Cracking open an early GE AW6 Drive Unit/Transmission

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Absolutely amazing...

Robert, thank you for taking the time to photograph and document the 'surgery'! This is a unique insight into the GE design that I am sure very few people have ever seen, let alone worked with.
Can't wait to see more!!
 
I have a suspicion that the sorcerer's apprentice (Fred) was assisting with photos etc. Great photos and step by step explanations for future reference.
 
GE UNITZED TRANSMISSION

Robert thanks for sharing the inner workings of this incredible transmission I had always wanted to see the insides of this trans ever since I found your original machine around 1972 but I never had a reason to open it up. The trans in your 1948 was a GE factory rebuilt unit around the mid 1960s. Overall the trans is simpler and more rugged than I would have imagined, I would love to know why GE abandoned this design so early after putting so much work into it. I guess thier were many reasons and just having to have a separate drain pump motor probably made the machine very costly to build, motors used to be one of the most costly parts of an appliance to build other than that it doesn't look like it would cost that much more than what came after this. This design could have been very durable as it wouldn't have been very prone to oil leaks like many other washers of the time and with the motor windings protected from moisture and dirt and cooled by oil it should have been very durable.
 
Thanks, Robert! Now that you have that mechanism apart, would it be feasible to have the motor windings repaired or are you planning on using it as a parts donor?

Those magic hydraulics call to mind old Citroens where everything was hydraulic. The principle also makes me think of the water powered clutch in the Apex and (possibly) Savage washers.
 
is the entire motor submerged in oil? Kind of like a refrigerant compressor?
Well its not submerged, the oil level comes right just slightly lower than the bottom of the rotor. I would think if it was completely submerged it would cause too much of drag.

Can you tell how far they have to move up to engage the spin clutch & drum?
It appears to be between 1/4 and 1/3 inch that the bellows rises and falls, probably closer to 1/4".

When the oil is filling the bellows, is it compressing air that's inside the bellows? Or is there very little air inside it and oil fills up the entire bellows?
No air in the Eddy, because it there is a little relief hole at the top of the bellows to bleed out excess oil pressure. I just can't imagine how that much pressure could be built up, but obviously it is.

One question with the bellows being copper, could this bellows possibly energize at some point
I don't believe so, I would think that would transmit electricity all over the cabinet then as well.

How did you learn how to work on washer transmissions? Was it trial and error
Yup all trial and error as well as reading repair manuals for years. Unfortunately I don't have anything service related for this transmission. :-(

Overall the trans is simpler and more rugged than I would have imagined,
Me too John! I'm hoping this simpleness will help in fixing the other transmission. It might just be sort of stuck from sitting for all those years and needs to be taken apart, cleaned and the bellows flexed manually a bit. Here's hoping!

would it be feasible to have the motor windings repaired or are you planning on using it as a parts donor?
This one will be a parts donor Tom as the other motors all seem to work.
 
Now that is some cool engineering!

It's sort of like an automatic transmission in a car...using oil pressure to change gears/modes. Very cool, and great job getting it apart without destroying it.

I've seen copper bellows used in other "pump" type assemblies as they last a long time and do a good job of sealing.

2 suggestions:
-PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench will help stuff like this come apart. Start spraying/soaking the item asap in order to get good penetration by either product.

-Blue nitrile mechanics gloves from places like NAPA auto parts. You'll like them a whole lot better than the exam gloves, and they'll last longer.
 
Now we'll know, Robert,

when we plan the Unimatic factory of the future, to use soft copper bellows instead of rubber for the water and the oil; they won't tear. Though the machines are rare, I wonder if there is any data about the GE bellows ever tearing?
 
If That Does Not !!!!

Convince everyone just how much better things were built in the old days, I don't know what would,I bet to build that today would be 5000.00!
 
"I don't know what would,I bet to build that today w

No, it'd cost about $20US, because it would be done at a factory in China or Thailand by someone living in a cardboard box, making $1US for a 12hr work day.

Of course the entire thing would be made out of pot-metal and be designed to last 3 days over the warranty period.
 
This is way cool Robert. I can't get over the copper bellows. I imagine the 'oil' is some sort of a cross between an air compressor oil and a hydraulic fluid, due to the fact that the little pump is creating such a large build up of pressure on the bellows to force it up against the spin clutch. Also, I love the fact that the rotor and stator of the motor are immersed in the mechanism; subject to many, many coats of oil during a complete operation. No wonder there is no rust anywhere....

Anyone out there have a GE product manual that describes the transmission fluid for one of these? An incredible mechanism - John said it best, UNITIZED!

(Reminds me of a 1972 GM/Pontiac ignition system, terminology wise anyway *grin*)

http://highperformancepontiac.automotive.com/85119/hppp-0810-1972-pontiac-gto/index.html
 
Copper bellows

I used to see a lot of copper bellows made here in Knoxville by the Fulton Sylphon Company -- I had several relatives who worked there. Weston Fulton supposedly invented the copper bellows in 1903 as a weather instrument.

I recall my uncle, who worked there from 1934 to 1977, saying they used to make a lot of copper bellows but they got to be quite expensive. They were used in automotive thermostats among other things.

