Pushbutton Kenmore Pair

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Jon -

You said the softener/bleach dispenser needs cleaning. I'd like to give you two bits of advise (that I learned the hard way):

1) The dispenser bezel is made of brittle plastic. The mounting screws can cause it to crack or shatter, so be careful not to over-tighten them when re-installing.

2) The solenoid controlled plungers that hold the softener and bleach in can get dried out (bleach) or get build-up on them (softener) which in both cases makes them leak. Make sure that they hold water in the dispenser until they're supposed to dispense before you trust it.

I'm looking forward to seeing this machine in action and all cleaned up! Sounds like it landed softly in a good home.

Gordon
 
Update...

OK once again thanks to good 'ol Patrick we got this beast down to the basement. I didn't realize how wide these were. My Westinghouse, GE, Maytag, and Frigidaire were all in the 26-27" width range. The Kenmore is 29" wide!

The machine has a really rusty cabinet particularly in one section at the bottom. It happens to be in the area where the dispesers are. Spent the afternoon doing some cleaning and testing. Gordon, I was able to get the reservoir out (very tricky and did have one minor mishap but all is well. It looked like the softener side had clogged at some point and had run over so VERY MESSY. I didn't know that plastic was supposed to be CLEAR!!! After spending some time on it though I got it all spiffy and back in place. Ran a load of whites first so I could test out bleach and softener and they both work perfectly. Very pleased about that!

The panel light was out as well. I was able to get a new bulb today, got it installed, and still no light. Luckily I had a spare fuse on an old GE dryer panel. Swapped those out and voila...light!

Other than a solenoid here and a clank there, this machine is incredibly quiet. It is really unbelievable how quiet this design is.

This machine has some really "top-of-the-line" features. The variflex agitator does a really nice job. Four settings really makes it a flexible machine without the need for 3 speeds. I was quite surprised by the Perm Press cycle as it is nothing I've seen before. It actually does 2 cool-down sequences in which wash water is drained and replaced with cold water along with slow agitation.

I've also noticed this machine does quite a few spray rinses. More than I remember later beltdrives doing. The only not-so-great thing I can think of is softener is dispensed always in the first rinse so if you use the second rinse option your softener gets rinsed away.

I apologize for not taking the time to do pictures or video but I promise I will very soon. This machine was definitely worth the $20 and has already proven to be a very well-made and well-thought out machine.

More to come...

Jon
 
Congratulations Jon! The Perm Press cycle on that machine is my all time favorite cycle of any washer. That would make a great video when you have the time (Hint, hint).

I know you’re going to have a lot of fun with that machine.

~Jeff
 
Spray rinses

Jon -

Spin spray rinses in all the belt drives I've come across from 1960 to 1986 have been the same, four 7-second sprays in the first minute of both spins. Does yours have more? Your machine may have a 4-minute spin before the rinse, and a 6-minute spin after, is that right? The two machines I got from 1972 this past summer are configured this way, which is a full two minutes of extra spin in each segment as compared to all the 1974 and later machines I've had or worked on. I was surprised at the length of the spins and suspect this is one reason that these machines often exhibit more bearing wear than newer machines.
 
KenmoreGuy64,

Our 1962 Whirly had four sprays in the post-wash spin, but only two in the final spin. That's on Normal. Gentle had either 2 or 4 sprays in the first spin, none in the final.

Whirlpool advertised "Seven Rinses" which would be 4 sprays in the first spin, a deep rinse, then 2 sprays in the final spin.
4 + 1 + 2 = 7 rinses

I also recall that our 1976 Whirly had shorter sprays. Maybe four seconds instead of seven.

Perhaps Kenmores were programmed differently, as they typically had a leg-up on features against Whirlpool? :-) I don't recall now if Granny's 1970 Kenmore 70 had four sprays in the final spin.
 
Yep, I probably should have qualified that by saying 'Kenmore'. I don't really pay attention to Whirlpool differences, but I do know that at least since 1975, they've never shared a common timer with Kenmore in a full-size machine. Every Kenmore I have used regularly, which would be my mother's 3, from 61, 74, and 83, and all the various ones of mine have four spray rinses, 7-seconds I believe, in the first minute or two of spin, on the Normal/Cotton Sturdy cycle. I had never thought to check a Whirlpool. I do have one in my garage to work on soon, so that will be something interesting to check, for sure!
 
