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Wow! Such a great thread already. Thanks for sharing this Paul, and congrats. I really like this machine, nice find!
 
"The Master Cylinders"

Is that range really supposed to have those screw-in fuses?

Did a lot of, or all of, electric stoves have 'em?

I've just never seen many opened up to reveal them, even here...

-- Dave
 
Dave, only electric ranges made in Canada had fuses for all electrical components (range elements and electrical outlets) - it was a product safety requirement that endured until the 90s. 

 

At least the 77 Frigidaire range of Phil's had them in a convenient spot - the 57 Super model I learned to cook on had a fuse panel at the rear of the stove, behind the storage drawer!
 
Thank you--and that's what I have figured from what I have read here...

However, there just so happened to be a "Product of General Motors ____(Insert)___" that I believe threw me off...

As for the DW, make sure you are able to pound out that dent in the control panel, if not find a scrap one where the control panel is actually good, and enjoy it in the greatest of health, even if it does't match the rest of your kitchen compadres (or are able to find/acquire suitable matches) in that last run of Harvest Gold...

-- Dave
 
The fuses were on ranges made in/or for Canada.

In this case, the range was made for Canada but in Dayton Ohio.

Most appliances were the same for Canada and the US but the ranges, cooking tops, wall ovens and clothes dryers had to be built to meet different codes. When Frigidaire products began to be distributed in Canada again around 1976, they were required to have the CSA approval. Back in the 1960s and even before, some US-made appliances were already imported and approved by the CSA. That's the case for my 1959 Frost-Proof refrigerator and my 1960 Frost-Proof freezer which were made in Dayton. By the late 1960s, more appliances were imported from the States but the ranges and washers/dryers were still made in Canada, some washers and dishwashers were also still made here as well as built-ins.
Before 1971, Frigidaire made ranges for the Canadian market in their Canadian plants. The last one in Scarborough Ontario gradually switched to automotive parts production in the 1960s and in 1970 they stopped making appliances. Apparently, GM was trying to avoid tariffs on the Frigidaire appliances that were imported here through the Auto Pact deal as they were made in an auto factory.

That didn't work so they stopped to sell appliances and they kept distributing the parts through Delco Canada. About 5 years later, a company named Elitech who also distributed Indesit appliances and Eureka vacuum cleaners started to distribute Frigidaire appliances again but they were expensive and not widely distributed as they were back in the 1960s or after WCI bought Frigidaire from GM.

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And now back to the dishwasher...

A model number has been found (thanks, Steve!) and it has to be the 1978 model.

 

Sorry for the blurry picture but it is a DWM44 B.  Note the CSA stamp - added at the factory in Dayton, no doubt.

Now, let's see if I can find the drip I observed yesterday. 

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Further discoveries...

I did a little more playing/exploring this afternoon trying to locate the source of the drip observed yesterday; it seems to be coming from the left rear corner of the machine but I still have not isolated the source.  My gut feeling is a seal or gasket between the tub and pump (however we all know how trustworthy my gut is...LOL).

Today's water test was done during that Pots & Pans Triple Wash phase of the cycle - that ran 25 minutes! The heating element was on for at least part of the cycle, which makes sense to me. I had not selected the Extra Hot Wash option this time around.

During my tests I drained the dishwasher into a bouquet; the drain hose was submerged. When I tried testing the Rinse and Hold cycle, I was surprised that the machine drew water from the bucket back into the dishwasher.  The suds-saver option, perhaps??  Under normal circumstances, the hose would be fastened to the faucet and well above a sink bowl so I cannot imagine this happened often.

Ah yes, that Rinse and Hold cycle... the option to select this seems to simply force the unheated dry option.  If one wanted to, the machine could run any cycle simply by setting the timer dial where one wanted. I suspect the instructions suggested dialling to the Rinse section of the dial.  

I have got to find the Tech-Talk for this model!! But after I mess with the 55 Norge washer again...

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Oh my!!  Glad I was nearly correct about the length of the Initial Pots & Pans wash phase.  And doesn't surprise me the heating element was on during that phase.  On the 1980 D&M Kemnore that came with my 1980 house, the only time the main wash water would get warm (from a cold fill before water heater was lit),  was when I pushed the P&P button.  That would slow the timer down to extend the main wash to about 30 or 35 minutes and the heater would be on the whole phase. 
 
I just noticed that the color Poppy/Terracotta was just available on the Custom Imperial dishwashers on Steve's document while it was apparently also available on the Imperial on the other document I posted above (photo 3 of 4, "price list").

Strangely, on clothes washers/dryers, Poppy/terracotta was available only on the Custom Deluxe and Gold Crown models. You couldn't get it on the Imperial and Custom Imperial models.

And I just found these documents while searching for something else. I don't have the instruction manual for the exact model I have but I have it for the similar Ceramatop model. It looks like Terracotta was discontinued and Almond was newly available when they printed it.

I connected it to 115 volts outlet and I was happy to see that the clock still works! You can see the pilot light location for the burners of the Canadian model on both the promotional document shown on the picture #2 and on the control panel of my range on picture # 5.

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Further tests of the 'new' Frigidaire dishwasher

I've been in St-Lib this week so I thought I'd do some further tinkering with my new toy, that 78 Frigidaire Imperial dishwasher. 

My first goal was to try to find where the drip I had observed in the first 2 tests might be coming from. I set the machine up on a couple of boards to see if I could observe anything, with the help of my phone camera.  I ran it through a full 'pots and pans' cycle.  Amazingly, no drips or drops were observed! Perhaps the dribbles were due to a dried up seal somewhere... I was pretty happy needless to say.

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However....

Yes there always seems to be a catch with my vintage goodies...  I had selected the 'Extra Hot Wash Temp' option to see how it behaved in a full cycle test.  The timer paused and the dishwasher heated up the water - 'cept it didn't seem to want to stop heating...  

I stopped the machine after 30 minutes and hit the off button for the Extra Hot Wash option. The timer started up again and drained, like what happened in a previous test. But that water was hot!!  Hotter than the James Sweepflow claim of being able to sterilize labware.

So after the cycle ended I thought I had a problem with a high-limit thermostat (like that built-in Kenmore Roto-Rack did).  Trouble is, I didn't see a thermostat in the wash tub.

Would there have been one or just some kind of a cycle extender switch?

I am eagerly searching for some service literature for this dishwasher...

Oh, Phil???

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I don't have one.... I'm going to crack the door panel to see if there may be something tucked in to the timer box like the good folks at Maytag used to do.

 
 

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