Found One!!

[jpresley76]

I live in an apartment complex (also vintage, built 1964) anywho...my neighbor has an early 1970's GE washing machine that is in need of repair (they don't use it anyway) it washes but the tub is out of line and it shakes like a madwoman when it hits the spin cycle, probably needs to be interior cleaned, tranny needs fixin' and may need re-wiring, how much would this cost? (I'm not sure if they even still want it but will ask and by the way I am probably one of the few young woman here who like this stuff (=

 

[jpresley76]

one more thing....

I will scan a pic of it when am able too

 

[goatfarmer]

Why do you think it needs rewired? And tranny fixin? Make sure the self leveling legs in the rear are working properly. Also GE's of that vintage use a cement block weight underneath,make sure that's in place.
If it really needs all that work,it's probably not worth fixing,GE filter flo's are still plentiful.

kennyGF

 

[jpresley76]

NOTE

I think it's actually dated 1978 (oops) and I am not a mechanic but I do know the tub is out of line and when it washes I hear a kink every 5 seconds causing the machine to shake for a sec (hard to explain) and how do you get rid of that vintage stink??

 

[lightedcontrols]

I would check that cement weight and make sure it's still in place. As for the stink, that only means that it's a .....GE! Mark

 

[kevinpreston8]

You may have mold

in that washer. When I got that after my washer was not used in a while, I just did a number of empty loads with bleach and hot water and then left the top door open. Never had the problem again.

 

[jpresley76]

Clowns!

Hardey har har lightedcontrols...well as for fixing it, cant do I am better at doing laundry than fixing the thing and I guess you have to have money to do that but how would or could I get it fixed?? what's this about a cement block?!$&$@

 

[jpresley76]

look-alike

Go to the cyber museum, click on General Electric and go down to the 1978 model...VERY similar except the dials are labeled SLIGHTLY differently...that's Beckee the GE

 

[sudsmaster]

That's my '78 GE in the museum.

I've never taken it apart, more than lifting the top panel, but there is a cable system around the top of the outer drum that keeps it more or less in place. Perhaps the cable is broken or one of its connections (springs?) is broken.

To lift the top panel, insert a flat piece of metal (like screwdriver but thin enough not to chip the enamel) and push against the two clips holding the top down in the front. Then just lift.

Good luck!

 

[tomturbomatic]

What we are trying to explain is that when you say that the tub is out of line, it means that something in the suspension system of the machine is letting it lean to one side or the other. The whole mechanism in the washer is suspended on cables that move over rollers at the corners of the machine. One of the plastic rollers could have broken, allowing the cable to sag. It is highly unlikely that the cable broke because they are cables like are used in airlanes and are pretty tough. If it is one of the rollers, it probably would not be that expensive a fix, unless you call GE factory service. They will tell you it's not worth fixing, but quote you a high price and, in times past would say that if you don't want to fix it, they will offer you a discount of the price of a service call on a new machine. Find a reputable independent appliance repair business and tell them the problem.

As far as the mold and smell: Fill the washer with very hot water. Add about a quart of the gel-type dishwasher detergent (they contain bleach). Let it wash for the longest setting on the regular cycle. When it starts to drain, only let it run for 20 or 30 seconds, the stop it and let it sit. This gets the detergent and bleach up behind the gray rubber baffle. After it has soaked maybe 10 or 20 minutes, you can take out the filter pan (empty any gunk it caught) and use a toothbrush or similar small brush and, while pulling the bottom edge of the baffle forward, scrub the backside and the area above it which is actually the underside of the top of the washer. When you have finished that, replace the filter pan and let it continue to drain and go through the rinse. Lots of gunk is going to come loose, so make sure it is all caught in the filter pan so that it does not wind up in future loads.

I recomended dishwasher detergent containing bleach because GE washers have a tendency to oversuds with high sudsing detergents. You wil get more than enough suds from the residue in the machine that dissolves into the cleaning solution you are using, so it's easier to just use the dishwasher detergent since it is more powerful, does not produce suds on its own and already has the chlorine bleach.

Lots of luck. Hope you get to use the washer. Tom

 

[peterh770]

In addition to Tom's excellent advice, The cable suspension system is held in place by 4 snubber plates in each corner of the machine. There are four metal plates on the carriage that are held by four metal clamp-like structures on the frame. One or more of the clamps could be damaged or missing, the snubber pads in the clamps could be damaged or missing, or the carriage might have jumped out of a clamp. Regardless, it would be a relatively easy fix.

GE's are some of the easiest machines to work on. GE published an excellent repair manual that might still be available in a local appliance repair shop.

 

[sudsmaster]

When you lift the top panel, you find a quantity of mold clinging to the underside. That's what I found with mine. GE's with filter flo seem to be rather splashy and maybe that accounts for the extra mold under the top.