Avocado Kenmores with a new home

[rll70sman]

Well, it's official. The 1977-78 avocado Kenmore washer/dryer pair mentioned in my previous thread will be here by the end of the week. I went and checked it out this afternoon. Wow! The sellers weren't overestimating the top-notch condition of these machines.

Here's the brief story. The couple that owned them were married, I'm guessing, some time in late 1976 or early 1977. Mary washed at the laundromat for about a year when she decided that she had enough of the lugging and trips back and forth. So, she and her husband, Dave, purchased the 60 Series standard-capacity washer. A year later after hanging laundry up to dry or using the dryers at the laundromat, they went and bought the 80 Series gas dryer. It was a large-capacity model, but Mary wanted a model that would match her washer and this is one Sears had in stock.

Interestingly enough, she referred to these machines as her "babies for the last 30 years." Aside from some minor pitting and rust in the rear corners, the avocado finish is gleaming, beautiful, and relatively free of any marring or scratches. All the consoles, chrome knobs, and plastic parts are nothing short of exceptional! Had her husband not surprised her with a new front-loader set, Mary would probably have kept on using these until they died.

Aside from common sense, if anyone has any particular suggestions on making sure I get the most life out of these machines, please pass them along. Thanks!

 

[pierreandreply4]

When you get these Bautys i would love to see some close up pic of the washer including some closeup of the control panel timer knob and the inside if its possible and a video of the washer going through a full cycle Please and if you want a good tip to keep these beautys mint and rust free after each cycles wipe the tub dry with a dry towel and keep the lid open until the tub and agitator are fully dry.

Pierre

 

[cfz2882]

congrats on that set!-only problems i have had with my BDs have
been pump related:bad bushings and valves not sealing,alowing
some water to trickle out the drain while agitating.
only trouble i have had with the dryers is a bad belt on a
high milage one also sometimes the drum wheels can be noisy.

 

[rll70sman]

This morning I ordered some touch-up paint from Sears. I can't believe Whirlpool still makes it in the avocado color! Hasn't it been a good 26 to 27 years since manufacturers used avocado finish on appliances?

What's interesting about this Kenmore washer is that the bleach dispenser is avocado, but the agitator is white. I thought the Roto-Swirls of that era were gold. Also, the wash basket is finished in a very light blue speckled porcelain rather than the darker blue or black speckle.

It seems Sears had so many subtle variations among its appliance models that it must have been a marketing nightmare!

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Rob -

The bleach dispensers were always colored the match the top. At least in that version. BUT, replacements are white only. The Roto-swirl went white with the 1976 models but the Straight Vane didn't until very late in the 24-inch machine production (1983-ish) and I've only ever seen one in white.

There are 'gradients' in wash-basket coloring that Sears never made a big deal about. I don't think WP did that at all, but for many years, entry-level BOL Kenmores had a blue, non-speckled porcelain tub. That coupled with a black agitator made for a very dark looking machine inside.

Next up was the blue speckle, or as WP currently calls it "Spreckle".

The speckle changed to a light-blue or beige in upper 70-series and higher machines. I think it has to do with heavier coatings of protective finish. Yours is a 70 series, and is the only 1977 70 model in standard capacity. The 60 series (manual filter, straight vane, no pre-wash) had the blue speckle.

Beyond the light colored basket, some TOL machines at times had a full white basket like those of the 1960s. The 72 and 74 Lady Ks come to mind on that.

Later, the all-blue BOL tub was dropped, as was the TOL all-white, and we just had the two varying degrees of speckle. In the mid80s, the all-white basket came back and was in one 1983 model the ONLY difference between it and the machine before it. A "Two-fire" white basket they called it.

It's hard to predict what model crossed the threshold on getting the light colored basket, but it's usually somewhere between 70 series and 80 series.

I have two interesting examples: In 1977 Kenmore offered a 70 series Large Cap. washer with 5 cycles, three levels, three temps, and a Penta-Swirl. It had an off-balance relay and a porcelain top. It was known as a 27701. It had the beige tub as did the 76 70-series. There was one other 70 in 1977 - the 27741. Usually, as stock numbers go up, the machine gets better. Not in this case. The 27741 has no porcelain top, no relay, and a blue speckled tub.

In 1979, this same scenario was put into production, and done again in the 80-series line. The first 80 series was a 29801, four levels, three temps, five cycles, Penta-Swirl, porcelain top, beige basket. The 29811 added a DA agitator. The 29821 added another water level, two more temps, and two dispensers. The 29831 though, dropped to three levels, three temps, no porcelain top (just a porcelain lid), and a blue speckled basket. Oddly, I have seen more 29831s than all the 801s, 811s, and 821s put together. I think both the 27741 and the 29831 were designed to be price-point marketing machines, and they sold the crud out of them.

Gordon[this post was last edited: 6/16/2010-13:54]

 

[Unimatic1140]

Yay Rob, congratulations! We will be looking forward to the pictures!!!

 

[rll70sman]

Well, I washed two loads of clothes in the new "old" Kenmore 70 Series tonight. It's a great machine, in beautiful shape, and the Super Roto-Swirl agitator does quite the job at washing!

However, I'm pretty sure the machine needs a new belt sooner rather than later and I question a certain sound coming from one of the pulleys. The "woo-woo" sound isn't as pronounced as many Kenmores or Whirlpools. Does that have to do with a worn or loose belt? As for the noise in the pulley, I'm not even sure how to describe it. It's not necessary a squeak or roar....

