A Cavalcade of WO-65-2 Unimatics - Part II

[Unimatic1140]

This post is a continuation of yesterdays thread "A Cavalcade of WO-65-2 Unimatics"

Well as promised I moved in the "Good" WO-65-2 today, here it is...

 

[Unimatic1140]

and another shot of the beauty...

 

[Unimatic1140]

Whoa

That's strange!

 

[Unimatic1140]

What, Who, Where, When, Why

If I didn't see it with my own eyes...

 

[Unimatic1140]

I cannot believe the entire pulsator shaft is missing???? This picture below I took about five years ago shows the entire Unimatic Mechanism taken apart. The red star in the lower right hand corner points to the bottom of the agitator shaft. With the large round column machined to the bottom of the shaft there is no way the agitator shaft could be pulled out of the hole in the center of the spin shaft, it would have had to have been sheered in half! I have no idea how something like this could have happened, these parts are as strong as if they came out of an Army tank! Looks like I’ll be using the mechanism from the other machine for this restoration.

 

[Unimatic1140]

At least the rubber mechanism support is good in this machine, I can use that with the other mechanism.

More to come.

 

[westytoploader]

Another ''New for 1952''...and the pulsator

WOW...this machine is definitely a beauty!

That is just too freaky what happened to the pulsator shaft!! I wonder what you'll find when you remove the bell cover? Maybe there was a weak point or a stress point in the steel (?) when the part was originally manufactured.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Good point Austin, whatever happened it didn't flood the mechanism with water. Tonight I'm going to switch the pumps between the two mechanism, change the oil and test the mechanism that I plan to use in this machine.

More pictures to come.

 

[westtexman]

I must say I'm pretty amazed with all of the knowledge you guys have on repairing/rebuilding washing machines. I have never attempted to repair one. I would love to learn, though. I guess I need to buy some old manuals and an old machine and teach myself. Too bad they don't have a "Washing Machine Repair Bootcamp" or something I could go to. How did you guys learn so much? Do you do this for a living?

 

[rickr]

Great pictures Robert! I have always wanted to know what the inside of one of these cabinets looked like. No wonder you can put your hand on the side of the machine and feel the temp. change as the water is spun out of the wash tub.

 

[Brent-Aucoin]

Too Wild!

I wonder if someone started to do a repair from the shaft down? I can't figure out how in the world that could have happend.
It is such a beauty though. I am sure that this washer was a machine that someone really took care of, just from the shape of the outer cabinet. That is why I am wondering if something happend to it while it was in service, and they called the wrong repair guy.
Was there any other parts in the machine tub when you got it? I was thinking that the three ring agitator went bad, and then they were going to replace it with the first Jetaway wash cone. Wondering if they thought that something had to be removed to get it to fit. This is so wild.
Glad that you can bring two Unimatics to life in one.
Thanks for the pictures.
Very interesting.
Brent

 

[gansky1]

I wonder if trying to remove a pulsator nut with too much gusto caused a fracture where the weld is on the shaft. Remember the filmstrip? I can't imagine the force needed to crack that weld - that was one STUCK pulsator nut if that's really what happened!

 

[jetcone]

Two guesses

If the pulsator shaft was not removed by hand:

1) Then the oil seal failed and water did get into the shaft , the shaft froze in the bearing , thereby not letting any water down into the mechanism but when the pulsator nut was removed the shaft being weakend through rusting snapped inside the bearing of the spin tube.

2) The lady was addicted to Oxydol and the pulsator, nut, shaft and boots were dissolved away by the Oxydol! Simple Boom Boom Done.

 

[Brent-Aucoin]

The Film Strips!

Dang Greg!
I forgot about the film strips! I would have loved to have seen them.
I totally forgot.
You have to have another convention in the next few weeks!
Brent

 

[Unimatic1140]

Well I have no idea how the pulsator shaft tragedy happened, but soon it will be just a memory. Brent there was no other parts, the machine was found just like the picture above in post# 73383. Bryan I learned this stuff by reading the repair manuals and going in and getting my hands dirty. Made some mistakes along the way, but if there is a will, there is a way.

Tonight I took both mechanisms and took the best parts from both to make one good one. The start switch was stuck on the good mechanism, when I tested it with a tester cord, it started to smoke within about 20 seconds of running. That's a tell tale sign of a motor that the start windings are not kicking out of the circuit. In a Unimatic that usually means that the centrifugal plunger is stuck and cannot move outward via centrifugal force.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Motor start switch issues...

 

[Unimatic1140]

I'm going to switch the motor end bells and put the good one on the machine that is being restored.

 

[Unimatic1140]

All done, now I can change the oil and take the mechanism for a test drive out on the workbench.

 

[rickr]

Again,very nice detailed photos.Thank you. It looks like it is coming along great.
What about the little hole in the plaster? Could that be from a Unimatic bench test perhaps?

 

[JerseyMike]

Wow, Bob! You never cease to amaze me. Great job, as usual. Thanks for sharing.