Here's a link to Fulton's early patents.

http://fultonbellows.com/wp-content/uploads/Binder_pats.pdf
 
I have seen oil filled motors in submersible sewage pumps-worked on these at a tool repair place-If the motor was burned up from a motor fault-that oil was REALLY had a nasty smell.Gave up there and informed the customer.The oil does not put a drag on the motor.Some of these pumps had 3450RPM motors-the rotor did not have rotor fins like the rotor from that washer transmission.Never seen that in a washer-learned something new.On the submersible pumps--you NEVER ran it unless the pump was under water-we tested them in a 5Gal "homer bucket"If it emptied the bucket within a few seconds-the pump was OK.These had motors about the same HP and size as a washer motor.Although some of these submisable pumps could have motors having 100Hp(for deep well water and oil pumps)and run from 3Ph power.
The copper bellows looks like those in Varible vacuum capacitors.Its amazing how flexible and durable these are-and in the capacitor-have to hold a vacuum.Some vacuum capacitors handling high voltages and RF currents-like what we use-have water cooled bellows and backplate assemblies.The heat has to be removed from the cap to prevent seal failures.If the seals fail the caps fails in a SPECTACULAR manner!Glowing,arcing loud noises and wet transmitter cabinets are the end results.
Love the pictures of the "blow by blow" transmission dismantling and rebuilding.That device is quite amazing for 1948 technology-GE outdid themselves-now tha assembly is PLASTIC!
 
Seeing the forbidden transmission is way Kewl and I have a s

From my car rebuilding years:

It appears that you can change the oil in these! Ya know Robert, I had a partially seized engine oil pump in the BMW and instead of dissassembling the motor, we filled it up with MARVEL MYSTERY OIL instead and drove it 50 miles, then drained it and charged it with regular oil. You should have seen the gunk that came out and the motor ran another 100,000 miles beautifully.

I would suggest you try the same with your transmission first and see if that improves its performance before dissassembly.

I'll bet that motor shares a lot in common with the motor inside my Monitor Top frig! I am surprised the motor isn't exposed to more oil, how do the bearings in the motor stay lubricated, are there weep holes into the motor bearings as well?
 
GE UNITZED TRANSMISSION

Hi Jon , Robert This unit has a pressured lubrication system to keep lubricated, Robert the one thing I didn't see in the pictures was what causes the oil to start flowing to the bellow to shift from agitate to spin, I expected to see a solenoid valve in the pressurized oil system. I do think that Jons idea of flushing and changing the oil would be worth a try especially on the balky 1948 machine you got from me. Its amazing what some of the automatic transmission products can do to fix problems with out actually dismantling and rebuilding, it is almost like going to the doctor.
 
"What causes the oil to start flowing to the bellows?&#3

HI John, Robert mentions in Reply # 11 that he has no idea what the control spring and bracket are for, at the base of the copper bellows, highlighted in yellow in the photo.

Is it possible that they somehow initiate or facilitate the oil flow?
 
Robert the one thing I didn't see in the pictures was what causes the oil to start flowing to the bellow to shift from agitate to spin

That I know, its the spin valve in the picture of oil coming out. The spin valve is energized which is similar to a water valve and the plunger rises to close the hole to the tube and open the hole to the rotor. The new washer transmission sounds like something is scraping so it shouldn't be run anymore until it opened and make sure nothing is broken off inside.

unimatic1140++9-1-2010-23-16-1.jpg
 
So, the motor runs only one direction for agitation and spin!?

I'm checking the drive shaft and rotor, one thing I still don't understand. How does the gears stops the agitation when spin starts?
 
thanks for the etailed photos and explanations, Robert. I never would have guessed that bellows was made of copper. I hope the problem with the new 48 is something easy to fix once you crack her open.

With your collection of GE's growing like they are I may start calling you "Activator boy". GRIN.

Les
 
Iv'e got emotional seeing you in pic seven maybe i see something in myself that want ever be, what a talent, well for sure it feels really good to see a person so passionate about the washers we all love and that there is a talent that we can all learn from.
I have no fear anymore about liking washers ever again.
Amazing machine Robert.
My colleges will never laugh again at this site.

Darren k.
 
Good News

Now that I understand what goes on inside an AW6 Drive Unit, I took out the mechanism in the new machine that would not spin. I took it apart and sure enough I found that one of the two post that the control spring bracket attaches to has sheered off! I took the entire drive unit completely apart, soaked all the parts in Acetone and installed the bellows from the other mechanism and filled it with 40 ounces of Air Compressor oil.

I was a bit worried that the original oil that GE used was very specific and our standard air compressor replacement oil might not work. To my relief the Drive Unit works perfectly!!! It sounds so nice and quiet and rev's up to 1140 rpm like a champ.

You can see the broken post below, this let oil out of the bellows and prevented it from rising under oil pressure. Next it time to work on replacing the pumps.

unimatic1140++9-8-2010-22-02-12.jpg
 
Great news Robert!
When are you going to release your tech book?
Thanks for the picture!
Brent
 
Nice work!!

It looks like that pin was soldered in place.

Very cool that you got the transmission working again.
 

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