My custom BOL dishwasher rebuild

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Chetlaham

Chetlaham

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I've always had a soft spot for BOL machines, especially older ones. After being inspired by Robert's Hotpoint (epic find btw), I saw these on HD's site, and much to my surprise still electo-mechanical :)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hotpoint-Front-Control-Dishwasher-in-Bisque-HDA2100HCC/205350188

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Front-Control-Dishwasher-in-White-GSD2100VWW/202868433

Portable is also being considered, but not yet finalized

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Porta...-Place-Settings-Capacity-GSC3500DWW/203248875

However I do not agree with the lengthy cycle time, redesigned wash arm/circulation system and the reduced water fills. (no thanks) Fortunately the molded parts like tub, escutcheon and door are nearly identical to GE's older machines.

I plan on installing a new timer in the machine

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Circuit-Board-Timer/WD21X574/271566?ss=-x67736435303064&mr=1

And detergent cam

http://www.appliancepartspros.com/ge-cam-wd16x301-ap2039370.html

To mimic the old 50 minute 11.5 gallon wash and long 35 minute dry on the 80's machines

http://products.geappliances.com/Ma...l/Dispatcher?RequestType=PDF&Name=49-5337.PDF

I read the reviews and a lot are complaining about poor drying which I can see from a shortened or cycled drying time.

The wash system will also be changed out, though I need to research the new pump design further... The drain solenoid on the new design only has one spring instead of two. After playing around with a GE dishwasher 9 years ago when the new design first came out, I discovered that the timer pauses the motor after each drain in order to close the drain flapper. Obviously something that wont work with the old style timing, but I am not to disappointed ;)

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Pump-And-Motor-Assembly/WD26X10013/820985

New pump design FWIW. Looks similar but something looks off...

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDet...X10051/1811038?ss=-x67736333353030647777&mr=1

Sump, hub, grate and wash arm will also be updated

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDet...ly/WD35X10011/771153?ss=-x67736435303064&mr=1

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Sump/WD18X213/2478?ss=-x67736435303078&mr=1

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Sump-Cover/WD12X418/270715?ss=-x67736435303064&mr=1

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Sump-Cover/WD12X417/270714?ss=-x67736435303064&mr=1

If everything turns out well I may go a bit over board with a potscrubber cycle ;)

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Switch/WD21X516/271489?ss=-x67736435303064&mr=1

I am not sure about the water valve's flow rate on these machines, but time will tell. I know GE's BOL and MOL water valves from the early 80s up until 2008ish all had the same flow rate, so adapting one to the new machine will be no worry. Only thing I am unsure about being GE selling separate wiring harnesses. I only need a terminal block that physically fits the timer and has wires that grab all the needed terminals. I might have to dig into an old machine for this, but if I can order harnesses separately or terminal blocks let me know.


Let me know what you think.
 
I love those

GE/Hotpoint cheap-ass washers! hahaha. They are probably the most old school dishwashers you can still buy. I was intrigued by them for years and I came darn close to getting one when I replaced the Amana that came with my condo. The design, while primitive, does a decent job. Same design that I had in the GE I used at my house in Tucson for almost 10 years...in fact it's still there and working great at 16+ years old.

I'm very impressed you want to take on the modification....be excited to see how it goes. Keep us posted.
 
Thanks :)

IMO the most reliable and long lived design ever used in dish washing. Ive seen this design go for 20, 25 even 30 years. Heck we have some early 1970s condos in the area which still have them chugging away. That speaks for itself. Also a breeze to service when needed.

Ive procrastinated for some time now, but seeing that these are the last electro mechanical models left and that replacement parts are being discontinued has me up for the challenge. The timer I found is the oldest BOL timer available for purchase.
 
 

 

Keep an eye on Craigslist ads.  One can frequently find cheap or even free dishwashers for parts. More than once, I've seen GE models of the genre' your looking for.

 

Yes, you should take pictures of the transformation.  

 

I'm surprised GE still makes this model.  Back when I had rental properties, in the 90s, I bought several of these.  Sometimes badged as GE, sometimes Hotpoint, I think one was even badged Kenmore in the early  2000s.  They had no sound insulation and were noisy.

 

Right now, I have a 2010 GE dw, I'm using as a parts washer.  It doesn't have sound insulation, but really isn't all that loud.
 
