OH Lady be good.... please??

[turquoisedude]

James - I don't think the pump is the original one but I can say for sure I didn't change it since I've had this washer.  I do have at least 2 new aftermarket pumps left in stock down in Ogden, but the Lady is in residence in St-Lib....   

Today's plan is to get the washer out of the bathroom and redo the gasket. I am already planning on bringing a spare pump back from Ogden nonetheless.

Dang I need more washer space in St-Lib!!!

 

Edit: the Lady is undergoing a pump procedure in the kitchen today. A tile floor in case of leaks and a sink nearby for testing.   Wish me luck!   This washer restoration/repair stuff is definitely a young person's game. . gawd I feel old!

[this post was last edited: 6/21/2018-07:31]

 

[turquoisedude]

I'll keep it G-rated but the Naughty Lady of St-Liboire just can't seem to contain her water... 

I took off the pump cover, coated it with Form-A-Gasket, let it set as directed, reassembled the pump and tested the washer in the kitchen. No leaks!

 

 

[turquoisedude]

Being the foolish optimist, I dragged M'Lady back into the bathroom, hooked up the hoses, and threw in a load of laundry.  All seemed fine during the wash, but after the wash spin, the Nile wanna-be reappeared... GGGRRRRR!

Now, wait for it, the pump was leaking at the same spot as before.  After scaring Canyon and most of the birds in the neighbourhood with a string of carefully chosen and colourful expletives, I threw my hands up in the air...  I will be putting in a new pump next week.  Yes, I came to that conclusion all by myself...LOL 

I am heading down to Ogden tonight - after I retrieve the new pump, a very large Manhattan and some Paul Weston records on the ol' hi-fi will no doubt ease the pain....

 

There is some good news... Lady K can still wash nicely and wow, does that newer braking system ever bring a spinning tub to a grinding halt!

 

[vacerator]

Still a beauthiful

1965 (correct)? set. Trying to keep it clean, but,
with all due respect should she still leak a bit, please don't nick name her Sybil. At least you're not an abusive mother, to say the least. She could have ended up on youtube being blown up for back yard kicks.

 

[turquoisedude]

Well, I was chanting something that kinda, sorta sounded like 'plug it up! plug it up!' when I saw the 2nd round of leaks...LOL 

 

And you are correct -the set is a 65.

 

[vacerator]

Wasn't that Carie,

creepy Carie, creepy Carrie?

 

[hippiedoll]

Still following...

Your progress & keeping my fingers crossed! I hope all is well once you get the new pump in.

I was wondering...
What kind of agitator is in your Lady?
Is it the one that (to me) looks like an octopus? If so, that's one agitator that's always caught my eye
)

 

[turquoisedude]

Thanks for the encouragement Christina! I am maybe a little too stubborn about swapping out parts if I think I can salvage them. I should stop thinking...LOL 

 

The agitator is the 'octopus' style - I remember being surprised at this when I got the washer!  I think there is another name for this style too

 

[DADoES]

 
Roto-Flex

 

[hippiedoll]

THE OCTOPUS!!

I LOVE IT!
;o)

Knowing me & my quirky self, I'd be looking for some EYE & SMILEY MOUTH stickers to put on the agitator cap
D

 

[jetcone]

MORE LIKE

Bare naked agitator- its got no bottom on it !!!!

John swears by those but he’s never let me play with one!!

I was in water valve hell all weekend too with the ‘56 Duo and after all the shuffling on the floor and reaching in and turning - it turns out the condenser valve was solid but a connection had worked loose, it must have been a fine spray causing water to drip from the condenser valve but it wasnt the valve. Once I got it out I water tested it.
Now to crawl around again and reinstall. Oh what a world!

 

[gansky1]

Nice work, Paul. That's a beautiful set and worth the effort, despite some "blue air" (turquoise air?) around them now.

Roto-Flex was one of the best KM agitators, but it's rather rough on clothing. Still is one of my favorites along with the Surgilator family.

 

[turquoisedude]

Another week...

Another attempt to get Lady K fit for her duties as head launderess in St-Lib.  The Blackstone has been moaning occasionally about having been put out to pasture; let's see what happens today.

The kitchen is becoming my new workshop it would seem!

[this post was last edited: 6/27/2018-15:42]

 

[turquoisedude]

No messing around this time... the pump that was giving me grief is out.  I think this may well have been the original one for the washer.  The exit ports are rather well-corroded.  I swapped in a pump from an 80s Inglis that Phil and I rescued from a side street in Montreal a couple of years back.  Yes, I know... I said I was going to use a new pump but the last NOS Whirlpool pump I have is a 4-port model. Goodness knows why I bought that!

Well the new pump went in and during the first kitchen test, no leaks were observed.   And it was probably a good thing I swapped the old one out; during the neutral drain, I heard a grinding sound. The "new" pump is nice and quiet.

 

[turquoisedude]

Feeling brave, I dragged M'Lady back into the bathroom for a real test with laundry.

She did just fine, much to my relief.  Funny but this washer always seemed to go out of balance on larger loads; today I threw in a fairly big batch of permanent press shirts, slacks, and shorts and the spin was nice and smooth.

And better still, the 'Tray of Shame' contained no evidence of Madame tinkling while washing.  She needs to talk to that GE of mine about this 'spinning while agitating' nonesense....

So it looks like I can sleep in peace again, knowing I have a matched turquoise washer and dryer set again here in St-Lib!

 

[hippiedoll]

WOOOO HOOOO!

I'm so happy for you, that you got the blue LADY up & working properly with no signs of leaking with the new pump!

I can't help hearing the little mermaid song "UNDER THE SEA" with that "octopus" agitator surrounded by that turquoise/aqua blue cabinet.
D

Happy dancing for you on this side of the computer...
;o)

 

[turquoisedude]

And she's still washing....

I didn't want to jinx it, but the Lady K has just completed several wash loads with no leaks, stalls, or other misbehaviour!   I can't help but notice that the washer is spinning better than before - the last load I did was a set of queen size sheets and the washer spun them nicely with no shaking, shuddering, or going out of balance.  I am going to guess that I did something really,really wrong when I put the washer back together after the first bearing job I did on it.  It is a bit odd to see the rapid braking on this model but I've gotten used to it quickly.  

 

Christina, I am still doing my Happy Dance when each cycle completes - here's to at least a few years of trouble-free service!

 

The Blackstone looks lonely, though.... 

 

[spinmon]

Roto-Flex

There was an interesting article in "Popular Mechanics" magazine back in the mid 60's explaining how one man gradually developed the Roto-Flex agitator. The right angles/length/blade count/flex,etc.

Pretty cool. Helped me talk my dad into getting a new white '67 piano key LK.

Knowing what I soon found after we got it,I think I'd preferred the next model down with Roto Swirl. The lowest water level with 'Flex was just below top row tub holes. And that was NOT low. I LOVED the LK's look,but I think a machine with the 'Swirl and lower allowed water levels would've been more "Kenmore-ish". Woo-woo.

 

[gansky1]

That's wonderful, Paul. Your ladies are stunning, winners of the LK pageant!

Tray of Shame. Love that.