An AMP comes back to life!

[kenmore71]

I just got back from a little washing machine "retreat" down at Ben's in Waterloo. One of the projects that we worked on was bringing a 1953 Maytag AMP back to life. This machine had been procured a number of years ago and was definitely a "low-milage" machine. The only problem with the machine was that the timer motor had failed. Ben had already procured a replacement timer. To replace the timer in this machine you need to remove the complete cabinet which is a two-man job. Here is a shot of the machine right before we pulled the cabinet off.

 

[kenmore71]

A money shot of the tub.

 

[kenmore71]

Cabinet off. Water temp selector on left, escutcheon light in the center and timer on the right.

For those unfamiliar with the design of the AMP machine, this is actually a solid tub machine and from a functionally perspective works much like the solid tub Frigiaires, GEs, etc.

You have the outer blue-enameled tub. Inside of that is a second blue enameled solid tub to which the white enameled perforated basket liner is inserted. There is about 3/8" clearance between the tub liner and the solid inner tub. When this machine spins all of the water goes up and over the sides of the inner solid tub into the outer tub. From there it is pumped out. The only other manufacturer that used a perforated liner in the solid tub was the first year production of the Frigidaire Unimatic in 1947.

 

[kenmore71]

Date stamp on the outer tub.

 

[kenmore71]

Under the "skirt" from the back of the machine.

NOS AMP fill valve on the lower left.
Drive train in the center rear.
Water pump in the center front.
Spin/Brake solenoid upper right.
Motor on lower right.

 

[kenmore71]

Now from the left side of the machine.

 

[kenmore71]

Because the AMP machine senses the fill level from the float that sits in the center of agitator engaging a mercury switch in the lid, it isn't possible to watch an AMP fill.

UNLESS...you install a set of override switches on the back panel. Maytag actually manufactured a set of override switches for dealers to install on the back of the AMP for this purpose. That way Mrs. Housewife and her husband could be shown that the AMP basically washed clothes just like her trusty Maytag wringer, except AUTOMATICALLY.[this post was last edited: 5/19/2012-11:59]

 

[kenmore71]

So...armed with the above picture and a good wiring diagram...

This is what we came up with.

 

[kenmore71]

The maiden fill in the picture below.

And THE maiden wash. Editing is a bit crude.

Here is the sequence of events:
1. End of fill and beginning of agitation (actuated manually by the override switches)
2. End of wash and beginning of first spin (the very loud bell-like sound you hear is actually the spin/brake solenoid engaging)
3. Spray rinse, spin out and beginning of rinse fill.
4. A few seconds of early 50s glamor![this post was last edited: 5/19/2012-12:04]

 

[kenmore71]

Timer close-up

 

[kenmore71]

More glamor

And then, just because we could (with the assistance of the override switches) we decided that instead of a boring deep rinse, we would perform what may have been the first "Overflow Rinse" ever performed in an AMP.

Forgive us, Fred Mayatg! [this post was last edited: 5/19/2012-12:04]

 

[eronie]

AMP

Would LOVE TO see the vid but link dosent work!

 

[kenmore71]

Links repaired.

 

[in2itdood]

Love it!

So very cool! Thanks for sharing!

 

[pulltostart]

Brings back bunches of memories.  This is the first washer my parents owned.  I don't know when they bought it, but I was born in 1951 and I know my diapers were washed in it.  Mom loved it because it had 2 deep rinses.  I loved it because it had the lighted 'Maytag' sign on the front!

 

Thanks for sharing the video - you both done good.

 

Lawrence

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thanks for sharing the videos

2 deep rinses?!? Maytag top loading automatics did not offer two deep rinses until the Extra Rinse option in the machines with the back slanted control panel. They just labeled the spin spray rinse where most manufacturers did not. That was why it was so laughable in the 06 series when they said to use the Perma Press cycle if you wanted extra rinsing, counting on the cool down with incomplete water extraction & shortened spins to serve as extra rinsing.

Interesting that you comented on the turnover in the rinse and showed the pilow case corner that never got pulled under. The turnover in these was nowhere near what it was in the Maytag conventional washers and the two minute deep rinse was often insufficient time to completely pull the load under once it got air bubbles in the folds during the rinse fill. Kenmore's Pregnant Roto Swirls had trouble with sheets in the rinse also. I tired putting a Gyrator in an 06 series machine to see if the slightly increased number of oscillations per per minute would improve its action in the narrow tub of the automatics. It did not. At the slightly faster speed, it just formed lumps of clothes that did not turn over and tripped the OOB switch in drain. The Power Fin agitator was a great improvement.

I don't understand, with the two selections of Fill & Run, how you were able to get filling while agitating.

 

[kenmore71]

Tom, I didn't wire the switches the way the "Dealer Demonstrator" switches were wired. I took some liberties. I can share the dirty details if you want to know exactly what I did.

 

[gansky1]

Oh, we want all the dirt!  Spill it!  Then we'll wash up in the Maytag.  I remember bringing this washer home with Ben after he bought it.   It's one of the nicest AMP washers I've ever seen.  This lighted badge was just captivating -

 

[kenmore71]

OK - here's the dirt on what I did:

On the factory demonstrator switch the "Auto/Manual" switch was a spring loaded switch that would override the lid safety switch, and divert the power that was going to the lid to the adjacent "Fill/Run" switch. Long ago, Ben had wired around the lid safety switch making main power available at ALL times. This effectively eliminated the need to install the "Auto/Manual" switch.

The "Fill/Run" switch was a double pole, double throw switch without an "Off" in the middle. It functioned in exactly the same way that the fill level switch inside the lid did. Since the "Auto/Manual" switch had disabled power into the lid, this switch then became the "water level" sensor.

What I decided to do was to put a fill circuit by-pass on one switch and mount it upside down. The second switch is a main motor & timer motor interupter switch. It is mounted right-side up.

When the fill circuit by-pass switch is up (off), the fill valve only receives power when the lid is down and the float has not pressed up on the black water level sensor. In normal operation, when the float rises, it pushes on the black water level sensor thereby OPENING the fill circuit and CLOSING the motor & timer motor circuit.

When this switch is down or ON, it closes the fill circuit and opens the water valve whenever the machine is in an "agitate" section on the timer. This is necessary for use with the lid open because when the lid is open on this machine, the water level sensor switch falls back into the "full" position and agitation begins immediately with a dry tub. When you fill the machine with this override switch you have to manually turn the switch off (UP) when you have reached the correct water level.

Now, the motor interupter switch is there so that when the lid is up the motors do not start as soon as you engage the power through the timer switch. When this switch is down the circuit is open and when the switch is up the circuit is closed. So, with the lid open, you must start with both switches in the DOWN position. When the machine is filled you put both switches in the UP position to stop filling and begin agitation.

IF, however, you push the fill by-bass switch DOWN while the machine is agitating, it will open the water valve, thus allowing you to do an "overflow" wash or rinse.

Also, the wiring is such that if both switches are in the UP position AND the lid is down, the machine will function completely normally and automatically.

Hope that helps.