An update on the 1960 GE WA350 Automatic washer

[delaneymeegan]

You have my complete respect !

I've replaced my fair share of GE transmissions, but never opened one up, nor do I ever plan to.

This, plus the Norge? My hat's off to you.

 

[toploader55]

Busy Boy !!!

 

[bajaespuma]

OK, I'll bite!

I'm not afraid to reveal how clueless I am; what was wrong inside that transmission, besides all the rust?

 

[bigalsf]

No oil (or very little). Your right, not sure how it could have moved at all(?). Was there any evidence of oil leaking?

Thanks for the photos. Good luck!

 

[turquoisedude]

We have a winner!

Spot on, Alan!  I don't know a heck of a lot about GE transmissions, but in the documentation for this one, there should have been 54 ounces of oil in it!  I didn't see any evidence of an oil leak - I suspect that the oil leaked out a loooonnnng time before I found this washer.   GE's do have a nasty habit of losing their oil when a seal or two fail.

 

Now I'm patiently waiting for some warmer weather to clean up that gunk and do some further disassembly.  Our local hardware store in Ogden is going to assume we're living off the grid when they see how much kerosene gets purchased... LOL 

 

[combo52]

Contaminated Oil

It does look like in addition to have almost no oil in it that some moisture has also contaminated the oil. The washer spinning with such low oil levels is not so much a problem as agitation would be without lucubration of the moving gears.

 

[turquoisedude]

John,  do you think that this gummed up, contaminated oil is the reason why I could never get this beastie to agitate?  Or should I say 'activate'?   LOL

 

[jetcone]

Wow,

thats LOW! It should almost be full of oil. You gotta leak, and I'll bet its at the top going into the tub and down the drain, which is why it looks like that oil is water contaminated.

 

I think you can get the seals still for the top but getting that tub support off to do that is near impossible at this point. 

 

Hmmmmm............thinking hat on

 

 

 

 

[turquoisedude]

We didn't get the snow that battered a lot of the Eastern Seaboard up in Ogden, but it was effing cold!  It was not a good time to be messing with a well-chilled Norge out in the garage, so I thought I'd do some more messing with the ol' GE transmission... 

 

The doctrine I have on these transmissions indicated that the seal here at the top of the agitator shaft should be removed as part of the process to dismantle the transmission.   It literally disintegrated when I attempted to tap it off.  OOPSIE.... 

 

[turquoisedude]

Then there was this son-of-a-thing.... The basket hub was in pretty rough shape to begin with;  I snapped the bolts holding the hub clamp off while trying to remove them.  I managed to drill them out, but I was not able to even budge the hub off the spin shaft.

 

I also observed that the agitate shaft is totally and completely rusted, hence the lack of agitation... 

 

I am thinking that this is going to end badly...  I do have some spare GE parts, but I had gotten them specifically for the '57 Filter-Flo (yes, it's still around and sitting around in the garage).   I think I know why the GE service literature specified 'replace transmission' as a solution to the 'no activation' problem in their diagnosis charts!

 

[turquoisedude]

GE 1WA352T1W - 1960-2016

Sigh...  It was with a heavy heart that I made the decision to walk away from this 'project' on the weekend.   I just don't have the know-how, equipment, and spare parts to rebuild a GE washer transmission;  I hate to give up but there was just no easy way out of this one... 

 

I am trying not to take this as a personal failure;  I learned a great deal about the mechanics of a GE washer and tearing the machine down will hopefully help me with the '57 and '53 washers that I have been reluctant to work on due to my lack of familiarity with GE washers.   And I can take some solace knowing that I was able to save a good motor/clutch, timer, water level switch, and possibly the water valve.  That motor may just be what the '53 needs!

 

And in the greater scheme of things,  I will now have room for the Norge (which I am remaining optimistic about), eventually the ABC-O-Matic, and there may even be something new making its way into the washer collection soon...  Stay tuned.

 

[pulltostart]

OMG

That breaks my heart.  I don't believe I've ever seen a sadder photo - a dead Filter-flo.

 

lawrence

 

[volvoguy87]

Transplant.

I think another, much newer, transmission can be used in its place.
Dave

 

[phmorrow]

I agree

I'm pretty sure they used that same Trans. For 30 years or so, you could probably find a newer filter flo in a scrap yard..

 

[jetcone]

Whoa!

Somebody Save That !!!

 

[norgeway]

The solid tubs

Used a different transmission, they didn't have the brake in them.

 

[volvoguy87]

Difference.

I am completely unfamiliar with the solid tub GEs.
Are the solid tub and perf tub transmissions the same dimensions? If the difference is only the presence of a brake inside, how would that alter the performance?

Dave

 

[Unimatic1140]

The transmission between the perforated tub GE washers and the solid tub are completely different. For one thing the agitation is a shorter faster stroke in the perforated tub machines, the solid tub had a longer stroke slower agitation. GE did add a tub brake to the 1960 solid tub washers, the least year before they went to the perforated tub redesign. The spin speed on the solid tubs was about 650rpm and they reduced it to 575rpm on the perforated tubs.

I'm not sure the tub mount would even fit the earlier solid tub machines. So the newer perforated tub transmission are not a good substitute for the older machines.

 

[bajaespuma]

Esteemed Nemesis, this is not a failure!

This was an honorable quest with unexpected outcomes and rewards. Being your arch-nemesis I should be jumping up and down and clapping my hands with glee(isn't that how our people are supposed to do it?) at your trials but it occurs to me that you chose to rescue a machine that on its best day was a parts-donor. Do put aside this frustration for now and preserve all those lovely and always unavailable parts for use or for profit. I have no doubt that another solid-tub Filter-Flo will present itself in time.

 

Meanwhiles, I continue my quest for the rare turquoise Empress 30

 

[combo52]

Late 50s solid tub GE washers

The transmissions in the preparated basket washers was considerably beefed up in a much more reliable unit and definitely not interchangeable unfortunately.

Hopefully a good donor transmission will show up, last Saturday I was in Larry's old parts shop in Ohio and they're still quite a few parts for those older transmissions in there. Sharon Larry's widow just sold the shop to VNV appliance parts but so far the parts are still there.