Latest Find: Aussie Hoover Zodiac 12 (490)

[mattywashboy]

Hi Guys

 

I have always been curious about the Zodiac model of Hoover front load washers here in Australia as I have never encountered one before.

 

Well a few days ago one appeared on Gumtree in my area and from the picture included it looked like it had been cared for well. I rang the owner and had a long conversation about how great the machine was and how she was not wanting to let it go its just she needed a bigger machine for her family. She ensured me the machine had been well looked after and was in good working order. After my last Gumtree purchase of the Hoover Electra that was ensured to be in good condition and turned out to be not quite, my suspicions were roused.

 

Went and picked it up last evening and the family were all great helping me with it into the car, and this machine is pretty much immaculate, slight blemishes around the facia and body but nothing to write home about.

 

Now this machine is earlier than the Electra models. These machines have a different cycle arrangement on the timer. It has no Heater, is just Hot Warm or Cold, this selected through the timer dial depending on what number you set it to.

 

The motor is an Italian import (??) and is very quiet when at work. Spin is relatively slow, perhaps 500rpm max? Luckily I have the seperate Spin Dryer to remove more water from heavy things like towels and demin, 500RPM is ok for your light t-shirts etc in this Australian summer weather.

 

Cycle appears to be WASH - 4 RINSES - INTERIM SPIN - FINAL RINSE/ PREWASH - SPIN DRY.

 

Here's some pics, I will explain more as I post them.

 

Matt

 

[mattywashboy]

The machine in all its glory

 

[mattywashboy]

Programs

 

Shifting from Normal to Gentle adjusts the tumbling length during wash and rinse and also shortens the final spin.

 

P.P stands for Permanent Press.

 

Not sure which programs fill Hot Warm and Cold, its currently hooked up to the cold outdoor tap with a T adapter so hard to tell.

 

This machine also lacks a Powder drawer. Powder is simply thrown in at the beginning, if you want Softener you have to monitor the wash, wait for the interim spin to finish and then click it off and wait for the door to open then chuck it in and re-commence. Bit tedious but not too complicated

 

[mattywashboy]

These are the additional programmes stuck onto the door bowl.

 

Basically explaining how to use Crease Guard for delicates and how to obtain a short wash. Also explains the Spin style for either Normal or Gentle.

 

[mattywashboy]

This is the programme dial and Crease Guard button.

 

The programmer is very simple just select your number, select either normal or gentle, spin or hold and then pull the dial and go!

 

Love the sound of this timer, very classic with lots of loud CLUNKS as it shifts around

 

The Crease Guard button when activated clicks the machine off when it advances into Final Spin, the button then illuminates, you just flick the switch the other way and it will recommence the Drain and Spin.

 

Love the classic 'Made in Australia'. The model 490 was when the colour scheme became this grey/white and pinky from the old Brown/beige/orange scheme I believe.

 

 

[mattywashboy]

Classic Hoover Drum, 4.5kgs i believe.

 

[mattywashboy]

Model Plate

 

[mattywashboy]

The back.

 

This machines runs perfectly sound mechanically, nice and quiet, good tumble speeds. Only thing I have noticed is it can tend to Jump as it goes into Spin if the load is not perfectly balanced.

 

The machine does one long constant tumble during drain periods and simple clicks into Spin, if you stopped and started it again it would just go straight into Spin without a tumble.

 

 

 

I am making a fews videos after posting this thread and will have them up as soon as possible

 

Thanks Guys

 

Matt

 

[mattywashboy]

Heres a video of the set up and start filling on a Non Colourfast wash.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[gizmo]

Hi Matty

That's quite a find, I consider myself half an expert on these Zodiacs and Electras, but I have never seen a grey and pink Zodiac - I always thought a Zodiac was cream / beige colours and the Electra was grey with pink trim, or grey with green or blue in later models... So I've never seen a 490 in the flesh.

Another point of interest is at the back - all the earlier Zodiacs has the old "two hoses into one valve" inlet valves, where one plastic block contained both hot and cold inlet valves, and the hoses connected on with moulded hose barbs and clamps - no screw on fittings. The earlier hose barb type connections are easily brokem especially with age as the plastic deteriorates over time. The two separate screw on connections like yours, and like the Electras, are much better.

I think the spin is about 400 or 450 rpm - it is very slow. I did work it out once, but I forget now. It's very slow, any way and definitely less than 500 rpm. (worked out on a model 480, which would be the same.)

Have you had the back off yours? Is the belt a poly-vee belt (flat grooved belt) or a standard v- belt ? (wedge shape profile belt.) They had both.

 

[mattywashboy]

Heres the wash action on a Normal setting. Long tumbles but with long pauses between them. Seems to tumble three times before the timer clicks along

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[mattywashboy]

And the spin cycle, I just moved it forward for the sake of the video, hence the SudsPour. I reset it for the rinses after, didn;t have a lot of time to wait.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[mattywashboy]

Hey Gizmo

I figured the spin was slow, sounds a little faster than 400 but i can tell by my towels that came out today that its pretty slow lol no matter tho as I have the 2800rpm spinner to finish things off.

Have not had chance to have the back off yet but plan to, the weather has been shocking over here, rainy and a bit dull so waiting for a better day to examine it closer

Matt

 

[Justin82]

I had one for years it was a Zodiac 12 470 It spun at 800 RPM for 4 1/2 min's it was like a jumbo jet in the laundry but it did the best job . But now days I have a HOOVERMATIC T4442 Twin tub deluxe so that's now my Weekly driver on wash day !!!!

 

[mattywashboy]

I love the colour scheme on that Hoovermatic. One of my laundry dreams is to have a Hoover top loader, front loader, twin tub and dryer all in that blue grey white colour scheme

 

[gizmo]

Hi Justin

Yes the earlier Zodiacs (up to 470/475) used the same motor as the UK models and they spin much faster. As you noted they make a racket on spin.
The 480 and 490 changed to an Italian sourced induction motor - slower spin but quieter and more reliable.
The later models (Electras) had the induction motor with a more sophisticated electronic controller which got the spin back up to 800 rpm.

I reckon the Electras are the pick of the bunch.

 

[ronhic]

Having owned an Electra 550, I can confirm that they're great machines.

 

Just about bullet proof....hot and cold connection, much better programming and even though it's only an 800rpm spin, it's more effective than many 1000rpm spins because it's nearly all at 800rpm long rather than slow and only the last minute being high like many 'high spin' machines of the time.

 

[meadowbank]

Info for Matt

Hi, I only occasionally look here so I missed the original post.
Some info that might be of interest: Hoover Australia serial numbers usually start at 10,000 (9800 for 'trial run' machines)so the pictured 490 would have been made in the first week of production. Production run for this model was listed as starting in April May 1988. The differences between the 480 and 490 were the colours; the fixing up of a significant problem with the weak mounting of the foot bolts on the 480 and (not sure about this) the change over from a poly V belt drive to a Z section V belt. The major changes of the drawer, plastic door and motor speed module were on the next model, the 520/525.
I have recently acquired the prototype for this next model front loader. It has a hand made shell with pre production parts and appears to be a standard 520 series until you look closely. Makes a set with the prototype 465 I already have.