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Wash Drain valve

This is the one that was sticking. You can see the somewhat rusty springs that help the valve move to proper position - the solenoid is connected to the upper spring, which in turn moves the valve lever up, or down, which in turn pushes the valve stem rod in, or out.

In this photo, the valve cam and valve rod are to the right, the solenoid to the upper right, and the springs to the far right.

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Looks like someone replaced the fill valve

Not sure if the galvanized steel fittings are original or not, but it all works.

The water does tend to sputter slightly out of the fill tube under full water flow (faucet wide open). So I might make a little extra extension to help keep the drips in.

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Discussion

I haven't yet timed a full cycle, but it can't be much more than 30 minutes.

The water spray action is very forceful - you can feel it pounding on the underside of the lid. It's forceful enough that a little seeps through the gasket, although I imagine that some rubber conditioner might soften it up so that it seals better. I can see why Robert decided to put a plastic lid on his machine. I may do the same with this one, although constructing the labryinth around the air vent by the handle will be challenging.

The machine as is will work and I plan on washing a load of dishes in it soon. What it still needs to be have done include:

1) Fix the start switch/lever. It's in constant start mode now, which means once you lock the lid and the timer is set to wash and the thing is plugged in, it will go, regardless of the position of the start switch.

2) Fix the lid hinges. Looks like there are fittings on the upper cabinet back for strong springs to hold the lid in an upright position. Those springs are missing, as is the rear part of the hinges that would hold the springs and also keep the lid from tilting too far backwards. The hinges are simple cast pot metal, chromed. I plan on replacing them with machined billet 304 stainless (or 6061 wrought aluminum), as soon as I can measure a hinge, design a new pair, and get some off-the-clock time on the machine tools at work. They do not look like a difficult project, fairly straight forward.

3) Replace washer in fill hose 3/4 fitting. Simple. Old one probably deteriorated under hot water flow. I may add a sediment screen if one is not already there.

4) Locate missing internal parts: soap cup, and upper side racks. Can anyone help finding those?

Summary - this one is a keeper, and will be the machine that I use in this second patio kitchen. If I get a plastic window lid, it will be great entertainment, as well.
 
Congratulations Rich. They are awesome. I cannot speak from actual experience with KAs of this vintage (very limited when I was in high school), but the later models when starting the dry cycle, the blower didn't come on immediately after the final drain period finished. It waited a couple of minutes and then started blowing. And please take pics of the load of dishes ya wash!!
 
Thanks, Toggle and Bob, and everyone else, too.

I finished all the repairs I could manage without machining new hinges. It took me all afternoon and evening.

This included:

1) New washer for the fill hose - I used a screened filter, just for extra precaution. However, I may live to regret that, since I later found that putting the rear panel back on is a real SOB. More about that later.

2) Fixed the start switch. This turned out to be quite simple. The hook on the end of the start rod had slipped out of the groove in start button. It was a simple matter of remounting the handle front panel. Of course, I had to polish the chrome with Brasso, first.

The start switch function is interesting. At the end of the cycle, the machine timer goes to "OFF". If you close the lid and lock the handle, and then press the Start button, it mechanically pushes the timer to "WASH" and starts the cycle.

3) Checked the heater/fan operation. No problems there. Heater and fan seem to be working properly.

4) Re-routed drain and fill hoses. They were not routed correctly to begin with, and re-routing them gave another four or so inches in length.

5) Added a hose extension to the combination fill/drain faucet fitting, so the drains won't splash all over the place (it's a shallow sink with a high arched faucet, great for filling tall pots but bad for splashing).

I did another dishless run to check the times. I'll post that in another message.

On the back panel, it's very nicely made porcelain coated steel. But it's also bowed outward, which makes it smaller than the flanges it's supposed to go around. I finally got it on by pushing against the middle of the panel while installing it, with the washer against the countertop (protected by a 2x4). By taking out some of the bow, this opened up the width of the panel and allowed it to slide into place.
 
Cycle Times

Here are the cycle times for the KD-2P dishwasher. Times are approximate.

