Frigidaire washers and dryers

[brucelucenta]

This is probably just a re hash of many other posts. The 1-18 Frigidaire washers and dryers were certainly different than any other machines Frigidaire made before. They increased the capacity significantly from what it had been and for the first time had a perforated tub, something most other's already had done. Those models I remember quite well from the beginning and was very much in contact with working on machines at that time. I do recall in the summer of 1974 working for a guy who had a used appliance store. I had taught myself about working on some of the odd brands, including Frigidiare and wanted to know more about working on Kenmore/Whirlpool, GE, Maytag and Speed Queen, which he favored over anything else. In his stockpile of machines he got as trade ins, he had first a 1-18 dryer and then acquired the matching washer from the same lady. He sold her a Kenmore dryer and then washer. These machines couldn't have possibly been more than 3 years old and were already junked. After that I saw a lot of the 1-18 models junked out. I personally liked Frigidiare 1-18 machines, but as I worked on more and more I realized all the different things that could go wrong with them. The washers had problems with water leakage from the tub seal and sometimes from the bellows if something like a nail got into the machine and pierced it. If not caught right away, it would ruin the bearing and that was a very costly and time consuming repair. So many of them I found in the junkyard were ones that people had let go until it was too late for an easy fix. They had so many components that could break or malfunction that service men hated Frigidaire. They also hated them because they would change design so frequently. They were a good idea, but not a very good design in many cases. I must say that I NEVER saw a Maytag washer that was junked when it was less than 5 years old. Those machines just didn't have all the problems Frigidaire machines had. I actuallly liked working on Frigidaire machines, but the 1-18 dryers were very difficult to keep going. It was odd, some of them would run for long periods of time with no service and others were a constant problem with the drum rollers mostly. If there was even the slightest restriction on the exhaust, they would build up lint and end up causing problems. Kenmore dryers were much better in dealing with things like that. I know they constantly kept trying to improve the 1-18 design, but the dryers in particular were just not a good design and were a pain. The previous solid tub machines in my opinion were far superior to these machines. I am talking about the plain 2 speed washers without rapidry 1000. I have sold used machines like that to people that lasted 10 years with no service. The dryers were much more dependable too. The 1-18 just had a lot of problems that you didn't encounter with most other machines. As far as the very worst washing machine for being junked before it was 5 years old, that honor would have to go to the Speed Queen machines of the 80's and 90's. I have NEVER seen so many machines that were so new get junked out because of the tub seal and bearings usually. I am glad that they seem to have overcome that now. Frigidiare was the last of the machines that washed in a different way that the rest. It's kind of a shame because they did a good job of it and spun the clothes out drier than most too. They just weren't designed with service in mind, like so many things. I also don't think they took into account the way people would use them or the products they would used in them. That also has it's affect, but didn't seem to affect some brands as much as others.

 

[goatfarmer]

I worked on 1-18's when they were still under warranty. We NEVER had less than 2-3 in the shop a week. All with leaking seals, which took out the bearings.

 

Learned early in life to dislike them.....

 

[panthera]

If you look at Cadillac from that era, you understand why

They couldn't fix the problems.

Our 1974 Sedan de Ville is the last good Cadillac until the 1990s. Literally.

GM was going down a very bad path in that period.

 

[brucelucenta]

As I said before, I just think that the 1-18 washers and dryers did not have a well thought out design and some of the parts such as the tub seal and drum rollers were poorly made. When they worked, they worked quite well, but they were certainly trouble prone. Of all the different mechanisms Frigidaire had in their washers, the unimatic and the first solid tub rollermatic ones seemed the best and most durable to me. The solid tub machines did not hold enough to compete with other brands of machines, so Frigidaire had to do something to keep up. I know that most of the appliance repair guys hated Frigidiare because they changed mechanisms so often.[this post was last edited: 12/5/2016-04:47]

 

[vacerator]

1974? Really?

The only major change from 1974 to 1975 for Cadillac was the change to electronic ignition, and catalyst emission control. There were no body or trim bugs because nothing was new. The 500 c.i. engine ran even better.
The Seville was new, with throttle body fuel injection, and an Olds 350, and there were some early bugs.
1977 brought a smaller body and a 368 c.i. engine, but there were few problems until 1981 when the 8-6-4 modulated displacement engine arrived. Then things began going south.

 

[gyrafoam]

For all the good things GM contributed one of the major bad things IMO was constantly tweaking and changing individual parts. I understand once a new design enters the market, there is a "learning curve" and certain things have to be changed. However, it seems to me Frigidaire was constantly trying to re-invent the wheel. It has been frustrating to find that one could not exchange one agitate roller for another simply because the model number had changed by one digit and the roller hadn't changed at all. (Well, I did it anyway and it worked fine.) Oh, and the differences in the clutches.

I have seen some bad "new" parts as well. I had a new torque-spring break once and that really got my attention. Also bronze seals from the water-pumps could break easily. Lots of tiny trouble spots. I would have to agree that a big weakness were all the different tiny seals.

I feel like a lot of repair issues could have been simplified by just sticking to what they had. What wasn't a design issue was more than likely an abuse issue, because we all know the public really abuses washing machines. Granted there were designed weaknesses such as the bellows. In the days when diaper pins were easily forgotten, they did in a lot of bellows.
Also, the 1-18's had a lot of pulsators chipped and broken by detergent caps not properly locked-down. (I do not recall this ever happening to the pulsator in a sold-tub machine----perhaps the plastic edges were thicker and not as brittle?)

