1966 Premier Gas Dryer by GE

[akronman]

I picked this up a few months ago, it needed only a new belt to work almost wonderfully. After 3 or so months of use, it's time for delinting and Rustoleum and lube. One issue--AUTOMATIC cycles, set at regular, run on for too long. Set halfway between delicate and regualr dryness, it works very nicely. Heat set on delicate is really delicate, seems lower than many other dryers, I like it. In dis-assembly, I found it has glides instead of rollers, is this a later repair or did 1966 models have the glides?

 

[akronman]

weird thing

It has an AirFreshener bottle, but look at the holder behind it. I see no evidence of a hose or tube to deliver the scent to the drum. And........

 

[akronman]

check this out.....

here's where it sprayed 47 years ago, what a useless sytem! That's the interior back of the console. There is a wire harness hole 2 inches below, some air probably made it into the main cabinet, but likely a nearly useless feature. Having said that, I am glad I have the one empty bottle so the dashboard is complete, and if they still sold fresh bottles, I'd ONCE buy one.

 

[akronman]

question

There's this copper tab on the flange that holds the drum spindle, just hanging there. What is it? Should it be attached somewhere? Is it supposed to ground the drum, but one end is un-attached?

 

More pics as I go along, but really it's a pretty well cared for machine, decent interior base surface rust, not bad on lint. I'll "extra-special" delint the motor and lube it, use grease on the idler pulley slides, maybe a drop on the glides. Turbine oil on the spindle and hinges, any other advice specific to an old GE?

 

And someone here was asking the manufacturer of the gas valve/burner assembly, it's the sparking variety and works well, I'll get that info and post here soon.

 

I wasn't a great fan of GE dryers due to the size of the drum in comparison to WP/KM, and with the lint filter catching dryer sheets--rarely used here, but sometimes---but this one here is a fine looking upscale machine, it has a console light for a basement nightlight, and with practice on the settings it's an accurate gas dryer, and quickly became a favorite. Blankets and huge loads are for the WP/KM, lots of other stuff does well in this PREMIER. Of course, as always with me, the great washer that came with it is a 1979, not a 66.

 

[yogitunes]

Mark

that metal tab is usally bent over the opening, and when the drums sleeve bearing comes thru, the little cutout circle should ride center over the tip....I would say it is a ground strip, because with the glides and rollers, and the grease inside the bearing, there is no real full metal contact of grounding outside of this strip for body to drum......

you may have to remove it to bend it fully back into position, and to make a good strong contact with the stud comming thru

 

[appnut]

Automatic cycle dryness settings

Marki,  I'm not sure how familiar you are with vairoius auto dry systems and their nuances.  There are many variables which impact a dryer's auto dry performance and settings.  My blunt answer is, when you find the setting which works best for your particular needs and environment, that's what you should go with, not necessarily what the dial/pointer says.   My 1978 GE big door dryer with electronic auto dry control was pretty poor at performing based upon what I set the timer pointer at.  Auto regular/permanent press had light, normal, and heavy dryness settinbgs.  Normal sett, just as you state above, was wayyy too "dried".  (I shutter to seet how bone dry a load of towels would have been if I'd set the dial at heavy).  I found what worked best was to put it on light fabrics.  For Permanent Press fabrics, it baked the you-know-what out of the load.  What worked best?  Putting the timer on the plyester/knits cycle and light fabrics.  Came out just as I wanted them to.  On my 1986 Lady Kenmore, towels had to be put on the first or 2nd (more dry) setting past the "normal" dryness level.  And on my 1994 Maytag Dependable Care Electronic Dry Control dryer, Normal dryness level to the one between normal and more dry works best for towels.  Any outerwear clothes dry best on the less dry setting always.  I've just learned what's best for each brand's personality. 

 

[arbilab]

My late 80s Kenmore gas auto-dried pretty well. Until the auto part quit and it wouldn't even start except on 'timed'.

Quite satisfied with current 120V Lady Kenmore portable. No "auto" setting but operation is gentle and it never scorches, doesn't have the power to. For average loads doesn't take "all that long" either, 40 min is nominal. Oh, and it's almost 30 years old and works like new.

 

[combo52]

TOL Preimier Gas Dryer

Mark glad you got this dryer going without too much difficulty, yours is probably the only of these dryers around in Gas.

 

The air-freshener was designed to spray into the control panel while the dryer was running and the air being through the control panel and cabinet would draw the fragrance into the clothing, they did work.

 

The rear drum bearing did not need lubrication, but you could put a drop of silicone lubricant if you liked, the metal strap is for grounding and is an important safety feature. They were even more important on the electric dryers where the heaters were so close to the back of the drum, but I have also seen GE Gas Dryers where the wiring to the door switch comes loose from the clips at the cabinet and it falls against the rotating drum and shorts out [ this make loading or unloading the dryer a shocking experience ] LOL.

 

Your dryer was new enough to have come with the front slides, you can add a little silicone oil to the felt under the slides but they should run pretty dry.

