs cooler too. Did you see lots of failures in the field?? Maybe we can ask them whats up with their pumps since they are a global leader--see link.
And get "that Smitty" to place an order dammit!
Eddie - love the new avatar. You on the other hand…well… we'll discuss your Paulophile tendencies in private!
http://www.gormanrupp.com
Hurry,Paul! Push the 'OMIT SLAP' button!
Looking real good, Jon! What is the little red switch for next to the trans on the base? Off balance?
Looking real good, Jon! What is the little red switch for next to the trans on the base? Off balance?
turquoisedude
Well-known member
Greg, the advantage of living this side of the border is that it's more trouble to slap me than it's worth.. LOL
Jon, if I may, that red switch is the belt breakage switch. The release of tension on the lever it sits in will slide the switch closed in the event of a belt breaking. This will cause the machine to skip the spin and dry portion of the cycle - I learned the hard way that the switch can trip when servicing the machine... Ask Phil how I reacted when I learned that lesson and flipped the switch back to 'open'...
Jon, if I may, that red switch is the belt breakage switch. The release of tension on the lever it sits in will slide the switch closed in the event of a belt breaking. This will cause the machine to skip the spin and dry portion of the cycle - I learned the hard way that the switch can trip when servicing the machine... Ask Phil how I reacted when I learned that lesson and flipped the switch back to 'open'...
Yes Paul is correct
it rests on a large long sliding platform and when I took the belt off to get the motor in and out, the platform slide left tripping the switch I. I can't wait to see this machine in action, its so different than the 3 belt combos!
it rests on a large long sliding platform and when I took the belt off to get the motor in and out, the platform slide left tripping the switch I. I can't wait to see this machine in action, its so different than the 3 belt combos!
Paul
does your machine have the "scissors balance switch" up front or does it have the newer motor and tape winder balance switch??
does your machine have the "scissors balance switch" up front or does it have the newer motor and tape winder balance switch??
turquoisedude
Well-known member
Jon, I've got the scissors-style mechanism too. I think that small motor with that triangular 'star' that runs until the machine re-adjusts itself is just too cool. I must try and get a video demo of that next time I pull the combo in Ogden...
philr
Well-known member
Is the pump constantly pumping during the dry cycle?
turquoisedude
Well-known member
Yes, this may be why GE changed design in 1956 so that the pump would be run off the drive motor instead of a separate electric pump. Well, that's my theory...
Well I agree with Paul and John
but I bet the reason they changed was cost not reliability. GE is extremely cost conscious it drives everything there.
A clutch they could machine in one of the shops at GE would be far cheaper than buying another motor from a second tier vendor.
Can't wait to see the scissors mechanism at work since I am so familiar with the moto-tape system!!
Jackie comes next week with a surprise machine for me! Something I do not have in the collection….hint..put your thinking caps on!
but I bet the reason they changed was cost not reliability. GE is extremely cost conscious it drives everything there.
A clutch they could machine in one of the shops at GE would be far cheaper than buying another motor from a second tier vendor.
Can't wait to see the scissors mechanism at work since I am so familiar with the moto-tape system!!
Jackie comes next week with a surprise machine for me! Something I do not have in the collection….hint..put your thinking caps on!
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Jetcone:
Remember, reliability - or lack thereof - is a cost factor, too. Service calls under warranty were a huge cost for manufacturers in those days, since they were usually handled by the service departments of independent dealers or independently-owned "authorized service centers."
That system put dealers and servicers in charge of what manufacturers spent on warranty service; the dealer or servicer did the work, put in a claim to the manufacturer and then got reimbursed. Since the only way for a dealer or servicer to maintain good customer relations was to make the customer happy, there was a very strong incentive to "game the system" and make the manufacturer pay no matter what.
My first real job out of high school was with a Westclox authorized service center, and trust me, Westclox paid for a lot of stuff that it shouldn't have.
Making stuff more reliable and making it in-house gave GE more control over those kinds of costs.
Remember, reliability - or lack thereof - is a cost factor, too. Service calls under warranty were a huge cost for manufacturers in those days, since they were usually handled by the service departments of independent dealers or independently-owned "authorized service centers."
That system put dealers and servicers in charge of what manufacturers spent on warranty service; the dealer or servicer did the work, put in a claim to the manufacturer and then got reimbursed. Since the only way for a dealer or servicer to maintain good customer relations was to make the customer happy, there was a very strong incentive to "game the system" and make the manufacturer pay no matter what.
My first real job out of high school was with a Westclox authorized service center, and trust me, Westclox paid for a lot of stuff that it shouldn't have.
Making stuff more reliable and making it in-house gave GE more control over those kinds of costs.
Xactly Sandy
Making stuff more reliable and making it in-house gave GE more control over those kinds of costs.
It would also simplify the mechanism , less to break. Its amazing how overbuilt the first few Automatics were so that companies could establish a reputation of quality and reliability. And Im not saying simplifying made it cheaper quality wise although there are many cases of that littering the junk piles. But you take the Jetaction washer by the 70's with good materials they had simplified that mechanism just about as far as you could mechanically before the advent of electronic motor controls.
Making stuff more reliable and making it in-house gave GE more control over those kinds of costs.
It would also simplify the mechanism , less to break. Its amazing how overbuilt the first few Automatics were so that companies could establish a reputation of quality and reliability. And Im not saying simplifying made it cheaper quality wise although there are many cases of that littering the junk piles. But you take the Jetaction washer by the 70's with good materials they had simplified that mechanism just about as far as you could mechanically before the advent of electronic motor controls.
Separate Shaded Pole Drain Pump Motor
I never saw any other manufacturer use one of these little pumps in a continuous duty application. This type of motor is about the least efficient type oc A/C motor you can build, but I dough that this was the main reason that they stopped using them so quickly. I suspect that was mainly cost of building the machine and reliability of the machine overall.
GE like other manufactures had lots of problems with early Combos and most of these early Combos [ especially in kitchen centers ] were replaced by the mid to later 60s with the newer improved models. By the Y models in 1964 GE had worked out most of the major bugs and I actually think that these later GE combos were about the most reliable American Combos.
GE was about the only company that actually dared to sell hundreds of combos to apartment complexes and actually could keep them running with tenants using them for periods of 10 years or more.
John L.
I never saw any other manufacturer use one of these little pumps in a continuous duty application. This type of motor is about the least efficient type oc A/C motor you can build, but I dough that this was the main reason that they stopped using them so quickly. I suspect that was mainly cost of building the machine and reliability of the machine overall.
GE like other manufactures had lots of problems with early Combos and most of these early Combos [ especially in kitchen centers ] were replaced by the mid to later 60s with the newer improved models. By the Y models in 1964 GE had worked out most of the major bugs and I actually think that these later GE combos were about the most reliable American Combos.
GE was about the only company that actually dared to sell hundreds of combos to apartment complexes and actually could keep them running with tenants using them for periods of 10 years or more.
John L.
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