The only problem I have encountered with the 1-18, as a collector, is a bad spin-bearing. But, this many years down the road it is to be expected so I can't complain.
I agree with John that IMO the 1-18 was the final refinement of the series of pulsator-type machines Frigidaire produced at GM. And while I have not had bad experiences with the dryers, the (1-18) washers have been very good to me. And to be fair, as a collector, my 1953 Uni-matic and my 1963 Multi-Matic have been trouble-free as well and they have been "daily-drivers" for years.

 

[brucelucenta]

I think a lot of it all boils down to how the machines are treated. Frigidaire just did not react well to misuse and what kind of additives you use in them too. The most popular detergent of the time, Tide and some of the others that were high suds, were hard on the seals of the machines. As far as the dryers go, I have had 1-18 dryers that were no trouble at all and others that were constantly chewing up the drum rollers. Seems like the 1-18 Frigidaire machines really varied in how long they lasted. Averse things affected them more than many other brands. Again, Maytag really had no serious problems like that. They would really take a licking and keep on ticking. Whirlpool and Kenmore were like that too.

 

[panthera]

Well, we and friends have had quite a few '70s and '

Cadillac Motor Cars through the years and the only one from that era which was put together with care and effort at getting it right is the '74. I've spent more time under a German friends' imported '75 Eldorado Convertible than I in the seat behind him.

Did some individual functions work better over time? Of course. That the 500 put out only five brake horsepower more in '74 than the 472 is just a hint of how bad things were.

 

Doesn't change the facts on the ground and we've owned enough, driven enough family members and worked on too, too, far too many of that era to even bother with pretence: Cadillac and GM in general were not paying attention to build quality in that era.

I could write 1000s of words on everything which was right on our '89 Fleetwood Brougham de Elegance and MILLIONS on what was wrong.

 

Again, just because an individual system was improved in many cases doesn't change the facts. Goodness - the arm rests on the doors of our Sedan de Ville are still pliable. The '89 had cracks in them and they were hard as rock by '2003.

 

[brucelucenta]

I think that era is probably what made so many people buy foreign made cars. I know the vehicles I had of that era were not very dependable and had multitudes of issues. That being said, the absolute WORST vehicle I EVER owned was a 1985 Dodge 600 convertible. Beautiful little car that I actually ordered from the dealer, but was built like a beer can. After it was a couple of years old, it spent more time in the shop than on the road. It was truly a P.O.S.

 

[panthera]

Bruce,

I think you're right. I did a lot of in-house-last-minute translation and some original work for B/S/H in Gingen and Munich in the late '80s through the 2000s and (of course they weren't B/S/H in the '80s) and they were keenly aware of how far advanced the Americans were in many areas. And, of how awful their quality control was.

It's how Germany managed to leverage their higher prices into people buying their products internationally. You knew, if you bought a Bosch, that it was going to pay for itself over time.

 

Frigidaire took the extra hit of those awful WCI products bearing their name. Lots of people bought (once) a 'Frigidaire' made (is that even the right word for what came out of White Consolodated in those days, 'made'?) by WCI which failed in short order. They didn't get upset with WCI, they got upset with Frigidaire. Brand name was taken down from the same ranking as the best of the best to cheap trash in less than one product cycle.

Scary.

 

[vacerator]

many factors

decide how leather and vinyl last, and also from model year to another, dyes and fabric quality can vary. Some leathers are spray dyed, others are vat tumble dyed.
Neither appliances or vehicles are forever durable goods without intricate care and or restorations. Variance in humidity and exposure to solar ultra violet rays also affect wear.
While most Cadiilacs were final assembled in Detroit, some Eldorado's were out of Linden NJ, with their E body cousin's, Toronado and Riviera.
Many also received custom roof treatments from American Sunroof, founded by Heinz Pretcher, a German born innovator. He battled depression, and left us much too soon.
Later Fleetwood broughams were out of Arlington Texas.
Fisher body trim, and Turnstead morphed into Fisher Guide, then Delphi. There were many changes, some good, some blunders.

 

[circlew]

In the spring & summer of '77, I worked in a hardware store that was a dealer for Frigidaire and Maytag. While we had the 1-18 washers & dryers on display, the management would discourage customers from buying the Frigidaire, and try to convince them to buy Maytag. I only remember one Frigidaire washer being sold during that time, but lots of Maytags.

 

[5433073]

Roller matics suxed one problem was the bolt that held the spin roller was bad to break off then out the mech had to come and hope you could get the stub out. later on they used longer screws and you could get them out with a small pair of visegrips...that design was junk. 1959 was the year Frigidaire went in the toilet sad as I loved to work on the unimatics....

 

[norgeway]

But one thing is for sure...INHO

Frigidaires ALWAYS outwashed Maytags,Maytags were dependable because they were like most other washers on low speed,Norges, GE Filter Flos,Kelvinators and Philcos all were more aggressive, had faster more aggressive actions,and therefore gave somewhat more trouble than a Maytag...a car running 90 wears out faster than one driven 35!