1974 Lady Kenmore washer rebuild

[combo52]

Rebuilding The 1974 LKM Washer

Wow Jon you are making great progress, This washer should be up and running in no time.

 

Your 64 KM 70 washer will use the same agitator shaft as this KM does, and in fact since the agitator shaft and spin tube are in such good shape from the LKM you may consider reusing these parts on it, with new top oil seals the 64 KM will run as good as new with these parts.

 

The trick to removing a stuck wash basket in less than 30 seconds is to remove the lock ring, spray a little penetrating oil on the drive block and then STAND in the basket and just rock your weight from side to side about twice and the basket will loosen in an instant, I have never had this fail.

 

When my Brother Jeff and I were the consultants on the Time-Life do-it-yourself books back in the 80s I was watching these writers trying to remove wash basket from a WP washer with no luck. So I stepped up stood in the washer and with my 130 pounds of weight in two quick side to side steps the basket immediately loosened from the drive block. Everyone was amazed how easily the basket came loose but they refused to put this removal technique in the book as they thought someone might fall out of their washer. 

 

I am sure that I have done this at least a hundred times.

 

John L.

 

[jons1077]

While we wait for a part, let’s do some seals

Thanks for all the comments and encouragement! Bradfordwhite, you can’t really see in the photo but I have a couple of foam mats laying under the front of the machine that are soft and roughly 3/4 inch thick. I’ll be sure to be more careful with the baseplate like you mentioned. So far no dents or scratches.

Since I had to order a retainer clip for the clutch, that leaves plenty of time to take care of odds and ends. Importantly is replacing the upper and lower seals inside the center post. Since the spin tube came out absolutely unscathed, the bearings are good and will remain. To remove the seals, I used a heavy duty pick with a pretty sharp point. Tap it between the inside of the center post and the seal so it causes the metal band inside the seal to deform. Then we can grab the old seal and pull it out.

I wiped out some of the older oil and lubricated with fresh 3:1 oil as well as oil the outer edge of the new seals so they will install more easily. I used a similar diameter socket and a mallet to drive the new seals in. One seal in the bottom and a couple of seals in the top. The bearings are so pretty!

 

[jons1077]

Let’s do some cleaning

John, I’m really excited to have this machine so close to being ready to put back together. I think she’s going to purr like a kitten! I was hoping the spin tube out of this machine would work in the ‘64. I buffed it out a little bit and it was nearly difficult to tell the new one from the used one. I imagine I’ll start on that machine pretty soon after finishing this one. I’m on a roll!

So, now for the boring stuff. Water in the Vancouver, Washington area is notoriously hard. Not like Phoenix but things can get pretty gritty and this machine shows some evidence of that. Clearly, iron has left some staining as well as some crystallized calcium, etc. Add to that the usual 45 years of gunk. The shroud got a good scrubbing and looks much better. The rubber gasket for the shroud washed up nicely as well.

 

[jons1077]

Rust proofing and sealing

I’m like Jason (surgilator68) on this one. There was so much petrified powder on the bottom of the outer tub even a high speed drill with a wire brush couldn’t get it off! Arm & Hammer and cold washes maybe? Anyways, we do the best we can.

After cleaning and cleaning, I wiped everything down again to free it of dust and debris so we could really get a good look and find any potential problem areas. Notably, there is a decent amount of corrosion where the outer tub meets the large rubber gasket connecting the trap. There was even a small hole. Sanded these areas down really well and applied naval jelly a couple of times and allowed it to set.

Naval jelly was also applied to other rusty areas like a couple of small spots in the wash basket and all the rusty areas on the center post. After that’s all cleaned up, POR-15 is applied for a couple of coats. This paint typically drives over several hours so tomorrow it should be good enough to install the outer tub back onto the baseplate.

I noticed the one time I ran the machine there was quite a bit of water leaking. A couple of areas of suspicion are the bleach hose and the airgap. For these I applied blue silicon gasket maker and will allow to set for a day or so. No way water will get outta there now. I’ll use this same sealant for the center post seal as well as the large seal connecting the trap.

 

[bradfordwhite]

sigh of relief

"...I have a couple of foam mats laying under the front of the machine that are soft and roughly 3/4 inch thick. I’ll be sure to be more careful with the baseplate like you mentioned. So far no dents or scratches."

 

I was worried for you.

 

Finding a used dishwasher that uses a center post for powering the upper rack wash arm, like GE, is a great thing to have to wash parts, or at least soften stuck on gunk.

 

Especially useful if you connect it to a sink faucet where you can control the water temperature. 

Center post because you'll want to remove the upper rack so tall stuff will fit inside.

 

There are somethings that the dishwasher can do that prove tedious like washing parts with lots of little grooves and fine close details like filters.

 

OK, I'll shut-up now.  This is your show and you're doing great.

 

[jons1077]

While we wait...more cleaning

With the help of my lovely and handsome assistants, we took some BarKeepers Friend and scrubbed down the wash basket. Beautiful and shiny white porcelain. So elegant!

