1962 PINK GE SD402

[reactor]

don't give up...

If you have now pulled the dishwasher out, I would run it in the garage or other open space area where you can get a 360 degree view and ascertain where the actual leak is emanating.

If it is the stainless drain tube that has loosed from the pump house, you might find that sometimes the simplest repair methods are the best. I would try a strong epoxy, such J-B Weld epoxy. It's waterproof, steel reinforced, and will give you a stronger joint that the original factory joint. Trust me, with JB Weld, that joint will never flex again.

Is it only leaking during the drain portion of the cycle?

That is such a nice machine, I hate for you not to enjoy it. My Aunt in Boca Raton, FL had that exact same unit (only not pink, but white) that was new to her house when it was built in 1962.

I visited her in 1977 and her GE dishwasher was going strong and doing a nice job. She finally replaced it, around the early eighties when a hole rusted through the bottom of the tub. So it lasted for nearly twenty years. I loaded it once when I was down there and everything came out nice and clean.

 

[sprog]

Don't give up (2)

Jeannine,
I'm echoing Barry's sentiment. If you have the means, I would implore you to investigate. It could be something as simple as a worn gasket. Please keep us posted (I live vicariously through these repair scenarios!). I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

 

[spacepig]

Thanks guys,

That makes me feel a little better. Fingers crossed that the tube would just need to be stabilized. I think it was just more disappointing since it passed the test run outside with flying colors so I wasn't expecting any problems.

It started leaking almost immediately. You could hear the water coming in and in just a few seconds it started to leak out of that area.

The newer Whirlpool dw we got has the controls at the top as I didn't like the way any of the ones with the panel looked. If I were to add the GE front to it, it would block the heat vent, although I have no idea how much actually comes out of there. I've attached a pic of what the newer Whirlpool looks like, although that's not my actual dw.

 

[bradfordwhite]

That WP looks beat up. Like someone moved it with a dolly and bent the front in.

But it wouldn't matter if one was going to put an old front on it.

I think what I would do is remove that panel, remove the obnoxious handle, cut out the center of the panel( to make it easy to attach the other pieces and eliminate weight) leaving about 3 to 4" on all edges for rigidity.

Then take only the old DW exterior panels and fasten them to this frame that way one's only adding about an inch in depth and not much in weight. I'm sure that vent hole can be maneuvered somehow.

I think I would actually get the push button switches to do something. One to be a main power for the dw and the other to turn on the panel light. Nothing too difficult.

Then re-install the panel.

 

[bradfordwhite]

If people are actually doing this,

We can certainly spruce things up and make it actually nice.

 

[rollermatic]

beautiful machine

i just love those g.e. dishwashers that use the vertical pump. i have 4 top loaders, and one front loader, all in various forms of assembly. 3 of my top loaders i use frequently, they're not the best but i find them such fun to use. the front loader i have never used yet, pump and motor are being safely stored.

it would be such a shame to see yours get thrown out. i would think someone could use the motor or other parts if nothing else. if i was closer to you i would love to buy it.

i did see a wash impeller on ebay last summer, i should have bought it. pump seals i have yet to find anymore, i bought one of the last one's about 10 years ago from larry in parma at modern parts. at least i was able to rebuild one of my machines. i was told that the machines using that metal pump housing were notorious for breaking at the hose port. i know some g.e's used a plastic pump housing, one or two of mine does. i would assume this was a later fix.

there may be a pump housing around somewhere for your machine. if so, and if the pump seal is still good and you can get the wash impeller off without breaking it there is a chance your machine could run again. i search ebay a lot for vintage parts, i will keep my eyes open for it.

all in all a classic 60's g.e. dishwasher that begs to be fixed!

 

[spacepig]

The pink dw saga continues

As a refresher, the '62 pink GE dw was leaking around one of the stainless tubes shown in the pictures in previous comments above. We didn't feel comfortable taking it apart at all, so I found someone who was willing to look at it. He said it turns out that the tube looked "punched" in, so that it wasn't that secure to begin with. So, it was more unseated from where it was attached vs. broken off. He used some type of epoxy resin and put that around both of the tubes so they should now be very stable.

Now for the stupid questions:

He began to fill the DW to test the gaskets/seal w/o the dw running. Water started to pour out from the bottom, not the motor area but more from the area closer to the door (I wasn't there, just saw a video). So, is this normal since the dw was not on so therefore it could not pump some of the water out? If so, theoretically, what would happen if the electricity went out while the dw was filling up? Or could this be due to a bad fill valve??

I don't think I can upload the video so I can try and take a screenshot if that would help.