Finally some photos...

Sorry for the delay. Very busy with work this month but was able to get some photos of the Kenmore after a little bit of cleaning. The tub ring is a bit of an issue that will involve vinegar and scrubbing due to hard water deposits but otherwise the machine cleaned up pretty well.

I have also made a full video of the Permanent Press Cycle. As soon as it is loaded on youtube I will post that link as well. Everything works fine. It will need a tune-up at some point but it does really well otherwise.

Enjoy!!!

Jon

2-15-2009-01-24-30--jons1077.jpg
 
Cycle Selection

This machine has turned out to be extremely flexible with options much to my surprise. One thing I learned just yesterday about this machine is "Custom Care" and what exactly that does. I washed a set of horribly dirty rugs and decided I would use "custom care" on the regular cycle since it uses slow agitation. I figured that meant slow spin too so the rugs would be completely soaked. Turns out I was wrong...custom care only modifies the agitation speed. So it is possible to have a slow wash and fast spin. Totally awesome!

2-15-2009-01-29-9--jons1077.jpg
 
Glamour shot...

The panel all lit up. The cycle dial has a slight crack but I'm sure I'll be able to find another one somewhere that's clean and in better shape. Luckily I had a spare fuse for the flourescent light and was able to a get a new bulb at a local light shop in town. It is a VERY bright light. Makes the GEs seem so dim in comparison. Could be that extra 2 inches of width too.

2-15-2009-01-32-3--jons1077.jpg
 
Under the hood...

Here a shot of the instructions and cycles under the lid. It was so dirty you could barely see any of it. This was just a slight cleaning but at least we can see it!

There is actually quite a bit of info on the lid. You almost don't need the use and care booklet but I wish I had it. Funny how absolutely no cycle automatically uses a cold wash and most don't use a cold rinse either. You have to modify those yourself with the buttons. Just funny how hot and warm water was used so much then compared to now.

2-15-2009-01-36-28--jons1077.jpg
 
Wow!

Very similar to the one I will be getting. Yours looks fantastic, I hope mine turn out looking as nice as yours. Can't wait to see the video!
 
Finally the money shot!

So the inside isn't too bad as you can see. The agitator, tub, top...all in rather good shape with minimal to no rust anywhere. The stuff on the tub ring is hard-water deposit that I could not get scrubbed off quite yet. I'll be doing more cleaning in the future and probably removed the ring all-together and give it a good cleaning.

The dispensers on the bottom left were in terrible shape as I would expect. I was able to really clean those up and get them to work perfectly again. I now keep a large measuring cup in the basement particularly for this machine. I always dilute my fabric softener in one cup of hot water before pouring into the dispenser to prevent as much build up as possible. I'm sure I will have to maintain it periodically as the one main flaw in this design is the lack of recirculating water in the dispensing system to flush them out and keep them clean. Not a big deal though. It's simple and effective!

As for the Vari-Flex agitator...whoever thought of it deserves a pat on the back. This thing can be rather gentle if set on low (the fins at the base are retracted all the way in) but it's like being on steroids when set on "hi" (fins are fully extended beyond the base). Rollover is VERY effective!

2-15-2009-01-45-48--jons1077.jpg
 
Congratulations Jon. The video is perfect. Even though Jason now has hiis own Kenmore 800, I bet he'll download this video because of it being another PP cycle sequence.
 
I talked a friend into renting a small Uhaul van, so I can get my Kenmore pushbutton. Hopefully this week, if not next week for sure!
 
most don't use a cold rinse either

I imagine it would be completely the opposite if there was a current version of this machine. I looked at the owners manual of those NIB GE FF set that sold for $619. The options knob offers auto, cold water wash, and warm rinse. All programmed rinses are cold . the warm rinse option puts a warm rinse on the two cottons cycles as well as the specials/woolens button at the bottom of the series of cycle buttons. The perm press & poly/knits cycle buttons remain cold regardless.
 

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