HotPoint RimFlo question

[norgechef]

Hi guys. I recently posted about my latest acquisition, a 1979 Canadian Camco manufactured HotPoint RimFlo. Same as the US models as far as I know aside from the bleach dispenser and white porcelain tub. It’s been running great so far. Sometimes has a squeaky belt slipping noise during agitation (only once in a while) which may require a new belt, but the tension seems fine for now.

My question is, why does the control panel point to the machine having the HotPoint “handwash” agitator, but it does not appear to have one. Is it possible there’s one under there even with the traditional appearance of the ramp agitator? I’ll post some pictures of what I mean. As you can tell the agitator appears to be a basic one-piece GE-style ramp activator, but the control panel has a logo near the timer with two agitators. One small and one large, with a star under the small one. You’ll notice it seems the star co-ordinates with a setting on the timer (between the 6 and 3 minute position) and also with the delicate speed setting and the lowest (below minimum) water level position. As if to say these are the settings to be used with the handwash agitator. But there is none, or so it appears.

It’s possible it could have had some work done at one point and had the original mechanism changed out for a new agitator if the transmission or splines had been replaced, but I don’t see anyone wanting to spend extra money on a lower-end agitator to go with any other new part. Unless the actual agitator itself was damaged in some way and needed to be replaced. Any info or advice on why it would have these “star” settings and the handwash agitator logo with seemingly no use for them would be great.

Also, aside from that, I’m perplexed as to how the brake works on these machines. Could someone explain this as well?

Any info would be appreciated, thanks! Pictures are below. Sorry the machine is missing the speed selector knob, it was like that when I bought it. Slow does work, but I only need to use normal speed anyway. Can turn it to slow with my pliers if I need to.

 

[repairguy]

The agitator in your machine is a single piece and there is not one underneath it. It is possible at some point that if it originally had the 2 piece agitator something broke and the one that’s in there now was a replacement. With the machine off and no water in it can you turn the agitator counter clockwise with your hands?

 

[norgechef]

Okay, I thought so

Also no, the agitator does not turn if I move it by hand counterclockwise.

 

[norgechef]

When did GE go from using metal to plastic

For the transmission housing? This machine has a metal housing unlike others I’ve seen online that have plastic ones. Perhaps it could be a Canadian thing? I haven’t seen any other filter flo or rim flo with a metal transmission housing…unless it was changed sometime between the early 80s and early 90s.

 

[repairguy]

I asked about the agitator because sometimes when the agitator coupling fails it will make noise and if you watch the agitation you can clearly see that the agitator isn’t working correctly. When this happens the rubber is separated from the coupling and sometimes you can move the agitator with your hands counterclockwise when you should not be able to.

GE switched to the plastic housing probably in the late 70’s but sometimes Canadian models used the older style longer after the US had changed.

 

[whitetub]

This thread shows the removable agitator. But different than the one we had.

The picture is the one we had when I was growing up. It was more like a straight vane agitator.(4 vanes). It was removable. The delicate agitator didn't move much water.It was like a flat plate with curvy speed bumps on it...

Found a Hotpoint "Rim Flo"

I'm not sure how common these are, but some leads pointed to what appears to be a TOL model. Can anybody give an idea of what year this one was made? I cleaned and ran it several times, there appear to be no problems. There is no rust on the inner cabinet, but the inner tub has it in the usual...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[gelaundry4ever]

GE/hotpoint

I remember these GE/hotpoints. They do work well, but I prefer the GE models.

 

[potatochips]

I had this exact model washer years ago.

Your machine has been altered. The OG machine had a dark grey tub with the two piece hand wash agi. It was a straight vane ago, not a ramp. My machine did have the metal transmission too, and mine was built in 1981. The white tub, which you have, was a early 90s GE thing. Found on the Medallion and Tallisman series Canadian machines before NAFTA.

I can't figure out why someone would be in your machine like that. If the transmission is metal, hard to say if it was swapped out or if its the original one. It's obviously been altered but unless I was there with the machine I can't tell why, other than maybe a bad transmission that was swapped out after say 1994. I'm willing to bet when the transmission was being replaced that the tub rotted out where the bolts went in. I had a machine do that.

 

[cfz2882]

transmission case

it was about 1985 when the transmission switched to plastic case

 

[potatochips]

If it is 1985, it would only be true for the US and not Canada. Pre NAFTA things were weird up here. The only plastic transmission machines I saw up here were the ones imported from the US after NAFTA, and the ones sold as GE was ending the FF line. I had an 88 Beaumark that had a metal trans.