Mike

 

[JerseyMike]

Westtexman observed: "I must say I'm pretty amazed with all of the knowledge you guys have on repairing/rebuilding washing machines. I have never attempted to repair one. I would love to learn, though. I guess I need to buy some old manuals and an old machine and teach myself. Too bad they don't have a "Washing Machine Repair Bootcamp" or something I could go to. How did you guys learn so much? Do you do this for a living?"

I agree! These guys are truly amazing!

Mike

 

[bostonwash]

combining 2 to make 1

It is so convenient when you find 2 of the same/similiar machines, each with several things "wrong" but different things on each machine. More than a few times I've been able to disassembe 2 or even 3 machines, and build 1 new.
Is it a rewarding feeling, I don't know, but taking 2 pieces of "junk" and making a jewel is the ultimate in recycling.

 

[Brent-Aucoin]

Robert you look like you are having so much fun!
I don't know if it is the combination of your pictures, and explinations of "how it works," but it all looks so easy and complicated at the same time.
Do you have this Unimatic system burned in your brain? Or, do you get the gitters still when you start to take them apart.
Thanks for the great pictures!
Can't wait to see the first wash!
Brent

 

[gyrafoam]

Leaking oil pump seal?

Having gotten my mechanism ready to bench test at last-----the oil began to run out of the area where the rotor shaft meets the oil pump seal and "O" rings.

I have broken down the area to inspect it and see nothing that would lead me to believe that the problem is with the seals. Today I will go purchase a couple of new "O" rings and replace the old ones. I suspect it is the smaller lower ring that is the culprit.

Now, before I reassemble the thing I know to add the oil and let it sit there for a while to see if I have a leak------then install the motor end bell, fan and pump.

The motor end bell bearing on mine seems fine----so I'm not going to bother it. Fortunatly, I have found a great little bearing shop near me who seems to have no trouble in finding me bearings for the mechanism. Robert---- let me know if you need one.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Rick, good observation. Actually the little hole in the plaster is old; it’s from a Kenmore tranny a while back. Not a big deal in the workshop. Testing a Unimatic on its side wouldn't be a good idea anyway.

Brent, I know each and every Unimatic Mechanism part inside and out now, it makes it a lot easier to have it all stored in long-term memory.

Thanks Steve, I have a bunch of those bearings myself. We have some really great bearing shops here. Your oil test idea is a good one! I would put in only 5oz or so, just enough to fill the bottom of the oil pan and wait a day. If everything is dry then add the other 20oz. Be warned though, sometimes the oil seal holds until you run the motor, then it decides to fail.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Steve, one last thing I just thought of. During your oil seal test you need to make sure that the motor end bell is installed!! Because the oil seal has 3 parts:

1. the main seal pressed into the oil pump housing
2. the face seal that slips onto the rotor shaft
3. the spring on the rotor shaft that holds that face seal tight against the main seal, but lets the face seal rotate with the motor.

If the motor end bell is not installed, there might not be enough pressure on the rotor to hold #2 and #3 against #1 and then the dreaded drip, drip, drip.

 

[westytoploader]

Great work so far!

The other mechanism with the "vanished" pulsator shaft looks good cosmetically, IMHO. Would there be a way to use the motor and bell cover off of the other mechanism, or is there a problem with that motor, rendering it non-operational?

The excitement is building...can't wait to look "under the hood" and see what happened to the pulsator shaft!

--Austin

 

[Unimatic1140]

Would there be a way to use the motor and bell cover off of the other mechanism, or is there a problem with that motor, rendering it non-operational?

Hi Austin, I am going to use to better end bell, but both motors winding cases are in perfect shape electrically, one looks slightly better than the other, but both are perfect. While all parts are interchangable there is no reason to take the extra time and effort to switch the motor winding case itself. I'll save the extra motor case when I breakdown the "bad" mechanism for parts during my cleanup phase after the washer is reassembled and washing away.

 

[gyrafoam]

Robert---The problem is in the eyesight!

Well I did have everything assembled when the oil started to drip----had to break it all down again. Last night Greg N. sent me a close up of the different tiny parts used in the assembly of the oil pump seal kit updated as of 12/64 (Part#6591693). The detail is good enough for me to see the way each part should be turned HOWEVER I am NOT using that kit----I am using older parts and some of those parts are obviously different. The real culprit is that I cannot tell which way this particular seal belongs. No matter----if I install it the way it would make sense----so that the "o" ring snaps into place down in the well for the rotor-----it still leaks!

I was able to find new "O" rings. So I think the problem is in the eye of the assembler as the seals still seem nice as new to me. I MUST be reversing something but I just don't know what.

Tomorrow I am off to visit Steve 1-18 and Rhinnie (in Augusta) for the weekend and will take the mechanism with me-----I will call Dick Fox (of Fox appliance parts) in the morning and see if I can arrange to meet up with him and have him SHOW me EXACTLY how each of these tiny parts goes. One of the problems is that the mechanism I am working on is older than the machine it came out of so finding just the right chart for comparison is confusing.

I will keep you posted. I can certainly agree with the saying that "once you have worked on a "Unimatic" mechanism you will NEVER forget the expierence"!