I'd appreciate any input or advice on what to automatically change or overhaul on a 33-year-old machine. Thanks!

Rob

 

[cfz2882]

can you tell which pulley the noise is coming from?-is it the
central spin pulley?-when i first got my 1986 70 series running
there was a clunking or rattling noise coming from it which i
blamed on a "flat spotted"belt as the noise quit after the 2nd
load and did not return."woo-woo"is very noticable on both my
big BDs,especially during neutral drain.

 

[rll70sman]

It may be the drive pulley. The noise is kind of a "sh, sh, sh" if that makes sense. Otherwise, I love how the pump "breathes" after all the water is drained from the tub. It seemed like all the older Kenmores and Whirlpools did that.

 

[combo52]

NOISEY BD WASHER

The spin pulley bearing could be worn or very dry. If this is the case it will be noisy when agitating or draining but the noise will go away completely when the basket reaches full spin speed as the spin pulley and spin tube are now turning together at the same speed. There are several items that should be looked at and oiled or other wise serviced on a 30 year old washer if you want to use it as an everyday machine. By giving it a light overhaul now you can avoid doing major repairs later. It would probably best to talk to someone like Gordon or myself about how to proceed with a major servicing, Good luck with your new washer.

 

[rll70sman]

I reviewed several YouTube videos this morning, trying to pinpoint the noise for comparison. If you take a look at randycm1's video of his 1963 Kenmore 600 doing a normal cycle fill and wash, you'll hear the sound that my machine makes after agitation has begun. It continues throughout the cycle during all agitation and spin phases. Otherwise, the usual "grind, click, clunk" of the transmission shifting from neutral drain to spin sounds very healthy. There are no leaks and the underside looks great for a machine of this age.

 

[rll70sman]

John, your and Gordon's help would be greatly appreciated. Please contact me offline. Thanks!

Rob

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Rob -

I have some videos on YouTube too that you may want to check. My camera stinks, but the sound is good and if any of my machines sound like yours, that would be a big help for me to know what your noise is, unless you can video it.

There are four pulleys moving on a belt-drive, the motor, the basket drive, the pump, and the transmission drive pulley.

The motor's pulley won't make any noise itself I don't think unless it's loose or mis-aligned, but the motor itself can insert some noise in a BD machine, usually a louder hum when the motor's bearings wear. Standard capacity machines often had a light gray painted GE motor, not to offend any GE fans, but I never liked those motors as they were often loud.

The transmission drive pulley doesn't usually transmit transmission noises that I'm aware of, but due to the size of the pulley, if the belt is making any stretching sounds, and some do, the pulley will amplifiy them like a sound plate. Several of my machines do that and if you know what you're listening to, you can hear them in my videos. It's like a 'swish-swish-swish' sound and it's worst in agitate, and mostly goes away when the machine is under little load as in neutral drain. This noise is nothing to be concerned about.

A pump can make a number of sounds, and it can be isolated simply by the fact that the pump is always turning when the machine runs, so if the noise never goes away, look there first.

The basket drive, just as John said, can be a noise maker. The pulley on a basket drive also always turns, but in everything but spin, the pulley is rotating on the spin tube. There is only a sleeve bearing in between the two, and if that wears a little, the pulley can make a rat-a-tat-tat sound that remains all through wash, and only goes away in spin when the pulley and the spin tube are moving together. The noise will often be gone in rinse agitation because the first spin generates enough friction heat to warm up the parts and make the gaps narrow enough to stop the noise. I have heard this noise in lots of belt drives, and its probably the most annoying because it interferes with the 'harmony' of the machine's sound. It's a beetch to get rid of though, so if your noise is stopping within moments after the machine goes into spin, I suggest you either get used to it, or prepare to do some basket drive work.

The belt in your machine may very well be beyond it's prime, especially if it's original. They dry out, become a little more brittle, and like old automotive tires, they transmit lots more noise and vibration than a supple, new belt. I think I'd practice belt replacement on the 24-inch machine vs. experimenting on this nice machine if I were you Rob, but you CAN change the belt. Sometimes when the parts are loosened to change a belt, everything makes more noise when it goes back together, so you may want to keep that in mind.

If you can record the sound, I bet I can tell you what it is.

Gordon

 

[rll70sman]

Unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera or the capability to record a short video on my cell phone. I did think of what that sound closely resembles: an older shopping cart with not necessarily "squeaky" wheels but ones that don't roll as smoothly and quietly as newer ones. Now that I say that, could it be a bearing issue? I sure hope not.... Gordon, perhaps the best alternative is give me a call and, hopefully, my phone will pick up the sound and not be drowned out by the motor.

 

[Tinkernut8]

YAY

Congratulations Rob, I’m sure you’ll get 30 more years out of those avocado gems!! Great find.

 

[aldspinboy]

Rob they are a good find Congratulations again...
Are you working on them now...?
Anticipation lol.

Darren k.

 

[rll70sman]

Darren,

I'm slowly but surely working on the washer. So far, I've cleaned the outside of the cabinet and tub ring, replaced the clamps on the water inlet hose, and ordered new tub ring clips. The ones on there now are badly corroded and a couple were missing altogether. There's a few places where the paint will need touching up and a new drive belt is definitely in order. Work on the dryer will occur later since it's a gas model and I have no gas hookups.

All in all, though, I'm impressed with how well these 32- and 33-year-old machines were cared for. And the fact that Whirlpool still makes many replacement parts, including the avocado touch-up paint, just amazes me.

Rob