Update!
Hey folks, thanks for the great comments and suggestions! I really wish all of you could be here to see this thing in action - these machines are incredible!
Mike: thanks for the tips on the squeaking. I think you may have it the nail on the head with this one. After it ran again today for awhile, the squeaking disappeared completely - I bet the grease was just getting broke in.
Steve R: you are missing out, man! If Eddy would not have shown Cory and I Greg's '55 at the '05 Convention, I would have had no clue what this machine was capable of. In that instant I saw a machine that was just as dramatic as the Frigidaire.
Steve B: thanks for the words of encouragement! I remember seeing photos of your Kelvi in your album. It sounds like pads to me too. I tried to get the 1 3/16" measurement that the Master's manual states on those spring tension jobies - but the nuts bottomed out before I even reached that measurement! Oh well. If you need any more photos, I'd be happy to help. I would love to see what the belt arrangement is like on your machine.
Martin: All ex-centric Kelvinator's were solid tub machines. From what I've read here, AMC went to ABC and asked that they build them a washer for their appliance lineup. Thus, the Shampooing Kelvinator!
Mickey: Snow? What snow. Oh yeah, funny you mention that - because we just now received our first real snow fall this year!
Austin: Exactly - night and day. I'm really not sure why the designers would have gone for the fine thread, vs. the corse thread. But you can see why I made the decision to make a change in that dept! Funny you mention the lint filter. When I found the machine, there was no agitator in it. After digging around in the heaps of crap in that basement, I found an agitator but no cap. I've gone back and found another agitator and red bakelite cap, but no filter. Yeah, the off balance mechanism is on the side of the tub. After reading the service manual, it mentioned that anywhere from 4.5 to 5.5 pounds of off balance weight will be enough force to trip the microswitch. I've included a photo for you. POR-15 - love the stuff, even after a week has gone by and it is STILL on my hands. And those stupid lids..... don't get me started!
Greg: eee eee eee was right! Almost all of the squeaking noises were resolved with installing the wash tub. My guess is with the extra weight, everything settled into the proper place. I am a bit concerned about the clutch though. I took your suggestion and put a thin coat of vaseline on the shoes and drum. The machine appeared to work flawlessly for a good hour. After a while, the motor would begin to lag excessively. After a bit of investigation, it appeared that I had too much tension on the agitate belt via the pump pulley. After a few adjustments, I was able to get the machine to spin up again without blowing the fuse or breaker. You will hear the start switch kicking on and off in the movie below. It sounds EXACTLY like Cory's multimatic when he was having belt tension issues, and I will assume that it sounds similar to your '59 as well. So, I'll make a 2nd attempt at getting the clutch off the motor, I broke 2 allen key wrenches tonight trying to get it off ;-).
Rick - I agree, being a home owner is a totally new playing field! Before working on the washer tonight, Dad and I hauled out 1200 lb. of plaster to the dump. It sure didn't seem like that much when it was falling off the walls. I really do enjoy working on the house though, much better than sitting at the desk at work getting fat.
Bob: I wouldn't say that it is gold quite yet, but when it is, I'll be sure to make a deposit!
I've included a link to some video I shot this evening. There will be some fine tuning ahead - the motor is still blowing fuses and tripping breakers during spin-up. Ah, the joys of 'modern' appliances!
Ben