Function Function Time Total time
=============================================================
Fill/drain/purge 1 1
Fill 1.75 2.75
Wash 6.75 9.5
Drain 0.75 10.25
Pause 0.75 11
Fill 1.5 12.5
Rinse 1.5 14
Drain 0.75 14.75
Pause 0.75 15.5
Fill 0.5 16
Rinse 1.5 17.5
Drain 1 18.5
Pause 0.5 19
Heated Fan Dry 22.5 41.5

So... under 20 minutes for a complete wash cycle, then another 23 minutes to do a heated forced air dry.
 
Another tidbit...

The low location of the timer dial on this machine probably means it's not very child-proof. Once the machine is in a wash cycle, one can turn the dial forward all the way to off, with the solenoid clicking the valve one way or the other as it progresses through the functions. The dial is only locked when it's in the "OFF" position and the Start button has not been pushed downward. Even with the handle unlocked, if the dial is past "OFF", then it can be turned through the functions. And, as one can see from the wiring diagram, the solenoid is fully powered up whenever the machine is plugged in, so you'll hear it activate one way or the other as the dial is rotated, even with the lid wide open. Too easy for a toddler to fool with.

Still trying to figure out how to advance the timer to the "Plate Warm or Dry" position without triggering the solenoid (other than unplugging the machine). I guess it doesn't hurt the machine to have the solenoid activated, but it sure makes a racket.

That aside, the cycles on this machine give one a glimpse of a time when the engineers were free to design something with only one purpose - to wash dishes. They used plenty of water, lots of water pressure, and quick (and hopefully effective) cycle times to get the job done. No worries about toddlers or water consumption or energy consumption. A portable machine makes some sense since it can have a taller tub than an under-counter machine with similar mechanical components. I could see a Hobart or KA portable DW of this vintage doing yeoman duty in a small restaurant, cafe, or diner...
 
Per Bob's Request

Finished results of first load of dishes/cups/saucers/bowls/glasses...

Everything came out very clean except for dried on egg on a plastic spatula. I don't think 6-1/2 minutes was enough time for a modern enzyme detergent to do its thing... Might have to go find an older chlorinated dw detergent for this machine.

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Guess what - We had this machine!

I just happened to look at thread - when I was a boy we had this machine for several years. It was my aunt's when she had her kitchen remodeled with a built in dishwasher and we inherited this one. I do remember it kind of roared and everything came out clean. We kids often rolled it around and rode on top of it. You are right about the timer knob not being childproof - I messed up the programming more than once because I was the one who thought turning it was fun to do.

My folks had this KA from about 1962 (before me!) until about 1972 when my mother gave it to a friend of hers. Then we got another portable dishwasher from another neighbor, a Kenmore that looked like the one in "Oh So Brown". We left that one with the house in 1975.

One thing that happned is that sometimes the gasket in the back would get icky, probably becuase us kids liked to throw drinks against the lid. Just use a lot of mild detergent like Dawn or Ivory to get it clean. That will probably help soften it up too.
 
Service manual

Suds, send me your mailing address and I will send you a service manual for the KD-2P. Things will be so much clearer for you after you see it....... figure it as an Easter bunny treat! SteveD
 
Looking for appliances in music videos - do I need to get a

Suds, I just tried the link and it worked on my computer. It takes about a minute for the video to load your V-Spot and you do have to click on "We are One Tonight". Wait, you might have to register on VH1.com (that also lets you make comments on their message board too - I'm the one who says "This band needs a bath!") There's usually a commercial for a Pantene or an acne solution before the video. I think if you register on vhi.com the first screen it might work. While you're at it you might want to look at "Stars", it a video that takes place underwater.

My father was a dentist at the VA and my mother was a nurse who worked in central sterile supply in the Navy and they thought a dishwasher would sterilize everything, at least some of the way, I mean even us kids knew about "Don't touch that, it's sterile!". I do think we didn't catch as many colds as our neighbors. Also, I find that since we grew up with a dishwasher, living without one is depressing, I mean, dishes aren't "Squeaky clean" when washed by hand.

I do remember the machine being hot on the outside, though not dangerously so. I do think we had more rust on our unit too. Mother used Cascade, or more often, Calgonite because it was made by a Pittsburgh company, it was less expensive, and it kept the Spotmaker away. I don't think they make Calgonite anymore.

Oh, one mroe thing, in the video with the dishwasher (about halfway through it) a little later there is a scene of a kitchen that looks somewhat like yours. Happy KA washing. Nep.

P.S. try this link to register, just so you don't end up looking for appliances in videos like I did.

 
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