How To Replace The Two Speed Clutch On A G.E. Filter Flo

[thatwasherguy]

Now, reinstall the motor.

Tip the washer forward again, and slip the motor back underneath it. Align it with the three studs that hold it on, and add the washers and lock nuts, only tightening them enough to hold the motor up off the floor. You’ll need the motor to be able to slide in order to get the belt hooked back over the outer drum. Once this is done, tighten the nuts up until they’re tight, and then back them off slightly. Pull the motor away from the transmission until the belt is nice and tight, then re tighten the nuts.

 

[thatwasherguy]

You’re almost there!

Plug the two connectors back in, and reinstall the pump coupler.

 

[thatwasherguy]

The final step!

Set the washer on a spin cycle, and enjoy the sound of a silky smooth Filter Flo!

Hope this was helpful,
Thatwasherguy.

 

[combo52]

Replacing a two speed clutch on a GE filter flow washer

Well done, as everyone can tell from your good instructions it’s fairly detailed thing because you have to disassemble the clutch to remove it from the motor and to reinstall it after a while GE started just selling the whole motor and clutch in a unit which was often not a bad deal if you had one that was in bad shape.

Of course you don’t have to remove the pump drive from the pump and from the driver on the top of the clutch unless you replacing that rubber driver or replacing the water pump.

I always just lay the whole washing machine on the face of the machine with some padding rather than try to work underneath it.

It was always amazing that GE went all the trouble with these multi speed clutches and yet they were one of the world‘s largest makers of electric motors and they could’ve easily just put a two speed motor in the washer.

John L

 

[bajaespuma]

I always appreciate, celebrate and save these wonderful How-To threads. Guy, thank you very much for doing and posting this. This is a project I actually might be able to do with my very limited tech skills.

John, I agree with your comment about how easy it would have been to use a two-speed motor. But wasn't the issue always that, with a 2-speed motor running on SLOW, the Filter-Flo stream wouldn't have enough momentum to make it into the filter pan? Even I, Filter-Flo lover that I am, recognize that the FF system was mostly BS that used way too much water, but I love those filter pans and I don't think there's a better washing machine for people with Golden Retrievers.

What I wonder about, and never thought about until I joined this site and saw Mr. Seeger's amazing GE AW early Automatic, was WHY, for God's sake, WHY didn't the engineers in Appliance Park use THAT machine (with its Rim-Flo that might not have needed a forceful stream, it's Frigidaire-fast spin speed and it's wash-board solid tub) as the paradigm for their Latter Half of the Twentieth Century models?????????

They went back to the Rim-Flo when they Borg-assimilated Hotpoint washers, but they quickly dumbed-down those machines when Jack Welch and his merry band of bean counters took over. Apparently white goods didn't please the stock-holders as much as nuclear weapons and dirty finance.

 

[thatwasherguy]

Replacing a two speed clutch on a GE filter flow washer

Well done, as everyone can tell from your good instructions it’s fairly detailed thing because you have to disassemble the clutch to remove it from the motor and to reinstall it after a while GE started just selling the whole motor and clutch in a unit which was often not a bad deal if you had one that was in bad shape.

Of course you don’t have to remove the pump drive from the pump and from the driver on the top of the clutch unless you replacing that rubber driver or replacing the water pump.

I always just lay the whole washing machine on the face of the machine with some padding rather than try to work underneath it.

It was always amazing that GE went all the trouble with these multi speed clutches and yet they were one of the world‘s largest makers of electric motors and they could’ve easily just put a two speed motor in the washer.

John L

Thanks! I agree, I always thought that going to the trouble of having a multi speed clutch on these was kind of strange. On the other hand, it certainly made these machines unique.

I always appreciate, celebrate and save these wonderful How-To threads. Guy, thank you very much for doing and posting this. This is a project I actually might be able to do with my very limited tech skills.

John, I agree with your comment about how easy it would have been to use a two-speed motor. But wasn't the issue always that, with a 2-speed motor running on SLOW, the Filter-Flo stream wouldn't have enough momentum to make it into the filter pan? Even I, Filter-Flo lover that I am, recognize that the FF system was mostly BS that used way too much water, but I love those filter pans and I don't think there's a better washing machine for people with Golden Retrievers.

What I wonder about, and never thought about until I joined this site and saw Mr. Seeger's amazing GE AW early Automatic, was WHY, for God's sake, WHY didn't the engineers in Appliance Park use THAT machine (with its Rim-Flo that might not have needed a forceful stream, it's Frigidaire-fast spin speed and it's wash-board solid tub) as the paradigm for their Latter Half of the Twentieth Century models?????????

They went back to the Rim-Flo when they Borg-assimilated Hotpoint washers, but they quickly dumbed-down those machines when Jack Welch and his merry band of bean counters took over. Apparently white goods didn't please the stock-holders as much as nuclear weapons and dirty finance.