Noise

Since GE redesigned the pump 16 years ago the noise has really gone down. The old pump made 2/3 of the noise and it was a hug energy hog for the same power the new ones put out. Also, if I am correct, BOL GEs currently have the most powerful motor on the market. Everything else like Kitchen aid is small watt motors.

If anyone sees a BOL Dishwasher from the 80s or even early to mid 90s let me know. The wiring harness will fit the timer and whole machine perfectly without modification. I checked GE's parts but cant seem to find anything. I do remember GE had a recall on late 90s and early 2000s machines from rinse aid leaking onto the wire harness, so Im guessing GE might (hoping) have a replacement harness for them.
 
These have the largest motors on the market?

Are you sure? There was a discussion that the WP built Maytag's have the largest motor, at least that's what it says on the Maytag website...

But I would NOT doubt that these do. These look like the OLD BOL dishwashers....In fact, this looks just like a BOL WP that came with my house in 2004 that I sold to a friend 6 mos after I moved in and upgraded....she still has it...It is LOUD and powerful...
 
I just read in the description on the HD site

that these are NOT energy star certified......so then, if this is the case, what would make these any different than the older BOL dishwashers?
 
Motor power

To be honest I am not 100% sure, but current wise (assuming both motors are equally efficient of course) would make GE's motor more powerful. I attached pics from when I installed my Maytag Dishwasher and another pic from the net showing the GE motor.

As for being different, these have a redesigned wash system with a self cleaning filter. The cycles are different to, the main wash is 56 minutes long and the water fills are greatly reduced to about 1.1 gallons from 1.8 gallons in the older machines. But other then that the rest remains.

chetlaham-2016022713022307204_1.jpg

chetlaham-2016022713022307204_2.jpg
 
The GE motor probably has more available torque, either that its a lossier motor. One thing that intrigues me btw, 3,400 RMP is faster then what the 60Hz supply can produce for the number of typical poles (3,200 rmp).
 
This Looks Interesting

I actually thought of getting a cheap BOL machine here in Australia and somehow jerry-rigging a GE wash system in, such was my enthusiasm for GE machines for a while there. That said, the voltage constraints were probably going to through a monkey-wrench in the works.

Definitely looking forward to seeing the progress on this. I bet you can probably get some awesome dishwashing from this machine.

And I presume these still have the wash tower?
 
I will say this -

the upper rack configuration on these looks like crap. I'm trying to imagine loading it with those bumps instead of actual tines.....I dunno, maybe it could work....
 
Upper rack

To be honest its not as bad as it looks. I tried this machine out briefly when it came with the condo I was living in at the time. Bowls actually fit better, however the old design handles cups better. The bottom rack was about equal.
 
Cool video Mark, thanks for sharing! That wash system does do a decent job of cleaning. Mine was an upper level model but it still used the tower but I also had a small wash arm at the top of the tub (that broke off). I ran it on Pots/Pans quite a bit so that's probably why it did a good job for me lol. That was back before I really took an interest in washing machines/dishwashers. :-)
 
cool...it's been a long time

since I've used a dishwasher that had a wash tower in the center where you couldn't block it when loading the machine....

The bottom would be a pain to load with that giant silverware basket I can see these not holding very much..

What does hot start do?
 
GE's HotStart

It's a feature GE incorporated several years ago. It's basically 1 or 2 additional fills to purge the line of cold water.
Timer controls do a short initial fill and purge with a 2nd longer stage that runs for 15-20min with the heater. It's like a nice tepid pre-soak.

The higher end machines will do an auto HotStart and only purge the lines as it senses the fill temp.
The new Profile I have ALWAYS does at least one HotStart purge, even if run hot water at the faucet.
The fills on these new machines is so low (.8gal) that the first fill is almost always cold from standing water in the pipe that running the faucet has no effect on.
I figure if it's always gonna fill n dump on me, I might as well get a few minutes of spray action.
So I stopped running the faucet period.

The one drawback to HotStart is that it's basically pointless for powder or gel soap. Since the pre-wash doses get dumped almost immediately.
 
