First 1 - 18

[fridgiman]

Well I did it. You guys inspired me and I got my first vintage washer. A 1 - 18. Thanks. It appears to be an older model because there is no cold wash setting. The model number is WCD3T. Got good news and bad news. First the good. It works! It fills, pulsates, drains and spins. All the controls work. The cabinet and control panel are in great shape. No scratches, dents or rust.
However, when I unloaded it off the truck I layed it on its back on the dolly. I heard a noise from inside the washer that sounded like a wire or spring breaking - "BOIIINNNGGG".
When I hooked it up and got it working I noticed that the lid switch was not working because the washer did not stop when the lid was raised for agitation or spin. Also, when off, the tub moves freely. When it filled and started pulsating, it pulsated at a good clip for a few seconds then slowed down. It's a 2 speed model and this happened on the normal speed. When I switched the control over to the slow speed there was a noticable difference between the 2 speeds, but the normal seemed too slow. It has stayed at that slower speed. When it did a drain/spin the pump worked great but the tub had a hard time coming up to speed- a lot of starting and stopping. The full spin does not seem very fast. There is also no tub braking action when it shuts off. The washer is LOUD and when it spins it has a scraping/grinding sound.
If anyone has any ideas on to what's going on I would appreciate any suggestions. I hope to have time this weekend to open it up and look under the hood.

 

[knitwits1975]

Hi Jim!

Congrats on your new find and welcome to the club! This is a a fun and rewarding hobby and we have fun here in the forum. I just wish I knew enough about 1-18's to help you. I don't have any Frigidaire washers yet, just a dryer. There are however a host of members in the forum that have 1-18's and I'll bet they can provide you with a wealth of information to bring your 1-18 back to health. Happy Washing!
Jason

 

[pdub]

Congrats on your new machine!

Here is a pic of what the inside of your washer should look like. You can see the location of the springs. I don't think if one broke or came disconnected that it would affect the spin or agitation of your machine. I would pull the front panel off before operating it again just to see if something looks out of place. Scraping/grinding during spin does not sound good. Just unscrew the 3 screws at the bottom of the panel, push it down and then pull away from machine.

 

[pdub]

Here is another view of the inside at the back. This is with the cabinet completely removed. Hope this helps.

 

[goatfarmer]

The noise you heard when moving it was probably just a spring stretching.The scraping noise is probably bad bearings in the transmission.

kennyGF

 

[gyrafoam]

Oil/dirt on the rollers is a sure fire way to slow things down. Grinding noise----might be a number of things but I would suspect the tub/spin bearings just because of the age of the machine.

Congrats. on your find! Be sure and show us a photo when you can.

Oh, and "pdub" sure has a spotless 1-18---lets see more photos of that! Now thats how I like to see 'em!

 

[filterflo]

Hi Jim, Glad you got a 1-18. Great washer and I love them too. Alas, most of the time the loud spin means a bad spin bearing which usually go bad because of a water seal leak. The loud bearing noise is most likely a multiple problem. The centrifugal clutch is what brakes the tub at the end of the spin, again water having leaked on it could be the problem. Slow agitation could just be a loose belt, but is most often a bad roller or again a leak onto the rollers. I have rebuilt hundreds of 1-18's in years past and they are not hard once you get the hang of it. Parts are around if you hunt for them, or just find another donor machine to get them off of. Most of the time a bad spin bearing meant we just scrapped the washer. Its a pretty involved job........

 

[harvestgold]

That washer looks brand new inside can`t believe that there is any type of water leak it`s just too clean

 

[goatfarmer]

The picture is a different washer....

 

[knitwits1975]

This might catch your interest, the seller also has some 1-18 parts in his online store.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[fridgiman]

Thanks to everyone who replied to my questions. I got the top and lid off yesterday. It was in pretty good shape. No rust or oil leaks anywhere. Just dirty. I mostly just had to do minor fix its like tightening screws and bolts and adjusting the suspension springs. Cleaning it took all day. It cleaned up great. I did a "clean out" run through with detergent and clorox and it seemed to work fine. Then I ran 2 loads of laundry in it worked great!!! No problems. I just stood there and watched it wash--through 2 loads. I was in awe. Never thought in a million years that I would own a frigidaire jet action washer. My dreams have finally come true thanks to finding this web site and being inspired by all you great folks. Thanks so much.

 

[knitwits1975]

Way cool! Thanks for the info. I bet you'll enjoy this machine.