Help wanted: RCA Custom 60 washer not draining...

[leeward]

Hello all,

I found this site while searching for info on my machine.

My machine is labeled as an "RCA Custom 60"
PLate says:
Distributed by RCA Limited, Montreal, Canada
Model WAA600
Ser#757325
110v 7.5A 60cy

The similar dryer is shown in this thread:
http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?45474

I've been using it since I got it for free back in the early 90's
The original owner thought it died and left it behind in the place I was renting back then. The belt had been replaced with one the wrong size and it was too tight. I changed the belt and it has worked ever since.

Unfortunately it stopped draining a couple days ago.

It fills up, agitator works, but it doesn't drain.
Motor is running when it should be draining.
The agitator is stopped at that point so that seems to be working as expected.
If I bail out the water, it will spin.

I'm looking for a manual for it, or even one with a similar configuration/transmission.

I figure I can simply strip it down and figure out how each mode works, and check all the wiring, but a manual will help fill in all the details.

Like.... should I change the oil ? Anything else I should service at the same time ? Should I even bother ?

I love the fact that this machine was running all these years, and I hate to see it die.
Not to mention that the idea of buying one the current POS machines, which seem to be designed to last 6 years, leaves me cold.

Anyone have a manual or know where I can get one ?
Any other suggestions ?

Thanks very much in advance.

 

[washdaddy]

Sounds like a water pump issue.

More than likely you have a water pump that has gone up. If you look under the machine while it's running look at the pulley that's on the pump. It should be spinning if the motor is running. If it isn't, the pump has seized up. They are easy enough to replace. There isn't anything electrical about the pump it's all mechanical. Just disconnect the hoses, remove a couple of bolts, take the belt off the pulley and the pump will come out of the machine.  Re-assemble in the reverse order and you should be good to go. 

 

Just be sure to have some toweling or a shallow pan handy. There may be some residual water in the machine when you disconnect the pump. And of course while doing the pump switch make sure you unplug the machine for safety sake.

 

[leeward]

Thanks for the reply !

I had been under the impression that the pump and transmission were contained in the same assembly, but I found a washer parts website that showed the basic configuration.

The belt was spinning when it was in drain mode, but the belt is a bit loose.
I'm embarassed to say it's the same belt I installed back in 1990.
I've read that they should have less than 1/2" deflection, just like an automotive v-belt setup ?

I'll pull the hoses off and checking for anything clogging the pump and make sure it spins freely. Then I'll report back.

I'm amazed that a pump would still be available if needed.

One thing I'd love to find is the timer bezel/dial, or at least a photo of one.
The knob itself is available, but the outer markings on the dial are worn off from before I owned the machine.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[DADoES]

 
The belt doesn't need to be nearly as tight as automobile belts.  Too tight will cause excess wear on the pump bearing.  As I recall, 1/2" deflection halfway between the motor and transmission pulleys with moderate hand pressure ... 6 to 10 lbs or something like that.

 

[leeward]

You are correct. The pump wasn't turning.

I put the machine on it's back and pulled the pump out.
A simple 2 bolts, 2 hoses, and it was out.

I couldn't spin the pulley by hand.
I pulled the clips off the pump housing to check to see if it was jammed and there was no large debris.

A little investigation, and I learned that the pulley was threaded on (not pressed or set screw) and removed it.
After I removed the single screw and separated the metal frame and plastic impeller housing, I drove the shaft out with a mallet.

There was a bunch of cloth debris wrapped around the shaft where the o-ring and impeller meet, but that wasn't the full problem.
I pulled the brass bearing from the shaft and cleaned up both. I used a bench mounted wire wheel on the shaft and a scotch brite style pad on the brass bearing.

The felt packing was a bit worse for wear but I think it should be ok.

After rinsing the whole thing with solvent and then brake cleaner, I applied silicone spray lube to the shaft and liberally soaked the felt packing (which I assume is meant as a lubrication "feed" for the bearing.

The o-ring at appeared to be ok so I didn't replace it at this point.

The pump is back in the machine and it's working.

Once the floor dries I'll run it though a few cycles to see if the pump leaks.
(I have a concrete floor with a drain so I didn't care about water coming from the machine after I drained it and put it on it's side.)

the transmission has oil leaking from someplace so If the pump isn't leaking, I'll pull it apart in the spring and refurbish it. The gasket between the 2 halves looks to be the culprit. If so, RTV should, I assume fix it.

In the meantime I'll keep an eye out for a different machine. I'd love to find one of the 1960's model with all the push buttons and illuminated panel.

Worst case I may be able to find a parts machine so I can fully refurb this one.
Unfortunately, most of the traditional appliance repair/new/used machine businesses have closed down here. Most of them just sell new machines, sub out and repair work, and don't carry a traditional parts inventory, even for models that are 10 years old.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[philr]

You have a lint filter like that on the right?  Is there anything written at the top of the agitator? 

 

 

 

[pierreandreply4]

rca supreme 70

Great washer it reminds me of the washer that my mom bough while pregnat with me witch was an inglis superb brush lint filter like the model that is pictured

 

[leeward]

No lint filter. Simpler model than the one in your photos.

Timer has 3 cycles. Normal, short, and permanent press.
Water level knob with 3 settings
5 position temperature selector.

The agitator never had a cap in the time I've had the machine.

