Progress report on the 58 Frigidaire

[turquoisedude]

Yes, it was a glorious spring weekend down in Ogden but instead of getting my neck reddened like hubby did, I spent some time tinkering with that 1958 Frigidaire dishwasher I got from Hamilton recently. I was curious to know if the pump bearing would leak, so I tried a water test...
This picture makes you think that perhaps this was how Dr. Frankenstein did dishes... LOL

 

[turquoisedude]

It seemed to hold water

Well, at first anyway...

 

[turquoisedude]

D'OH!

It didn't take long for water to seep through the joint between the pump chamber and the motor plate. This was probably a major reason why the dishwasher was taken out of service. I was actually speaking with dishwashercrazy (Mike) in Peoria shortly after this test and he said that a bead of sealant would resolve a problem like this. I still have hope!!

 

[turquoisedude]

I had to test the motor

So I fired it up... EEESH! I am really glad hubby wasn't around to see that! Without the spray tube arm, the water flow knocked the door open and startled the hell out of me! Even with the door closed, water was leaking badly - no kidding, since I took off the door gasket! A lot of crud got washed out of the spray tube inlet. &@*#! mice.... Yet despite this I did not obeserve leaking from the pump bearing.

 

[turquoisedude]

Got the pump and motor off

And there was the proof of water leakage for years... A good number of the screws holding the pump to the motor were so badly rusted, we had to drill them out! Hubby did a wonderful job, though... Got the pump chamber apart and the gasket looked a wee bit used up, too. I will try and replace that when I get the machine back together again!
I think I will also coat the metal plate under the impeller with some POR15 as a preventative measure.

 

[turquoisedude]

A potential problem??

I noticed some fine cracks in the pump housing - I was scared the machine had been frozen at some point in its 52 years... However, when I water-tested the housing I could not see any leaks. I am still going to play it safe and coat the cracks with epoxy sealant.
So, with any luck I will be starting the re-assembly next weekend! With any luck, this one, too, will be ready by the end of May!

 

[rollermatic]

hang in there!

as long as you don't have a leak around the motor pump seal any other leaks can be fixed one way or another. mike's advice of sealant would be mine too! and i've had first hand experience drilling out rusted screws on both my dishwashers and a couple of my rollermatics! when you get it done and it runs perfectly you will relax and know all that work was worth it!

enjoyed the pics of the pump disassembly, never seen the inside of one of those before. that's a big water pump! i can see how it would have the force to blow open the door if the spin tube itself were removed.

look forward to more pics and updates.

good luck!

 

[dishwashercrazy]

Paul,

So good to see that you are making progress with this project. I can certainly relate to having the hell scared out of you - that has happened several times to me when first starting up some of these old dishwashers, not knowing exactly what they are going to do (case in point: drain solenoid on the Homart, and the start of the wash action on the American Kitchens - both caught on the published YouTube movies!).

I have yet to open up the water pump on my 1956 Frigidaire spin tube. I know I have a bad pump bearing which leaks water out the weep tube. It is good so see your great photos of the disassembly.

I am also so glad that your water pressure switch (in the bottom of the tank) is in good condition - that is one less headache and expense you do not need.

Keep us informed of the progress.

Mike

 

[turquoisedude]

This week's progress

Is a little less... It was kinda chilly in Ogden (highs in the low 40s on Saturday but in the mid 50s by Sunday) so working on a dishwasher in the garage was less than comfortable. However, I did manage to get the pump motor apart for treatment with POR-15. I was fortunate enough to have a 'Tech Talk' guide for Frigidaire dishwashers that explained the 'secret' of how to remove the impeller plate from the motor shaft. Who knew it used a right-hand thread?? Kinda reminds me of my old 54 Dodge I had once upon a time...

 

[turquoisedude]

EEEP! What should I do with THIS??

I should not be surprised by the rust seen here on the inside motor coils - the seepage from the pump housing and motor mounting trickled right down here. It is amazing that the motor actually still runs!
So, what should I do about this rust? Can I try to clean it off somehow (wire brush or chemical rust remover)? Or should I just leave it alone? What problems could not cleaning this cause?? All advice and suggestions are welcome!

 

[turquoisedude]

Pump mounting plate recoated

A nice coat of POR-15 should now protect the plate from further corrosion.

 

[turquoisedude]

Almost a blown gasket....

