Dishwasher Collection Update 1

[turquoisedude]

I've been following a provincial-government sponsored course to help folks over 40 find work, so even though I may have had less time to post on the board, it doesn't mean I haven't been busy tinkering with the dishwasher collection...
Here's the first of two updates for this week (stand by for a couple more AFTER this weekend...heeheeheeheee):
Remember that Viking (made by Westinghouse dishwasher) that I got last summer? Remember how I managed to snap one of the hinge spring brackets the same weekend I got it home??

 

[turquoisedude]

Well, thanks to the skills of a former neighbour (and father of the young man who baptized me 'turquoisedude') I have a new bracket! He machined it from aluminum for me. Yes it looks a bit obscene, but minds out of the gutter people, it's for a dishwasher lid!!

 

[turquoisedude]

And that piece of machined aluminum changed the dishwasher from this:

 

[turquoisedude]

To this!
Boy, was I happy!! Of course if I had the good sense to measure the o-ring at the bottom of the pump valve housing correctly, then I would have probably had more good news... But, it gives me something else to do this coming weekend. Stay tuned!

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Paul, Thats a great one-of-a-kind replacement part. I am glad that your dishwasher can once again hold its own lid open. Mike

 

[customline]

Wow.....

That's great that you know someone that could make that part for you. My '57 Westinghouse portable dw needs a door hinge re-fashioned because one of the originals snapped. You probably know the model with the pot metal hinges that eventually give from the pull of the door springs. Machine shops want an arm and a leg to tool up and make something from scratch. The Viking is very cool.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Paul, How in the world do you open the detergent dispenser with the upper rack right up against it? Is it in backwards and the space for the dispenser is hidden at the front? Congrats on the new part. That first picture looks like some kind of a douche nozzle. You might want to have him make a spare for a replacement if the other one goes.

 

[turquoisedude]

Detergent cup

is a bit awkward, but you can tilt the front just enough to pour in detergent. It is probably easier to fill it with the top rack removed (which you have to do to load the lower rack with this machine anyway)! The ol' Viking I grew up with had a swing-up rack section and no support pins in front of it. That model was easily 5 or more years older than this one, too. One of these days, I am going to have to try and find if there are records of the Viking appliance model numbers and years of production out there...

 

[turquoisedude]

More progress on the Viking!

I may as well continue with this thread to happily report that the leaky pump chamber is repaired. John (combo52) enlightened me about the o-rings in this type of pump and changing them resolved most of my leakage problems. I admit that I noticed a couple of drops of water accumulate right around where I observed a hairline crack in the pump chamber cover plate. I tried to patch it up, but I guess I didn't get it completely filled up... Still, compared to what it was, the leak is way less obvious than it once was. Now that I can load the machine without fear of being knocked unconcious by the lid (being knocked unconcious by hubby is always a risk, especially after this weekend...) I figure I will try a test load or two and see how it holds up. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend??

 

[turquoisedude]

Cycle test completed and....

success!! The leak has completely stopped now (I kept a tray underneath the pump chamber, just in case though). I ran a load of dishes through the Viking (China/Glass cycle) and they came out great! On the upcoming long Easter weekend, I am going to put the machine into official production as the pots and pans dishwasher in Ogden. This alas has meant that the MobileMaid had to be moved out of the kitchen (Hubby had a problem with 4 dishwashers in the kitchen...) to make space. However, it will not be ignored... it and the others will be on display at the wash-in!
Now, here's a question maybe the Canadians on the board can help me out with - Any idea what year this Viking dishwasher was made?? I have never really had a good idea - I think it may be 1967 or 1968 but I can't be sure. There were some old Eatons catalogue ads for Viking dishwashers posted as a picture of the day a while back and they did not look like mine at all (they were early 70s models, I believe). If anyone has any info, please let me know!