Jon, I'm so glad you saved this stunning set. They're in good hands, and you have a network of folks who have experience with the washer to help you out, as needed.
John L is correct, there is a good chance that the machine is "jammed up". Often, when Multimatics sit for an extended period of time they have a tendency for the brake disc to become fused to the linings on the brake cups, inside the transmission. This can happen from both water intrusion and rust building up, or just from sitting idle.
One way to free the disc within the brake is to manually turn the wash tub by hand, clock-wise, from the top. It could be difficult at first, but with a good mechanism it shouldn't take too much effort. If that is absolutely impossible the next step is to pull the back off and attempt to move the mechanism by hand. Grab the large pulley and attempt to move it - technically it should move in either direction. If you're still unable to do so, it very well could mean that the brake has lost a clip or two and threw them the last time it was put into spin, or to John's point something is in the pump. Pulling the pump cover off is easy to help verify if that is the issue. If it isn't the pump, the mechanism will need to be disassembled to verify what is locking up the mechanism.
I'm going to get on my soap box here for just a second. The origin of 'multitragic' isn't lost on me, and I even remember back to when it was first and then widely used. Heck, I even used it myself. However, this generation of Frigidaire doesn't deserve the legacy moniker that has been used within this group.
GM worked through the first year issues with the '59 models, which was mostly around the undersized motor and belt tensioning issues and not the internal mechanism that had been proven with the Pulsamatic. By the early 60's the drive side issues had been worked out with updated and simplified helical clutches, and GM even put these in commercial machines and spun them up to 1000 RPM after discontinuing the Unimatic! Frozen brakes, back when these were new, would have been caused by water getting into the mechanism, which today is less the issue than them having sat idle for decades. Also, when these were new, dealers had easy access to the several special Kent-Moore / Robinair tools that makes working on these so much easier, that sadly took me several years to find and collect. Parts also are difficult to source today, causing many to throw in the towel.
My hope is that we approach each make and generation of mechanism with a bit more respect and understanding that not everything is plug and play and may require unique attention depending on what washer it is, and not this horrible and tragic machine that a giant corporation should never had manufactured in large volume. End rant.
Ben[this post was last edited: 8/19/2024-10:39]