Photos attached. Sorry for the crap quality. This tablet's camera hates uneven lighting.

 

[philr]

No lint filter?! OK, I was going to suggest you buying a spare pump for it as they are still available and not very expensive but I don't know exactly what kind of pump you need since there's no lint filter. I guess others with more knowledge about Inglis/RCA/Whirlpool/Kenmore washers will tell you. I thought all models from this time period either had the "Dispenser/Filter" or the Self-Clean filter. 

 

[pierreandreply4]

i would also suggest that you replace the dial skirt as well since the one you have the writing has kind of faded away

 

[turquoisedude]

Hmmmm... The dial from the Canadian Whirlpool that bravely donated its transmission to bring the '66 Inglis back to life might fit this machine, however I think it may have bilingual text.  I'll try to dig it out this weekend and try to post a photo.  

 

[philr]

I just got the RCA Supreme 70 in the pictures I sent above. It's in very good condition for a machine that was used regularly since the early 1970's!

 

Unlike the similar Whirlpool Supreme 70 that was sold in the US, this machine has 3 cycles (no super wash) and no self-clean filter but it does have infinite water level control which isn't that common on Whirlpool (or Inglis) machines from the early 1970's that aren't TOL.

 

Unlike my 1972 Inglis Royal 100, this one doesn't have bilingual instructions on it's control panel. It does have a white Inglis agitator as you can see in the previous pictures I posted. I can't tell if it's original or if it has been replaced.

 

[barcoboy]

I might have asked this question before, and if so, forgive me, but in what year did RCA switch from a Whirlpool to a Westinghouse design, or vice versa? My grandmother had an RCA washer from around this time frame, and it definitely wasn't Whirlpool "under the hood", but was more like the washer below, including the locking lid. The control panel was very similar to the ones here, except I remember the rinse in the Permanent Press cycle taking up a lot of real estate on the timer dial, probably to incorporate whatever cool down it did.

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMpRVLZkyQI

 

[philr]

I think it's around 1975. There was another Inglis-based RCA washer design after this one and then they switched to Westinghouse for both their washers and dishwashers. The 1975 RCA washer brochure is available for download on this site and it features Westinghouse clones... Note that they kept the slanted console design and Supreme name from the previous Inglis/Whirlpool-based machines.

Home Appliance Information Library at Automatic Ephemera

 

[leeward]

Well.... the pump finally started having problems draining the drum fully.

I picked up a newer.. but still old.. GE machine to replace it.
(Not sure the age of the newer one, but it's got a concrete block offset from the motor, and doesn't have the big gearbox that the RCA machine had/has.)

I have so many projects that I don't have time to bother with finding a pump and fixing it while doing laundry at the laundromat.

Anyone need parts ?

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Pumps

A 350365 or 350367 pump is plentiful. 20-some dollars USD is the average price on EBay or online. Would take you less time to change the pump than it would to un-install this machine and install the GE.

Gordon

 

[vacerator]

Belt drive Whirlpool

washers like this RCA also have the wig wag double solenoids on the transmission shaft which throw the pump lever to drain I think? Those solenoids can fail, and or the wires connecting them to the timer or relay can get torn inside the insulation because they always move with the agitation motion of the transmission.
My dad always told me without his trusty multi meter, his job would have been difficult.

 

[philr]

If you part it out, I might be interested in the agitator cap, does it say RCA?

My Supreme 70 has a cap that says "Inglis".

 

[leeward]

Gordon, thanks for the heads up !

I had assumed that the pump, and other parts for the whirlpool style wigwag machines would no longer be commonly available.

The GE unit is already in and the old RCA is outside covered with a tarp.

I don't feel too bad about swapping it out though. The gearbox was leaking, the top was missing it's front retaining clips as long as I had owned it, the timer bezel would no longer hold itself in the correct position on the shaft, the lid shutoff switch was missing, and the wiring really needed to be refurbished due to corrosion.
It had been previously abused when I got it for free decades ago, and I only expected it to last a few months until I would buy a new one. A belt, and 25 years later and it was still going.

As an interesting aside, I did a search online for the pump here in Canada, and the prices came up $100 to $150 CAD @ amazon.ca. AMRE supply was the cheapest appliance parts outlet at $75. ebay parts were all in the USA and the cheapest $12, with shipping in, would be $61 CAD

Add that to the time i would have to wait, while doing laundry down the street at a laundromat....

I picked up the GE, which is in great condition, for $100.

That said, I'd sell it in a shot if i could find one of the nice fancy push button vintage machines.

"vacerator": Solenoids work fine. I stepped it though the cycle while watching it to confirm the pump was turning and the outlet was being opened. It did drain, just not fully. The impeller and bottom cover of the pump was damaged from them rubbing against each other. (The impeller is sitting on a slight angle)
I suspect that the reason the pump failed was the the belt being too tight, way back when we got the machine. The machine had been abandoned by a previous tenant in a house I rented back then, it was so tight that the machine would not run and I couldn't turn it by hand. I put the correct belt on and it worked. I wonder how long it was used with the wrong belt ?

PhilR: It doesn't has a cap. Just a bolt on the top of the agitator. (see the photo earlier in this thread)

So are the parts readily available ?
Should I simply call the scrap guys to come get the machine ? (i've pulled the motor out since it could be re-purposed)