bought this 1-18 today-leakage problem-pics!

[soberleaf]

went to columbus and bought this 1-18 for 25 bucks. looks good on the surface but i quickly encountered problems when i got it home and hooked it up. it leaks out of a plastic leakage port which is telling me i got problems!!!

bearings are noisy too when it spins so i assume the leakage problem has affected them.

i don't know much about these (yet) but i'm gonna read thru all the 1-18 posts here and also can use any good advice you have from the frigidaire guys!

i assume the first step is to pull the agitator and that means removing that agitator nut i have heard so many wonderful stories about! maybe i'll luck out and it won't be stuck too bad. i assume i can grab the pulsator shaft from below with vice grips to hold it while i turn nut? i know i can't let agitator turn or i can screw up the bellows.

here are some questions. is the water bellows for a 1-18 the same style as a rollermatic? if so i am in luck as i have several of these.

are spin bearings and a water seal still around? i just bought a water seal for my 1965 rollermatic, will it fit this 1-18 also? hope so. and if spin bearings are not around can i have them made?

any info will be appreciated. this will keep me busy when i bored working on my dishwashers!

here are the pics

 

[soberleaf]

another

pic

 

[soberleaf]

tub looks good

to me!

 

[soberleaf]

no rust

inside

 

[soberleaf]

here is the leakage point

right out of that plastic chute in the center of the pic.

obviously it's doing it's job to divert the leak away from the transmission.

this will be good learning experience for me!

 

[swestoyz]

Was up in Minnesota this past weekend and parted out two 1-18's. Both had bad bearings. I got lucky and was able to remove both the agitator nuts on both machines using a 3 foot breaker extension on the ratchet. Stood in the tub and was surprised I didn't bust the bronze bushing.

The bellows on 1-18's are NOT the same as the previous Unimatic/Multimatic/Rollermatic. They have a round hole instead of a D-shaped hole used before 1970. You'll need a tub nut wrench or a 1-1/2" box wrench to remove the hub nut if you plan on taking the whole thing apart. Not all 1-18's had oil bellows (see the photograph evidence below + the hub nut). Once you get the water bellows out you'll quickly discover if it does or does not have an oil bellows. Good luck!

Ben

 

[toploader55]

I have the Same Model

Knock on Wood, Bought mine from gregm. He was very thorough with that machine. No Problems yet.

 

[soberleaf]

ran it again here

with no water in tub. didn't run long as i was worried about tub spinning dry too long could wear out water seal. but then tub spins anyway after water is extracted so maybe i'm just being paranoid.

anyway, bearings don't sound that awful bad. i did notice when i filled it before water didnt really start to leak until it reached a certain height. i'm hoping that maybe leakage is in bellows and not water seal.

gonna try and get pulsator off later this week to inspect bellows.

 

[goatfarmer]

That plastic diverter tray was used to protect the motor when, not if, a 1-18 leaked. You are being paranoid, spinning one dry shouldn't affect the tub seal. Matter of fact, when we replaced a tub seal, my dad always said to spin it first, to 'cut' the new seal.
If it's been leaking for a while, you might have problems removing the tub support, they usually rust solid to the spin shaft.

Ben, that trick with using your feet to hold the tub is what I used to do back in the day. But I NEVER saw a 1-18 without an oil bellows. I'm wondering if it had been discarded sometimes over it's life.

 

[swestoyz]

Kenny - I always thought it was a myth myself until I saw this mechanism. It was a '72 machine, and, in the '72 Tech Talk it discusses a change they made to the hub nut by removing the provision for the oil bellows. On the other machines all the nuts had the ridge for the bellows - this machine did not. I guess it just happened to still be original!

Ben

 

[everythingold]

There are bellows available, and I have one spare nut. It sounds like your nut will shear before if comes off. matt

 

[soberleaf]

thanks guys!

as always! the pics were very helpful. i have been running it dry a bit, have it in the living room right now so i can study it. it doesn't sound that bad!

i did find a bellows last nite on the web, but i'm wondering if the problem is the main water seal are there any still out there. if not is it a stock item that i could buy from a seal company?

matt, when you said nut would shear off i'm assuming you mean the top agitator nut? haven't tried it yet. will let you know.

pete

 

[roto204]

No oil bellows

Jon C. (jetcone) can chime in here on that little disaster in 1-18 history...there was indeed a series that omitted the oil bellows.

 

[soberleaf]

if the outer bellows keeps

tub water out of this area why do you even need a second inner bellows? i have wondered that for awhile now?