1955 GE COMBO Restoration

[jetcone]

Okay progress

I traced the odd 204 V one leg other leg 0 reading back to the internal wiring of my supply plug, 2 wires had come out and joined inside the plug. Once that was repaired she fired right up normal.

She has blacktimermotor death - not unexpected!!

 

All functions into dry work except the heater elements and heater relay. It looks like the belt switch controls the heater relay only not the motor and doctrine states she will keep tumbling even if the heat fails so that clothes won't get scorched as the elements cool.

Isolating and powering the heater relay I find it works.

I took the elements out of the circuit and tested they both have continuity - good!

So I have to assume the thermostat is to blame for not powering the elements. Bugger all. Have not worked on a thermostat before.

 

Otherwise all functions are go.

 

[this post was last edited: 12/15/2013-16:57]

 

[turquoisedude]

Sorry to hear that the Combo has succumbed to the dreaded 'blacktimer motor death'!!

Those Ingraham motors are as rare as hen's teeth... Still, you may be able to substitute another motor - I am darn well going to try with the timer that I pulled from that ill-fated early '56 combo I parted out.

Jon, is the thermostat in this model a 'one tube' sensor? I tried subbing a later model thermostat (one with two sensor tubes) and while I got my Kitchen Centre Combo to dry, the temperatures were WAY off base. Still, it does not mean that it can't be done!!

 

[jetcone]

I have some black motors in the stash

Paul, I opened up the thermostat today and found the switch contacts were very dirty and are not making contact by a hair.

So that puts me on the fence, because I can't test the thermobulb until the machine gets hot #1 ; and #2 I may try to find a digital solution that will accept the original knob set up CUE John & Jeff here>>>>>>>

 

[turquoisedude]

Hmmm... When I tested the thermostat I pulled from the 'Syracuse Combo' I popped the thermostat bulb in a warm oven... If you have a heat gun that'd probably do it, too.

Electronic replacement thermostat, eh? I'd also be interested in that solution!

 

[jetcone]

Jeff and I

are designing a dryer control circuit - this is gonna be interesting as I want to preserve the knob control yet it has to serve two cycles regular and delicate.

 

 

[kb0nes]

Jeff and I are designing a dryer control circuit

Ohh.. a Resto-Mod!!

Give the old girl some electronic control chutzpah. I look forward to the results!

 

[combo52]

GE Combo Thromostat

Hi Jon, it should be fairly easy to replicate the thermostat for your combo as long as you can get the correct temperature range, these thermostats had a cut off temperature range from about 180F on the lowest end to about 280F on the high or driest setting. It would be very important to have the same range to ever get this machine to function correctly.

John L.

 

[jetcone]

Hmmm so

 a digital control that oscillates between 180 & 280F , is there such a beast??

 

Just tried the thermostat rebuild guy in CA, he ONLY does stoves and says even the fluids are different for other appliances so its a new design for the washer Jeff John Phil get your thinking caps on !!!

 

 

Phil did you ever get me text of a few days ago?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[turquoisedude]

Oh, I tried that guy in California too... I was devastated.

Jon, I am sure the '55 and '56 thermostats are the same. You may have to hold out for a 'parts donor' machine but one will turn up.

 

[jetcone]

Here is the thermostat

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[jetcone]

Side view

the guts

 

[turquoisedude]

Oh wow... Just had a look at the wiring diagram too - the '55 Thermostat is very different from the '56! But the two-wire setup to the temperature sensing part of the thermostat may be a good thing - later model thermostats MAY just work.

 

[jeff_adelphi]

Jon, Is the 2 terminal end of the thermostat a switch that opens with temp rise or is it just controlled by dial position? Hook up an ohm meter to it and turn the dial to see if it opens and closes. If it's temp controlled it should stay closed in all positions. I know the 3 terminal end is a temp controlled SPDT switch.

 

[jetcone]

Jeff I just took the whole

switch mechanism out of the block and filmed what is wrong,just sent you an email link to the video but I'll post it here too

 

 

 

[gansky1]

Fascinating, Jon.  Good work so far!

 

It does illustrate the need for our collective skills to extend to switch and timer repair for these classics!

 

[jetcone]

Thermo Block Operation

Paddle pushes too hard against the contact block 

 

 

[jetcone]

Okay Jeff

I checked the thermostat today by dialing thru all the options. The 2 contacts you asked about are closed all the time, the dialing only changes the angle at which that flapper bar addresses both contacts, in delicate it rotates away from the 2 contact and rotates towards  the 3 contact switch. 

 

In REG & BULKY it rotates the flapper down onto the 3 contact switch.

 

 

 

[dj-gabriele]

COMBO52: Separate Shaded Pole Drain Pump Motor

...must say that BOTH the pump and the fan in my washer/dryer are run from a couple of such motors! Totally separate from the drum motor which is a "classic" two speed induction motor.

Now, back on thread... WHAT A FABULOUS MACHINE!
I think that the early American Combo were the best, it's a shame that they went in disgrace but luckily here they thrived and now they're more popular then ever!
I hope you'll be able to restore it to a pristine state!

 

[jetcone]

Thank you Gabriele for your

input.  

 

I think I have repaired the thermostat just by staring at it - no I played around with bending the contact bar ever so slightly and it seems to work electrically. 

Now the whole machine still plays dead in the dry portion. I have traced that to the timer block, in dry there is no power out of the timer block to the belt switch nor the heater relay nor the condenser valve ( ah I should say if the condenser valve is operative- i haven't checked the windings yet on that one )

 

Just walking through the Combo...

 

 

[jetcone]

Okay 1955 UPdate

No power in Dry portion of cycle timer. Paul was lucky his is a 1956 as the SM is available but for my 1955 no such luck! Electrically they are two different dogs!

 

So tearing down the timer tonight and playing with it I found the same problem  Paul found!! Ofcourse on different contacts and colored wires BUT one whole circuit that evidently flows through the water level switch back to the control switches where the 110 enters the machine was dead. It is a double throw contact in the timer like Pauls , it was contacting in one direction but not in the other but only by the  slightest amount yet 0 is 0 for electrical contacts.

So that is one whole side of the timer diagnosed. Now to check the other side and then put on a working motor then reinstall the timer and do another dry test.

 

The bad contact seems to have gotten bent back slightly somehow, how inside a timer box is beyond me! But Paul was it contact or the arm that needed to be bent in your machine?