For WP it was even weirder. Kenmore machines were all quiet pak, short post, regular capacity machines with self cleaning filters. Manual filters were rare up here on Kenmores. Most of our Kenmore dryers here too were the big door style. Rare to find a little door dryer.

 

[norgechef]

Huh

I had a feeling the machine may have been modified but thought the same thing, why? Anyways it appears you answered my question. Personally I’m glad knowing it had work done at some point. Having all original parts would likely mean the machine would be in much worse condition. It’s probably the reason the transmission seal hasn’t leaked a drop of oil, etc. Hasn’t been used as long. That’s strange about the transmission housing as well. Maybe Canada never changed over? Maybe all we ever had when filter-flos and rim-flos were being manufactured were the metal transmission housings…they were made at two different plants in two different countries after all.

I also have to say I thought the straight vane agitators were a bit boring on these machines, and had it had one I would not have bought the machine. I like the idea of the handwash agitator but I would not need to be using it very often anyways. If it did have one, I’d prefer it be ramp-style. One thing I liked about the GE’s and Kenmore rim-flos were the ramp-style activator. The straight-vanes on the HotPoint washers just never appealed to me. I also prefer the white tubs. I only ever saw the white tubs in Kenmore badged rim-flos. So maybe I’ve got more of a Kenmore-styled rim-flo inside than a HotPoint or GE.

Also, people tend to forget we also had the “Moffat” brand of rim-flos in Canada. My babysitter had one when I was little. Ramp-style activator with a black spreckle tub. I remember anytime it would go into spin it would make the loudest whirring noise at the beginning until the water was pumped out. I now know that’s the sound these machines make when the clutches go bad. But I loved the sound of the machine on agitation. Never forgot it. Just sounded like so much splashing going on. She must of done primarily small and medium loads. I also remember it smelled awfully musty, or musky, if that’s the word? As does mine. Hers was much worse being in a damp basement. Maybe that odor is a thing with these machines? Almost similar in a way to the smell some front-loaders get over time if the doors are left closed too often.

 

[potatochips]

I think what probably happened was some time after NAFTA the transmission needed replacing, and when the mechanic pulled the tub out, one or more of the bolt holes were rotten. I had that happen. So the only way around it was a new tub. I did not know the white tubs were also on Kenmore machines, always thought those were black speckled tubs, which in of themselves were odd. I only knew of the white tubs being on the higher end GE machines.

I remembered some more oddities that we in Canada only got on the FF line up:

There are more side opening lids here, the rear opening ones were rare. GE was the only brand here to have rear opening lids. Viking was a mix of side and rear. Beaumark was side until the very end of the production of the FF model. All others, McClary, Moffat, Hotpoint, Kenmore, were side openers.

GE was all FF, Viking again was a mix of Rimflo and FF, and everyone else was rim flo.

The transmissions were all sized for standard capacity machines. Fine spline shaft, not coarse.

Most, like 90%, of FF production up here was of the large capacity drums, but with standard capacity transmissions and standard capacity agis with an extension on them. Even the BOL one dial wonder machines were large capacity models.

We had metal rear access panels, not fibre board like the US.

Our pumnps were two piece, as in totally serviceable.

The vast majority of machines produced has infinite water level, five wash rinse temps, three speed selection dials.

90% of the machines sold here too had one timer style. I have four machines made over a fifteen year span that have the same timer model with the same programming. I've also ran in to countless machines up here like that. One dial wonders or BOL/MOL timers are rare.

Keep in mind all of this changed when NAFTA came in to effect. Cameco and Inglis had factories up here and built these machines from scratch. Some parts were imported from the US, but some were made up here.

WP built machines also had similar oddities. The only brand that remained identical in features and designs to their US overlord was Maytag. I have no idea how they skirted trade tariffs and still sold machines up here at a profit when they were made in the US. Perhaps there was some US-Can agreement, or perhaps tariffs were volume based? I don't know.

 

[cfz2882]

Canada/US GE differences

In US,the pumps went to "welded" style about 1991.I found a Canadian GE dryer in my area -it was made in 1987 and the GE motor was made in Canada.Also "Roberts"(square recess)screws were used These screws often indicate an item is of Canadian manufacture,but are used in the US sometimes too

 

[potatochips]

GE Screws

Ahh yes! There is another difference too, robertson/square. WP and Kenmore stuff up here was all robertson too. Maytag was philips.