I must have been very bad to a Whirlpool washer in a past life...

[turquoisedude]

Because the 66 Inglis is being very bad to me...
In preparation for Mike and Darren's visit next week, I thought I'd try and get a couple more washers hooked up for demos. So after re-motoring and re-belting the washer, I finally got a temporary drain hose to the Inglis to use it. I tried a short run and the machine filled, then drained properly. I tried it again and... Nothing! The motor buzzed but the machine wouldn't run or agitate.. I was ticked.
I had to drain the tub into a bucket and I noticed quite a bit of flaky residue spilling into the tub. This makes me fear that something bad has happened to the water pump and it's now jammed. I think this may have been what caused the old motor to fry, but that's just conjecture on my part.
Any thoughts or advice??

 

[cfz2882]

in my experience with BDs,the pump jamming or seizing will not stop the machine-
the belt does not have much"wrap"on the pump pulley and just slips on it,eventually
making a "hot rubber" smell.Can you turn the washer's pulleys by hand? if so
the replacement motor might have the centrifugal switch governor stuck in the run
position(easy to fix)If it is stuck in the run position,you might be able to
free it by giving the lower bearing housing of the motor a whack with a small
hammer

 

[arbilab]

That's a very elegant suggestion, cfz.

 

[turquoisedude]

cfz2882: I didn't get a chance to investigate further yesterday, but I will definitely try turning the pulleys by hand to see what happens. Would it be worthwile to try removing the belt to see if the motor will run with no load??
I had this son of gun working back in March, then due to lack of a drain, I haven't used it since...

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Paul -

While it's hard to ascertain what's happening, I agree with cfz in theory as usually a locked-up pump will not hold down a healthy motor, and you should start smelling a hot belt, or a hot pump pulley, etc. I have even seen pump pulleys that get stripped from the impeller shaft by the force of the belt. BUT, that said, if you re-belted the machine with a brand new one, the new supple belt may grab better and be less likely to slip, though that is conjecture on my part.

Have you checked the tightness of the belt? If it is overtightened, that could cause the motor to get hot, and fast.

Debris coming from the pump is an interesting, and possibly unrelated issue, but something you may wish to address. I have seen many pumps that were full and sometimes locked or partially so with pins, BBs and bird shot, and other metal and mineral deposits, etc. When they dry out completely, I have occasionally been able to shake them and hear the debris rattling around. This could easily cause operational issues with your pump.

I would check to see how easily rotated the belt is, then check how easily the pump's pulley can be rotated when the belt is not on it. It should be easy to turn with no resistance.

As to running the motor with no load, I don't believe this is a good real-world test as the conditions are so much lighter duty that I've had a motor or two that seem to run fine with nothing attached that can't turn the belt even in full neutral, which is the lightest loading condition in a BD.

Gordon

 

[turquoisedude]

Further tests...

I started by doing something that I think may come back to bite me... I tried plugging the machine in and powering up the motor one more time before pulling the machine out to take a look inside. I heard the distinctive crackle of electricity NOT flowing into the motor and I cut the power immediately. Now I am amfraid that I messed up the replacement motor!!

I had a look at the motor and transmission and tried to move the belt by hand. The belt did not seem overly tight but nothing was moving... I was not happy.
Finally by rocking the main transmission pulley gently, I got the belt to move but it was still very very stiff. I watched the belt move and I realized that it was dragging on the water pump pulley. A little persuasion there got the pump pulley turning again, but I heard a scraping sound as the pulley completed a full turn.
But by the end of it all, everything seemed to be moving again.

Now, I would like to seek advice and opinions on what to do next...
Should I try the motor again or have I messed that up?
If the water pump is the culprit, what should I be doing to make sure it is running smoothly? Can it be removed, cleaned, and lubricated or should I be looking for a replacement?
OR do I have a potentially bigger tranmission problem that I am mis-diagnosing?

I am getting a wee bit discouraged with this one so all advice is welcome!

 

[turquoisedude]

Pump problem...

So, I took the pump out of the Inglis this weekend as well. I was convinced that it was the problem that had locked up the motor and possibly fried the replacement one I put in this spring...

 

[turquoisedude]

Exhibit 'A'

Look at the crud that came out of this pump! EEEESH!! No wonder it got stuck.
I flushed everything out, but now I wonder, what the heck caused this? Is this a sign of some serious corrosion or tub damage??

 

[strongenough78]

Wow is that stuff metal? There was once where we had to flush out the drain hose and pump because the magic clean filter had captured so much crap like cat hair that it clogged it and wouldn't drain. It didn't stop it from running though.

 

[turquoisedude]

Yep, it's metal flakes alright!  I am hoping that it was just some loose stuff from the upper tub area that got knocked loose when this poor dear got thrown on its back three times during the re-belting and re-motoring process.   I am going to flush the tub out before I put the pump back on, to be sure there's no other surprises lurking...

 

I am just hoping this is not the sign of more serious corrosion.   I had a portable Inglis machine (a 1978 model) that seemed idestructible, but one sad day, the opening at the bottom of the inner tub just fell apart...  

 

[swestoyz]

Paul - the flecks of rust look to be remains of the base plate post that have broken loose from the post.

Now would be a good time to pull the wash tub and inspect the post.

Best case scenario: it may be salvageable by coating it with some POR-15.

The photo below is from Robert's '57 Lady K resto page.

Ben
[this post was last edited: 7/18/2011-14:50]

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Paul -

Rust in chunks like that typically comes from two places in these machines - either the baseplate centerpost, and/or the centerpost of the inner basket.

I am afraid that the more likely of the two issues is often the baseplate centerpost. If that is deteriorating, it can rust enough to break in half, and the machine will require 'putting down' or a transplanted baseplate.

If this were mine and I didn't want to put down the machine permanently or go through the hassle of a machine reconstruction (which is what you have to do to replace the baseplate), I would pull out the inner basket and see what you're dealing with before you keep using the machine. You should be able to halt the rust, or at least slow it down a lot, if you clear it off and seal the remaining area, then change the machine's spin-tube and bearing seals so that water doesn't ride that far up the centerpost anymore.

I hate to have to suggest that, but these rust chunks are not healthy signs.

Gordon

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Paul,

I had typed my message then was proof-reading when I got called away from my desk. Sorry to repeat what Ben said.

Here's a picture of a more healthy centerpost taken during the disassembly of my 1976 Kenmore 60:

I had removed the outer tub for this shot. I still sealed the minor rust at the top and bottom. The lower rust comes from the tub gasket sitting tightly next to it forever. The upper rust comes from moisture in the centerpost, which collects at the top of the agitator where the seals are located. This was just surface rust that I sanded and covered the 3M sealant.

Gordon

 

[turquoisedude]

Hmmm....  I think it may just be time to throw in the towel on this one.... 

 

I need to cut the collection drastically and fast - if anyone may be interested in the Inglis set (as is, of course) please email me.   I have some extra parts for the washer and the dryer that may be of use.  I will also try to get the original dryer motor back from the repair place that has been holding it hostage for nearly a year now....

 

[turquoisedude]

Dumb question... IF I was to try and remove the inner tub, is there a way to safely remove the drive nut without the specific Whirlpool wrench??

 

[combo52]

REMOVING BASKET LOCK NUT

Yes just as always soak the threads with penetrating oil and take a hammer and a blunt chisel and pound away. I often have done this without the spanner wrench, I didn't even own one for years. Many of the special tools that were made for disassembling washers are nice to have but others are quite unnecessary and can be done easily other ways.

 

Some of the most useless tools for washers are the oil & water bellows pliers for Frigidare, the brake removing tool for helical drive MTs and the bearing removing tool for WP washers.