1969 GE Americana with Power Scrub - Won't run

[magnumxxl1]

I moved into my grandmother's house, who passed away almost 2 years ago and we have this dishwasher which she has never ever used since she moved in, in 1980. Tried to get it going the other day and all it did is made a weird buzzing sound and no water flow. Question is, before I take the whole thing apart, which parts could be bad/should I check?

And how much is something like this worth? Other than needing a cleaning, it's like brand new.

 

[toploader55]

Buzzing...

Check to see if the water to the machine is turned on.

But before you do that, remove the lower panel and make sure the drain and water lines are connected.

Then take a pan of about 1/2 - 1 gal of HOT water and pour it in the bottom of the machine and let it sit for 20 minutes or so. This will swell up the rubber gaskets and lubricate the seals that have not seen water for 33 years.

After pouring in the water, get a flashlight and look for leaks under the machine.

If you have leaks, well...you have leaks that need to be addressed.

If not, latch the door and manually advance the timer to see if the motor starts. The "buzzing" or humming could be the Fill Valve. As that is why I mentioned to check to see if the water supply to the machine is turned on.

If nothing happens, let us know and all the experts will chime in.

This is a start, so good luck. Could you show us pics of the interior and the Spray Arms ? Thanks.

 

[bajaespuma]

If you want to sell it, please let me know. I've wanted one of these for a while.

 

[xraytech]

That's a nice looking dishwasher, kinda similar to my grams 1966 GE dishwasher

 

[danemodsandy]

Also Know....

....That this dishwasher (which was the TOL machine of its day), has a plastic-on-steel inner tub; the material is called Plastisol.

Plastisol is susceptible to rusting; water gets underneath the plastic layer and the steel then begins to rust. I would check this machine carefully for signs that rust has begun before putting too much money or effort into it. Signs include rust streaks and bubbled places in the plastic layer. Rusted Plastisol liners eventually become terminal, though that can take a while. There used to be Plastisol repair kits with an epoxy coating you brushed on, but I do not know if they're still available. Even if they are, they only delay the inevitable.

If the Plastisol liner is okay, this is a fairly rare survival of a TOL GE machine of the '60s, so it's definitely worth saving. You do want to be careful with the Plastisol, not dropping stuff onto the inner door liner or letting stuff in the racks fall into the bottom of the tub. Those things can breach the plastic layer, and rust will get started. Plastisol is not forever, and that is one of the prime reasons it's no longer used.

Neat machine to see!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Isn't this the model with the dials that allowed the user to adjust the wash and dry times to shorten or lengthen them by pulsing the power to the timer motor? The middle dial chose the cycles and these were on either side of that one. Didn't it also have two timer-controlled detergent dispensers?

 

[danemodsandy]

Controls:

Here's a shot of the controls. This DW was still around in '72, renamed "Versatronic" instead of "Americana."

It seems rather an odd duck, with its dials to set everything; this was the era of pushbuttons, the more the merrier - think KitchenAid and Kenmore. And of course, the more pushbuttons, the more deluxe the model. GE always did do things differently from everyone else.

 

[bajaespuma]

Can we get some shots of the interior racks, doors, tub and dispensers?

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Case and point on that plastisol... We saw this at an estate sale yesterday.

 

[bajaespuma]

Jeez, they even sawed off the end of the Power Shower. Did you end up buying it? Looks like it might be good for parts.

 

[combo52]

Power Shower Arm on a GE TL Portable DW

Hi Ken, I don't see anything unusual about that PSA, weren't some of them made that way?

 

[toploader55]

PSA...

The MM that Paul just got from me (and Jim) has that Power Shower configuration with the jet on one end

 

[70series]

Wow, I was wondering when I would see this model surface somewhere. Growing up, this was our 2nd dishwasher from 1970 - 1981. We had it as a portable in white. I don't remember if it said Versatronic or Americana, but the console is identical. The interior on ours had two upper racks side by side, and the impeller had the vertical shaft. It performed well, with the exception of flooding the kitchen in 1977. Finally it was making a racket, although I have no idea why. I remember about two attempt to fix it, but ultimately we ended up replacing it.

Good luck with repairing it, and I hope it is up and running soon.

James

 

[lotsosudz]

Don't Despair!

Older GE units often got stuck after storage. with the unit off, take the front lower panel off, and spin the motor by hand several revolutions. A repairman told me they will stick after storage, and just need to get off that same position, and then they will start up. I lived in a duplex that had an old GE. When we moved in, it had been several months since it was last used. He manipulated the motor and the old thing started right up. I'm sure one of the experts on this site, can tell you how to do it. It might be worth a try !
Hugs,
David

 

[magnumxxl1]

Sorry it took so long to finally reply. It slowly leaks water if it's off into the tub. I'm assuming bad water inlet valve. Which replacement valve will work on this? I've searched all over and no one knows. The one that's on their is made by Dole Valve Co.

 

[magnumxxl1]

Ok so it did fill, and it apparently is running right now, it sounds to me as if it is pulsating the water in it? like every few seconds it sounds like it's shooting water up? Is that what it's supposed to do? or continually run the jets inside?

 

[toploader55]

Pulsating Water...

Means it didn't fill all the way.

I would let it run until the next cycle, listen for a loud Click which would be the drain, and then it should advance to the next cycle. If it is still pulsing, the line strainer is clogged or the valve needs to be replaced.

 

[rustyspaatz]

we need pictures.

Are you planning to keep this?

The valve is universal.

If you can't get the machine to fill, you can simply pour water inside. The water should be about 1/2" below the BOTTOM of the wash arm. If it washes right, and it sounds like it is, the water valve is an easy fix.

BTW-it could be the water valve, it could be the water valve screen is clogged (as mentioned), It could be the water line, it could be the water shut-off valve under the sink, is not on all the way.

Pictures , Pictures !!

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