GEEEEEEZ!! I sure picked an interesting replacement door gasket... I used a round gasket, split to open it up and then extended over the original mounting strips. Worked great on the side, but when I got to the top it all went to hell... The gasket I am using is not formed the way the original Frigidaire one would have been so when I tried to bend it to go around the top of the tub, the gasket no longer stayed flush with the mounting strip. After a few experiments, though, I think I have figured out
how to notch the gasket to 'go around' the corner better. I will seal it with some kind of a waterproof compound (silicone or other) as a precaution.
Hopefully next weekend I'll be able to complete that and then begin the reassembly!!

 

[turquoisedude]

Echo made me do it...

I wasn't particularly motivated to spend a cold afternoon in the garage playing with the Frigidaire dishwasher, but the dog made me do it...

 

[turquoisedude]

Tried to 'clean' that motor

with a wire brush. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I gave the rusty interior a cleaning. It knocked a lot of crud out!

 

[turquoisedude]

Impeller cleaned up and reinstalled

And they look almost like new again! I put down a good layer of 'liquid gasket' before reinstalling the pump housing and...

 

[turquoisedude]

It holds water!

After letting the gasket compound set overnight, I tried plugging up the outlet port and filling the housing with water. It was a success! No more 'ooze' from between the housing and the impeller plate - yay! Next weekend, I hope to finish up the door gasket installation and still have time to re-install the pump... We shall see!

 

[volvoguy87]

Keep it coming.

Good work,
Dave

 

[swestoyz]

Hey Paul, did you happen to take a look at the contacts on the motor start switch while you had the motor disassembled? May be a good idea to pull it out and clean them up.

Oh yeah - great job!

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?21494

 

[roto204]

Way to go!

Dishwashers with cork seals are a PITA and always weep and leak. You did a brilliant job! She'll be beautiful!

 

[turquoisedude]

Ben - Yep, I had a look the switch contacts and they seemed fine so I left 'em alone... Hope I didn't just shoot myself in the foot here! I must retest the motor this weekend to be sure...

 

[jetcone]

Yes those

Delco start switches are notorious for dirt, I always give them a quick emery cloth when I'm in there.

Neat little pump there it looks like it really wails the water up to the wash arm.

Ofcourse like Robert you have an Orgami Packing dishwasher there, one slip in placement and you have clean baked on dirt on your dishes and glasses. I've seen Robert study Sun Tzu's Art of War before he loads his machine up.

 

[turquoisedude]

This week's installment...

Spring was back in Ogden this weekend - after vanishing on an adventure in a neighbour's swamp, Echo encouraged me to work on the Frigidaire. No he didn't REALLY suggest that I bring the tub outside for a good cleaning... Honest!

 

[turquoisedude]

50 years worth of dust

coated the outside of the tub, but most of it washed right off. Underneath, the exterior was like new!

 

[turquoisedude]

I removed and sealed up the spray-tube port with Liquid Gasket - those white streaks are proof that this had been leaking for some time. I couldn't seem to remove them, either... GRRR!

 

[turquoisedude]

While the spray tube gasket dried

I put the water supply diverter valve back onto the pump, with a good coat of Liquid Gasket. There was evidence of water leakage from the joint between the pump and the diverter valve - I hate to think what the floor underneath this dishwasher looked like!
I did re-test the motor before putting the diverter back and was very relieved that it started up fine...

 

[turquoisedude]

I also did some more scrubbing of the inside of the tub (still have some stains that I couldn't seem to get rid of - any suggestions on what I could safely use?? It looks like hard water scale, but the scale on the top and sides of the tub scrubbed right off, while the stuff on the bottom is happy to stay where it is...)
AND note the improvised grey gasket material. I am not sure that this is going to provide an adequate seal. I am already thinking that some silicone reinforcement will be needed, but I am foolhardy enough to try the machine as is first!

 

[turquoisedude]

Remember how the front panel had been repainted?

This is how it looked when I first got it.

 

[turquoisedude]

But by the end of the day Sunday...

It looked like this - I scrubbed it down to the chrome again! Well, almost... I need to do some detailing.
That may not happen this coming weekend though... It seems the dishwasher flock will be gaining a couple of new additions, both of a brand I have been wanting to add to the collection...HEEE HEEE That'll teach hubby to go to Mexico without me... Well, Okay, it is for work...

 

[rollermatic]

paul

your machine is lookin great! so shiny and clean! don't worry about the few stains you can't remove, they add character!

let's face it, when we get them they have already lived their life of appliances for quite awhile. it's amazing we get em lookin as good as we sometimes do!

love all your pics, that interior tub shot looks great! tub looks like new.

your dog 'echo" seems to be supervising very well!

more pics please when you get em!