1968 kenmore rebuild

[mopar65]

Over the last year the 1968 kenmore started to leak and get a little loud on spin. Decided today that it needed to come apart and get rebuilt. Hopefully I ordered the right replacement parts for it. The spin tube was an absolute nightmare to get out! Destroying it in the process was unavoidable. As you will see in the pictures the center post rust has progressively gotten worse over the past 5 years, I’m thinking about ether driving a pice of exhaust pipe over it or cutting the welds on the base and replacing it altogether with a pice of exhaust pipe. It’s actually the same exact size as a small exhaust pipe that is easily obtained locally and in SS. Has anyone ever tried that before?

 

[mopar65]

Parts

Ordered so far.
99618 bearing kit.
383921 spin tube.
95405 drive belt.

 

[repairguy]

There is a bearing and seal kit for the center post part number 285134. I’ve had several center posts replaced with stainless steel by a machinist. If you use something as a sleeve it can’t be too thick as the tub seal still has to fit over it. Looks like you’re off to a good start.

 

[114jwh]

Great job so far! Those spin tubes can certainly be stubborn.

I would also consider replacing the tub seal 383727 and the tub grommet 93553 to make sure everything is well sealed up once you button the machine back up. The tub seal should be easy to find, the grommet is NLA but you should still be able to find them too.

Another potential source of leaks is around the outer tub bolts, even if they aren't leaking now it would be good preventative maintenance to address these while you have it apart like this. The bolt gaskets dry up over time and rust can form around the holes. There is a kit 76673 that you can order to replace the bolts and it comes with gaskets that cover a larger surface area to help seal it up a bit better.

Hope everything goes smoothly for you here on out and keep us up to date on your progress!

 

[combo52]

1968 Kenmore Belt Dr. washer rebuild

Hi Anthony, glad to see you attacking this project finally.

There’s a trick to getting those stubborn spin tubes out, I dismantle the washing machine from the top and pry the spin seal out and then you put the machine in spin and you use an old screwdriver or something to grind all the rust off the spin tube at the top with the machine running in spin so that the spin tube will slip out through the bearings.

To repair the center post if it’s not completely rusted away, Smitty found some thin stainless steel tubing that slips right over the center post and he would tack weld it at the top and at the bottom, it was thin enough that you could still force the outer tub center seal down over it and get a good seal, we restored about six belt drives this way, need to get some more tubing.

Check in with me. If you need any parts, you know I have anything you need for that machine probably.

John

 

[mopar65]

John that would have definitely made it easier that’s for sure! The seal was leaking and the shaft was rusty in the bearing, I believe that is why it was so hard to get out.

Ended up sleeving the center post. Getting it and the base ready for paint. Just finished up with a level one cleaning of the transmission.
Don't know if you remember John when we were talking about a way to check the oil level, after opening it up it was definitely low on oil as there was almost nothing in it, what was in it was basically wax (thicker than motor honey) almost as thick as bearing grease. A light amount of fine metal particle was there (what would be normally found in a car automatic transmission that was still working properly) don’t think that will be an issue. Will give you a call in a day or so and see what you think.

 

[bendixmark]

outer tub

I use clear silicone to seal those tubs and it lasts forever. I have rebuilt dozens of machines like yours.I have a 68 800 pair.

 

[mopar65]

Cabinet

Just got done laying the last coat of paint on the cabinet, will see how well it comes out when it dries.

Transmission is back together, waiting on the bearings to come in for the center post.

 

[mopar65]

Pictures

 

[mopar65]

And

It’s all back together. Going to give it a test run in the morning.

 

[114jwh]

Congratulations Anthony. It looks like it just came off the showroom floor - I bet your rebuild was a lot of work but your results were well worth it! Hope the testing goes without a hitch. Congrats once again!

 

[maytag85]

Definitely want to do this with my Whirlpools but that probably won’t be until I sell my Maytag A810 set that’s been in the shed for the past 4 years. Definitely will be worth the effort and wait since they’ll look new once again when they are painted with the correct shade of turquoise paint.

 

[mopar65]

Test run

Well it’s working better than it ever has sense it’s been in my care. Only two things so far. I was so excited that I hooked the water supply hoses up backwards lol and apparently I didn’t do a good job adjusting the clutch, it’s dragging a touch.
No leaks anywhere and the transmission is quiet with fast smooth shifts.

 

[spin-doctor]

What a beautiful machine. I love that Apollo era "Mission Control" panel. And the backlighting gives it an ambience that makes you want to slow dance with your lady in the laundry room. lol