Melvin,
Cool information and pictures!
That model is listed in the WP catalog -- Interesting that it has a conventional model number. I wondered what the xxx791 was all about, as that's pretty high number. Usually they are 701, 711, 721, 731, 741, maybe up to 751. The 791 must have set it apart.
If four of these came in at once to the shop, they may have all come from the same place? Four late 80s DDs is one thing, but four suds models, that seems a bit unusual, and interesting, at least to me! Also interesting that the suds functions had been deactivated in the other three machines. You'd think in an area where these machines have been popular in the past, that their 'green' aspects would make the machines easy to sell fully functional. Who knows, maybe they were failing in the suds area?
On the timer for the 90, it doesn't look like your machine has much additional space used for the suds. As John said, the giant off in between pre-wash and Normal has that dry agitate section, and that is there on many (maybe all?) of the 4-cycle timers of this era. The other two suds return sections look like simple highlights of what is otherwise the drain portions, which are unmarked in non-suds models. There could be a couple extra 'clicks' used, I don't know. In the 90 series of the late 80s and early 90s, or even my 92 70-series and Chance's 80, there may not be any spare room in that timer. When the second rinse is active, all the offs are one click wide and there appears to be no spare space.
The later 90 series machines had very uncluttered timers, with just one giant cycle - it has a pre-soak in front, followed by an agitate period for a pre-wash, the main cycle, and a second rinse. All the variations were done via rotary switches for speeds, activation of the second rinse, etc. There would probably be plenty of room in this version for a suds return.
My '93 has the top layer of holes in the basket too. I think these went on into the mid-90s. Unlike with a BD, I can't say when they changed, as I have never followed these with the level of interest that I have in BDs. I do know that the original DDs, even the first editions of the 3.0 cu. ft. basket, the perfs resembled belt-drives, with holes only half-way or 2/3 the way up the basket wall.
I would venture to say that the 70-series DDs you saw with straight vane agitators may have been conversions if they were 3.0 baskets. Kenmore had been putting DAs in lesser models by this time and the DA was a 70-series selling feature. There was a few 60-series machines with a straight vane though, and they looked very much like, if not identical, to the 70s. The 1992 60 even used a 70 series timer, but only the Perm Press and Normal were active - the rest were all non-wired dead cycles. Seems like a waste but they didn't have to design another new timer.
I'm glad you found this interesting machine Melvin.
Gordon
Cool information and pictures!
That model is listed in the WP catalog -- Interesting that it has a conventional model number. I wondered what the xxx791 was all about, as that's pretty high number. Usually they are 701, 711, 721, 731, 741, maybe up to 751. The 791 must have set it apart.
If four of these came in at once to the shop, they may have all come from the same place? Four late 80s DDs is one thing, but four suds models, that seems a bit unusual, and interesting, at least to me! Also interesting that the suds functions had been deactivated in the other three machines. You'd think in an area where these machines have been popular in the past, that their 'green' aspects would make the machines easy to sell fully functional. Who knows, maybe they were failing in the suds area?
On the timer for the 90, it doesn't look like your machine has much additional space used for the suds. As John said, the giant off in between pre-wash and Normal has that dry agitate section, and that is there on many (maybe all?) of the 4-cycle timers of this era. The other two suds return sections look like simple highlights of what is otherwise the drain portions, which are unmarked in non-suds models. There could be a couple extra 'clicks' used, I don't know. In the 90 series of the late 80s and early 90s, or even my 92 70-series and Chance's 80, there may not be any spare room in that timer. When the second rinse is active, all the offs are one click wide and there appears to be no spare space.
The later 90 series machines had very uncluttered timers, with just one giant cycle - it has a pre-soak in front, followed by an agitate period for a pre-wash, the main cycle, and a second rinse. All the variations were done via rotary switches for speeds, activation of the second rinse, etc. There would probably be plenty of room in this version for a suds return.
My '93 has the top layer of holes in the basket too. I think these went on into the mid-90s. Unlike with a BD, I can't say when they changed, as I have never followed these with the level of interest that I have in BDs. I do know that the original DDs, even the first editions of the 3.0 cu. ft. basket, the perfs resembled belt-drives, with holes only half-way or 2/3 the way up the basket wall.
I would venture to say that the 70-series DDs you saw with straight vane agitators may have been conversions if they were 3.0 baskets. Kenmore had been putting DAs in lesser models by this time and the DA was a 70-series selling feature. There was a few 60-series machines with a straight vane though, and they looked very much like, if not identical, to the 70s. The 1992 60 even used a 70 series timer, but only the Perm Press and Normal were active - the rest were all non-wired dead cycles. Seems like a waste but they didn't have to design another new timer.
I'm glad you found this interesting machine Melvin.
Gordon
