Help! Kenmore visimatic trouble

[vacuumguy99]

I'm chugging away on lady visi

So the knocking noise that started this tear down was still there after fresh oil and a gear adjustment mostly because the spring washers on the main round gear adjustment stud are missing mean nothing aside from the snug fit of the stud in the hole was holding the gear in place, the "fork gear" or gear that hooks to the agitator shaft that swings back and forth has it's washers in place,so that should be an easy enough replacement fix. I took everything out of the gear case except the worm gear coming off the motor and clean it out with wd40 and some paper towels. I did make sure not to leave paper bits in the gear case. Finally got the silicone to seal the pump and some may go over warn down sections of the gearcase seal. I'm planning on replacing the cord an wiring harness since it's as basic as it is,a cord and 7 auxiliary wires. Wringer will come after that's all finished!

 

[launderess]

Great work so far....

Kept it up!

 

[vacuumguy99]

What else are weekends for lol

Well things are going pretty well so far, I found out I have a Fastenal hardware shop 20 minutes from my house and they sell the spring washers I need for the gear case, I have the old wiring out and after drawing up a schematic I have a new wiring harness and had a cord laying around with a breaker in the plug from a swimming pool pump, that will all go in after I'm done with the gears, the case got the cork seal replaced with permatex ultra synthetic gasket maker, I think when all is said and done I'll get a video of the visi running on YouTube!

 

[vacuumguy99]

Well the hardware store didn't have the parts so they got ordered off Amazon and will be here Tuesday. In the interim I clean all the parts up with break cleaner and with out thinking washed the grease out of the bearing on the top half of the gear housing where the agitator shaft goes so got that all tore apart to find the shaft itself had grit between it and the cover and it was grinding at the shaft making things hard to move. Everything got cleaned and packed with marine grease and now she spins freely. So gear case has been completed gone through, the wiring has been completely updated, the pump got cleaned out and oiled and the only other thing that needs gone over is the gearcase of the wringer. I know one thing,I've had my hands through this thing more than the typical Whirlpool service man probably would have lol. How long do you think I could have this thing running for? It seems that everything on it's in really good shape and I mean the only thing that might break down at some point is the motor and at this point, should it go, I could switch out the end plates and use pretty much any 1/4 HP electric motor.

 

[mayken4now]

WOW

Mark. Glad you are having fun and going through a total restore with your machine. It's a lot of work, trust me, been there. When it's all completed, you'll be so proud! Looking forward to your final re-assembly. You're doing a good job cleaning every part. The marine grease is perfect!

 

[vacuumguy99]

After the mechanics get adjusted.....

and everything is running smoothly I'm going over the outside and fixing the chips in the porcelain, spray the inside of the skirt with some rustoleum to keep the little bit of rust at bay and I'm going to repaint the matte black finish on the control panel in a gloss black finish. Oh can't forget in an earlier fan overhaul we did (1950s Westinghouse Mobilaire) we found a chrome paint that actually looks to be chrome, that will be used to replace the chrome lettering on the agitator and pump handles.

 

[vacuumguy99]

Certainly no lacq of effort

The control panel and knob have been coated in black lacquer, the pump and control knobs have fresh chrome paint, the skirt and wringer shaft housing are 90% prepped for white lacquer and that will be done tomorrow

 

[DADoES]

 
Amazing, expert work!

 

[mickeyd]

Kudos, Kiddo!

I agree with Glenn, and I can't wait to see her showroom finish. Do you think, Mark, that grit you found the other day way down inside may have been causing the squeak?

 

[vacuumguy99]

You know, now that you say that I do remember thinking there was some noise coming from that area. I think it might have been part of problem being that it was hard to turn but not the whole issue

 

[vacuumguy99]

Everything short of the wringer has been repainted. I learned the hard way that lacquer can't go over enamel paint (that was a messy clean up) the agitator and pump arms got chrome paint over the area that the chrome peeled off. The spring washer is supposed to get here tomorrow and the final assembly will be underway shortly after.

 

[vacuumguy99]

Okay everyone I can't for the life of me figure out how the main round gear and worm gear go together without binding half way through the rotation. Can anyone give me any tips or tricks. I really want to use this machine but its putting up a good fight

 

[vacuumguy99]

That gear case

Was Royal pain in the you know what. I didn't end up needing the wave washer but I did get some bluing and soap nuts in that purchase, I think one of the gear pins has a slight bend in it to adjust the gear that goes to the agitator but being that I didn't know that I spent about half an hour trying to make that pin work with the round gear.... Then I switched the pins and everything ran hunky dory, the top half got put on and the agitator wouldn't engage, I spun the bent pin not even a quarter of a turn and heard clunk. The agitator gear seated in place. Now I don't even hear the slight tapping noise that I was told is fairly common on these machines so the gear case is now buttery smooth, a little clear coat on the metal skirt will mark the end of painting and the beginning of reassembly!

 

[mickeyd]

I really want to use this machine but its putting up a good

fight. Brought a smile. You're beginning to sound like a seasoned old pro. Was it Rustoleum you used for the Chrome. I used gold to paint my metal Hydractor. It's really good stuff.

Pretty exciting, Mark. Buttery smooth and almost ready to roll. Such amazing machines, and you'll probably have it forever.

 

[vacuumguy99]

I used a paint called VHT specialty products plate finish for the chrome. I'll put a picture of what it looks like on the castors. And at this point I feel like a seasoned pro lol. I'm letting everything dry and will probably reassemble this weekend!

 

[vacuumguy99]

I think it's fixed

Finally got the first 3 loads washed rinsed and wringed and it hummed along. Gonna do some more tomorrow but it's time to call it a night! Thanks for the help everyone, I couldn't have done it without you all

 

[mickeyd]

Was just gonna ask ~

Did fixing the wringer get the best of you or have you been busy elsewhere? They are very complicated mechanisms with lots O' parts.

Glad you got 'er going. How 'bout a few pix of the finished machine in operation !

 

[vacuumguy99]

So far I haven't taken the wringer apart,sorting out every other little problem took so long that thing burnt me out. But I'm sure once I get a few laundry days out of it my batteries will be ready to mess around with the wringer. Pics will be up later this afternoon!

 

[mickeyd]

My apologies: I mistakenly thought the wringer was broken. The Visimatic wringers are state of the art, and "If it ain't broke...." you know the rest and all the variations.

 

[vacuumguy99]

The wringer actually is broken as it only runs in one direction but that will be looked at in the future. Right now I'm able to do everything I need to so its gonna sit on the back burner.