 

Mark this is a really cool dryer overall and if you ever want to sell it or trade it for the electric version let me know, John.

 

[bajaespuma]

Great Machine, is it an "A" or a "B"?

Mark, I had the same reaction of indignant disappointment when I got my first GE dryer with the little freakin' air freshener bottle and saw how in operated. I'm still annoyed. I'm going to do a LeFevre imitation here and state that at least with the Lady Kenmores there was a little rubber tube that lead the freshening compound into their dryer drums. Harrrrrumph!

 

Also had the same experience with the Automatic Cycles on our DA-720W dryer. Since I was the only person in the entire household (after Mae left) that ever used it, I think that some sensor or something in the timer must have broken. Those little high-limit and low-limit sensors are cheap and do break after time and that may be what dogs this system; or something in the timer. When you set the Auto cycle on Delicate, with our dryer, it seemed to take a little longer than normal to dry. If you set it anywhere between REG and HEAVY, it went on forever, with my Mother in the background tapping her foot and scolding "SEE?". 

 

[akronman]

Gas Valve

Someone, I think A440, asked about the 1966 sparking gas valve/burner assy, here it is. That would be White-Rogers, I think.

 

[akronman]

more

in its entirety. The main sticker on the door frame say this is a 18,000 BTU machine. MR "A440" asked if it's a "single shot" burner, I don't know what that means. But the underside view of the assembly revelas one solenoid only, if that's the answer. I have some much later models, various manufacturers 70's to 90's dryers with double solenoids for the gas valve.

[this post was last edited: 2/4/2013-12:16]

 

[akronman]

more

Those 2 rods in the center of the pic are the sparkers/contacts. For me, a first time knowledge

 

[akronman]

inside

basic old innards shot, surface rust on a solid body.

 

[akronman]

more

check out this contact block, upper left of main cabinet, then the harness goes through a hole into the top and console. I'm surprised it's just hanging in the breeze, so to say, and will leave it untouched.

 

[combo52]

TOL Preimier Gas Dryer

Hi Mark your dryer does indeed have a White-Rogers Dual Coil gas valve, if you remove the metal cover where it says WR you will see two valve coils. Only a few early [ and all MT HOH ] gas dryers ever had only one gas valve, one valve only was considered too dangerous because if did not close the flame would never stop burning, never a good situation especially with a dry load of clothing directly above the flame.

 

Your WR valve is teamed with GEs direct spark ignition system, WR also made there own system but one would expect to see a GE system on a GE dryer, LOL. Yes this is a single shot burner, almost all gas dryers ever built have a single shot burner by this time, earlier gas dryers sometimes had cast iron burners with drilled burner ports like the oven burners on older and actually current gas oven burners and broilers.

 

[akronman]

Correction

John is correct, I was wrong, it has 2 solenoids on the gas valve------

It is also all back together and quieter running, though it wasn't loud before. I had both ends off the motor to get tons of greasy lint out of it, I Rustoleum'd the interior cabinet base 2 coats, washed all the blower and tubes/airflow assemblies, no more lint at all. I'm leaving the burner door off, I like to watch it cycling and sparking.

 

Martin yogitunes and John Combo------Thanks for advice! I taped a piece of foam rubber against the rear spindle cover to push that grouning strap against the spindle. Maytag PolyLube on the glides and also on the door magnet and linkage to the foot pedal, it now is easy to open but also the magnet hold it tighter when running.

 

John----in the "sparker" picture in reply 11, with the 2 rods pointing up in the center of the picture------What is the full-of-small-holes short tube to the right in the picture, above the sparkers in actual use? No gas comes out of it, all gas is through that large single open-ended pipe.

 

John my friend, I think between the lighted console and fine sensing controls and sparking gas and door pedal and air freshener and red line visible timer, this one is too unique and great to let go. You'll have first dibs someday, not soon though, sorry.

 

[combo52]

TOL Preimier Gas Dryer

Mark the thing above the the burner flame with the shield with holes in it is what senses the flames heat and shuts off the sparker. it has a Bi-Metal type thermostat inside that trips a switch to accomplish this function, there is also a little heater and warp switch inside this control that limits how long the sparker and gas will flow without sensing heat, usually this type of ignition will shut down in around 10-15 seconds if no heat is detected. You can test this important safety function by shutting off the gas and turning on the dryer and see if it shuts down in this time period.

 

These direct spark ignition gas dryer ignition systems were always one of my favorite ignition systems. I liked the fact that as fast as you pushed the dryers start button the main burner was lit and ready for business putting out the full BTUs like the heater in an electric dryer does. Unfortunately the SI systems were the most troublesome ignition systems used on gas dryers and were pretty much gone by 1972. WP was the first to use SI in 1964 and they were the first to use the current glow bar system in 1970 and every one else followed within a few years [ except MT, they though electric ignition wasn't perfected LOL ]

 

[circlew]

Nice dryer!

and in my opinion GE's best console styling. Maybe someday I'll find one (electric) in Turquoise or Yellow.

 

[a440]

Great pictures Mark!