 

[jons1077]

Outer tub installation

Time to start putting her back together. Still need the retainer for the yoke so we can at least assemble the machine but leave some give in the transmission so I can snap that clip in. Then tighten it all down and give it a whirl.

The POR-15 is nice and dry as well as the blue gasket sealant. That stuff is amazing, by the way. It dries to a nice flexible rubbery texture. Now it’s time to place the large outer tub drain gasket back in place. I will be using sealant in this as well since I noticed quite a bit of corrosion and some breakdown. Since I have no intentions of removing this outer tub again anytime soon, I really want to waterproof it so I’ll put sealant over the gasket as well so there’s no way water will leak out and between the tub and the seal

The outer tub will get a new center post seal. (We has to destroy the old one in order to get the tub out.) I caused a little damage to the lip of the outer tub where it retains the seal so I’ll rub sealant all around that as well.

Then, carefully lower the outer tub down over the center post while lining up all the holes. Yes, I put a little sealant under the rubber gasket for the screws too. I hate leaks!

 

[jons1077]

Motor and transmission installation

Now that I’ve added some heft to the machine, I took the very good advise and placed a foam pad inside the front panel to protect from dents before laying the machine back in its front.

Motor installation is pretty self-explanatory EXCEPT one of the bolts MUST be in ok sac e prior to outer tub installation. Since I knew I would screw it up I decided to leave that bolt in place and never remove it. That way I can’t forget it.

Transmission is next to install. It’s easier to go ahead and have the new belt already looped within the transmission prior to installation. You have to remove the retaining spring on the yoke and place the belt within. WigWag faces towards the rear. I’ll install the bolts and braces but leave them loose since I’ll need to install the missing retainer when it arrives. Notice the detergent dispenser solenoid valve attaches to that middle brace.

Lastly. Install the pump, trap and connect all of the hoses. The side-mount lint filter gets reattached to the outer tub as well. I decided not to use sealant on that since it has a tight spanner nut and a good seal. If it leaks then I’ll apply sealant. (It shouldn’t.)

 

[jons1077]

Almost there!

Placed back upright, we can get the new basket spin block installed and place the basket. Since the transmission is sitting lower for a reason, I won’t tighten the spanner nut right now.

Install the shroud and 4 retainer clips (3 long and 1 short.) I noticed when was breaking the machine down I only had three retainer springs. I’m missing the short one that hangs out in the front. Reconnect the inlet hose to the fill flume. Install a brand new snubber.

Now we can get the dispensers installed. Three screws attach to the cabinet to hold this in place. Attach hoses and then screws. Attach solenoid wires.

I removed the foam seal from under the top and cleaned it up. It looks good so I will reuse it and just glue it in place. I tested a couple of small rust spot with naval jelly prior to replacing it.

 

[jons1077]

Final touches

The lid could use a bath so it got a hot soapy bath. I’ve got new hinges and rubber guards. I’ll get some new rubber bumpers as well even though these aren’t terrible. To install, Install the rear hinge to the lid first and then thread it through the grommet. Then install the front hinge. There is a soft black bumper that goes on the end of the back hinge to soften the impact of opening the lid.

The PentaSwirl gets a soapy bath as well. Will not install the agitator until l can tighten the transmission into place.

 

[jons1077]

She’s more patient than I am

Finally all back together! Can’t wait to start her up!

 

[pierreandreply4]

jon1077

any plans on posting videos of your recently restored kenmore washer going true a full cycle from main wash to final spin?

 

[jons1077]

Absolutely!

I’m waiting on one tiny but rather crucial part to arrive. Once it arrives I’ll be booking up and running some tests. I intend to at least do some short snippets for starters. My camcorder stopped working so I need to get it serviced. I can’t wait to get this machine running!

 

[chaskelljr2]

Fully Restored 1974-75 Lady Kenmore Washer...

From restoration to revival, this “Lady” is ready to get to work.

I also want this “Lady” run a FULL cycle.... from wash fill to final spin.

We all want to see this fully newly restored Kenmore can do.

—Charles—

 

[jons1077]

Finally!

Retainer clip arrived and I just had to give it a go. Soooo quiet and agitation is so smooth. Absolutely no leaks! That’s a first for me. I nabbed a short video on my phone. Will see if I can get it loaded on YouTube and post the link. I’m so excited!

 

[repairguy]

Congrats! Great news!

 

[jons1077]

Videos

Here are links to the short videos.

 

[jons1077]

Rinse spin

First spin

 

[jons1077]

Rinse

Rinse with softener dispenser activating

 

[bradfordwhite]

At the 0:50 minute mark on the first video, we hear the Lady Kenmore softly singing. Ahhh-h-h-h..

You might consider stringing together some footage and making some ASMR videos that get lots of views for you to make money off of.

I recently found there are numerous videos where people have recorded the sound of the various appliances and made ASMR vids, and people have been ....listening or watching?
Amazing. But who can blame them? lol

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This video is weird because it's 10 hours, it's of a picture of a Whirlpool duet pair, but the sounds are of what appears to be a cheap toploading White Westinghouse pair.
But over 170K views. That can be monetized.