Thanks! The how to threads on here helped me tremendously with my 1978 Maytag restoration, so I figured I’d do one on this machine, since there wasn’t one already. I’m happy to hear that I did well enough at explaining the procedure that you feel confident in performing the repair. If this thread keeps even one Filter Flo from being scrapped, then it was worth it. I’ve also wondered why they didn’t keep the super fast spin speed of their previous models. I wonder if most people not having dryers back then, and thus being more concerned about wrinkles contributed to their decision to get rid of it. I totally agree about Jack Welch as well. IMO, it was a mix of him and White Consolidated Industries that started the race to the bottom in domestic appliances.

Thatwasherguy.

 

[Chetlaham]

My honest opinion is they should have just ditched the two speed clutch altogether and built the delicate cycle into the timer. IMO GE offered one of the only washers ever built that could get away with a single speed motor. There ramp agitator was gentle enough the it could accommodate delicate loads with a shortened wash time. Their slip over hand was agitator would also have made a great delicate cycle agitator in single speed machine.

 

[thatwasherguy]

My honest opinion is they should have just ditched the two speed clutch altogether and built the delicate cycle into the timer. IMO GE offered one of the only washers ever built that could get away with a single speed motor. There ramp agitator was gentle enough the it could accommodate delicate loads with a shortened wash time. Their slip over hand was agitator would also have made a great delicate cycle agitator in single speed machine.

I agree. The two speed clutch is a neat feature from a collector standpoint, but from a practicality standpoint, there are several other ways that they could have accomplished a delicate wash. I’m with you, I think they could have gotten away with an intermittent agitation setup like the Maytag fabric-matic machines, especially with the hotpoint hand wash agitator. Honestly, I think that the ramped activator is one of if not the best standard back and forth agitator that anyone ever made.

Thatwasherguy.

 

[Chetlaham]

I agree. The two speed clutch is a neat feature from a collector standpoint, but from a practicality standpoint, there are several other ways that they could have accomplished a delicate wash. I’m with you, I think they could have gotten away with an intermittent agitation setup like the Maytag fabric-matic machines, especially with the hotpoint hand wash agitator. Honestly, I think that the ramped activator is one of if not the best standard back and forth agitator that anyone ever made.

Thatwasherguy.

I remember their MOL and TOL models had a poly knit cycle the did a combination of wash and soak. Their single speed BOL models had delicate labelled on the Permanent Press cycle but with a shorter wash time. Everything including the spins were shortened on the Permanent Press cycle.

 

[DADoES]

That business of labeling a Delicate cycle at a shorter wash time on a one-speeder is highly misleading, unless intermittent agitation is involved. I had a friend (deceased, miss you Brenda!) who had a typical lower-end one-speed GE FF with Regular and PP cycles, three temps, three fill levels. She had been of the impression that the Delicate timer setting runs at a slower speed, was shocked when I explained it's just a label at the shorter wash time and runs at full speed through the entire cycle from that point to the end, no different than starting at a longer time.

 

[Chetlaham]

That business of labeling a Delicate cycle at a shorter wash time on a one-speeder is highly misleading, unless intermittent agitation is involved. I had a friend (deceased, miss you Brenda!) who had a typical lower-end one-speed GE FF with Regular and PP cycles, three temps, three fill levels. She had been of the impression that the Delicate timer setting runs at a slower speed, was shocked when I explained it's just a label at the shorter wash time and runs at full speed through the entire cycle from that point to the end, no different than starting at a longer time.

Well, let me pitch you this question. How many have taken complaint to their BOL GE having a shortened PP cycle as the delicate cycle? How many noticed when their two or three speed clutch became one speed only as with most every two and three speed filter flo?

 

[combo52]

Intermittent high speed agitation on top load washers was a very bad idea that did not really give you a delicate wash cycle and yes, whirlpool did it as well. It did not make it a good system.

GE made a huge mistake, putting two speed clutches in washing machines to get a two speed wash, action or delicate cycle.

Somebody definitely should’ve been fired. It would’ve been so easy just to put a pump for the filter flow that moved more water in a small solenoid valve to slow the water flow down when it was running at full speed of the motor, much less complicated when you consider how many GE washers hit the trash pile because of that clutch failing.

When you ran a two speed filter flow washer at low speed the clutch was slipping constantly was like driving your car with a foot on the brakes. What do you expect to happen?

We used to have customers that use nothing but low speed on GE filter, flow washers there be a big pile of dust from the linings on top of the motor and the machine would stop working all together. Was never a good idea.

The other terrible thing on GE filter flow washers was at the inner wash tub crashed into the outer tub when the load would go out of balance, I don’t think any other machine was ever built that would immediately start destroying itself when it was one week old and taking the enamel off the outer tub, allowing it to rust through eventually in many cases Again, destroying the washer.

And people think they make throwaway junk today, lol

John L