Hotstart

Its just two extra pre washes. In fact the tech sheet calls it a "heated pre soak". The first wash is a few minutes the other 10 to 20 minutes with heat. After that the timer advances to the heavy wash position. IMO not worth it except for very heavily soiled dishes. As stated above its awful for pre treating with detergent because the first fill is pumped out so fast.

Thanks for the vids! :) I love watching that in action. That pop up shower does a nice job with the top rack.
 
Update

Ok, so. The timer and cams arrived. The cams are in mint condition and the timer works, however the timer is damaged where the knob is supposed to connect. The plastic is broken off right above the point where the cam slips in. Not a major concern as I only paid $25 for what is normally a $150 timer. Will go hunting for another one in the mean time. As for the cycle sequence I was able to confirm its the exact one I am looking for so in the least if I spend $150 I know its money well well spent.

chetlaham-2016041513214009220_1.jpg

chetlaham-2016041513214009220_2.jpg

chetlaham-2016041513214009220_3.jpg

chetlaham-2016041513214009220_4.jpg

chetlaham-2016041513214009220_5.jpg
 
Hmm - I recollect

Somebody or other here having once found a solution for broken polyethylene and other non-glue plastics. Would you mind sending a close-up of the broken off shaft, with and without cam on it?

Your work impresses me.
 
Wiring harnesses

This is so simple, I don't think you need bother. I've had to make up two over the years. Just remember, ('cause I forgot the first time) that you still have to run neutral up to the control panel, even though it's linked to the water inlet solenoid, the drain solenoid, the pump motor and the heater. So - that's three wires going up (P-N-E). Down (assuming no sensors) you've got water inlet solenoid (goes to safety float), drain solenoid, pump motor, fuse block for heater/overheat-protection/heater). That makes seven in all. Which just happens to fit in nicely with the high-current flat ribbons auto-part stores sell for hooking up various things. 
 
Dump the big basket

I use one of those small baskets they use for on-door silverware containers. It holds more than enough silverware, fits perfectly on one side or in the upper rack (best use for that narrow sector on the left 2800s have in the upper basket).

The big 'hole' left in the bottom accommodates a six-quart pressure cooker with sticky rice or oatmeal glued to it perfectly. Or a skillet with burnt on egg.
 
Thanks, that means a lot to me :) I go the extra mile in getting a no BS machine.

@timer shaft: I uploaded pics of the shaft up close. One side is broken off while the other is bent inward. It looks like the timer has been dropped or the box kicked in. My plan for now is keeping this as a spare and getting another identical timer. I found an appliance store that was able to locate a few in a parts storage facility in another state so I will probably end up ordering that one. I am lucky though, because timers for most models of this vintage have long been discontinued and used up in storage. In fact the timers in the next series up (GSD600, 640 and 940D) along with many mid 90s models are no where to be found. My best guess being because this model (GSD500 and its Hotpoint sister HDA487) were so popular in apartments, rental housing and institutions that replacement part demand lasted longer than for most other models.

@Wiring harness. My plan is to re-use the harness that comes with the new machine:

http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-specs/GSD2100VWW

My only challenge will be removing the electrical leads and their pins from the existing timer black to a new one which fits this vintage of timer:

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/GE-Dishwasher-Terminal-Block/WD1X1432/270247?ss=a9b3c57&mr=0

Any idea if a special tool required? Or will a jewelry/eye glass screw driver release them from the connector? I uploaded the tech sheet going to the vintage timer showing what wires need to go where in the replacement timer block if curious.

@Silverware Basket: I like it to be honest. IMO its the right size, if not a tad small lol. I use a lot of silverware so something like this is a big welcome. Personally I like the new rack design as well over the old straight tins.

chetlaham-2016041818000202823_1.jpg

chetlaham-2016041818000202823_2.jpg

chetlaham-2016041818000202823_3.jpg

chetlaham-2016041818000202823_4.jpg

chetlaham-2016041818000202823_5.jpg
 
I have used a jeweler's screwdriver

in the past but now-a-days, i just cut, pull, redraw, splice cleanly. Those little tabs break too easily for my taste.

That break looks icky. You're right, I doubt anything would take the torque.

 
 
The crack goes down into the drum. It is what it is, but at least I know Im hunting for the right timer now.

I might break the tabs on the existing block, but as long as the tabs on the new block Im fine.
 

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