Ralph's resto

[roto204]

Door hinges

The door hinges were a problem. I had no basis for comparison, but I suspected they were bent, since, well, you know, most dishwashers don't have 110º door swings.

Happily, eBay offered us a set of springs, tabs, and hinges, and once the replacements arrived, comparing old and new showed just how distorted the old ones were. The new ones were fairly simple to install, and completely resolved the issue.

Honestly, I don't know how I would have worked around that cleverly, so thankfully we were blessed enough to get what we needed. In selecting future machines, I might be more careful if it has a bent door!

The old hinges are so beefy that they would have been hard to fix readily.

 

[douglasdc6]

Roto204

Do they look something like this ?

These are 90T17`s

 

[douglasdc6]

If you would like

E-mail me some pictures I collect vintage fluorescent lights & can answer questions .

Thanks

 

[yogitunes]

Sturdy, built, nice stance, a little polished on the edges, love the silver.... Super Nice.......

that's a nice dishwasher you got there too!!!

 

[bugsyjones]

cabinet fronts

My KitchenAid Custom 21 had walnut-colored cabinet panels when I got it at the Habitat ReStore. It turned out ok for me because the color matches my existing kitchen cabinets, so I didn't bother with taking them off.

 

[bugsyjones]

Matching cabinet panels must have been all the rage in the 80's. I was looking at a Kitchen interior design book from the early 80's at a garage sale. In every picture, there's a KitchenAid dishwasher with matching cabinet panels. Not one dishwasher had normal white, black, or almond panels. They were all cabinet fronts.

~Tim

 

[rp2813]

Martin, you crack me up!

Nate, I guess we'll need to get some detail shots of those big tubes up in the attic for our buddy Roger. And some of the fixtures too.

I guess we'll schedule that for sometime soon . . . ****like when you come down to see your new KD 12!!!!****

 

[appnut]

Matching cabinet panels must have been all the rage in the 8

Tim, I don't think it's that much different today. Modern dishwashers have teh "integrated look" whereby they're trying to disappear while still being there. Couple that idea with the fact one can have custom made panels that match cabinets and it completely goes out of view. that was the same intent back then and has been "the thing to do" since at least the 70s.

 

[roto204]

Large tubes

Indeed! I'd love to know more about those tubes, too--I haven't seen a fixture yet that takes them!

 

[roto204]

Nice rack

The top rack is in good shape and has interesting movable dividers, and the center section can be removed entirely. The movable rows have stemware holders on the top, so it's easy to adapt the top rack to take wine glasses. But what you may not expect is that the goblet needs to face the wall of the tank.

 

[roto204]

And then there's the bottom rack

This is the rack that came with the machine, that has since been replaced with a minty one. I like how the cutout for the spray tube to the top wash arm is, at least, quite unobtrusive.

I never understood how the curlicues worked on the tines, until we loaded plates--the curlicues force-separate your plates, so they cannot clatter around or bang against each other.

 

[roto204]

Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte?

Bosch nabbed Thermador ("An American Icon"?), and distributed parts. (Briefly.)

I'm sure Bosch looked at Thermador-Waste King's DW designs and at least paused before sending them to Die Toilette, and I can kind of understand. But it was interesting to learn just how difficult parts are to find. Very, very little is available for the steam dishwashers.

Hooray for eBay.

 

[roto204]

Moving on...

It's time to tear down and assess, to make sure everything you don't see works as well as everything you do.

So, we remove the door panel. The first thing we see is the Ener-G-Guide sticker...

 

[roto204]

And then...

...the next thing we notice is the minerals from leakage...

 

[roto204]

And THEN...

...and then we notice the sponge.

WTF?

 

[roto204]

Amazing

Searches across countless parts catalogues covering tens of decades, we're unable to trace the history of the genuine Waste King-Universal/Thermador sponge.

Desperate and disheartened, we must do the unthinkable: Find a way to stop the dispenser from leaking WITHOUT relying on a Genuine Thermador sponge. Difficult? Assuredly. Impossible? Perhaps.

Fellow collectors, never be disheartened by a non-functioning or unavailable part. Do what our homeowner did--stick in a sponge to catch and redirect the water back to the tank. Then hang a grocery bag over it with strapping tape. And, reassemble the door! Voila!

Well, we have to fix this properly. There are no parts for the dispenser mechanism available, so we'll have to do this the hard way.

In our next exciting episode:
- Will our heroes be left on the sponge?
- How can they properly repair the dispenser with no parts?
- Will a simple plastic box totally destroy the Thermador experience? Could our heroes be a blue, crusty half-inch away from steam dishwashing bliss?

Stay tuned! (And be sure to drink your Ovaltine!)

 

[roto204]

Ralph

"but I knew I could put my faith in Nate to correct the things that were wrong with this machine."

Ha! Good thing, because with some of the issues we found, I wasn't sure where I was going to put MY faith. And if we didn't fix that door, I was worried you might have a few suggestions!

 

[toploader55]

Sponge.

I think that sponge was an option that year. That "Daily Clean Behind the Front Panel" Chore can always be frustrating especially if you can't find the right sponge for cleaning behind the front panel. So that's why it's there. LOL

I remember looking at that model in a Department Store. I think that was the first 2 Arm Dishwasher I ever saw. It made so much sense for the Upper Wash arm.

Really like the look of that machine. Good Luck finishing up.

Eddie

 

[rayjay]

Had the same POS in my kitchen many years ago. 1983or 1984. DId not clean well. Got rid of it and replaced with a GEW 2800.

 

[mickeyd]

Hi Nate

Been so long I forgot that Roto is YOU. Nice ta meetcha, Ralph.

Um, I was just wondering: I know steam is good for carpets and wrinkles, but DISHES. What will they think of next, steam for warshers. *giggles*

The thing looks amazing, the control panel suggesting, a DW behemoth.

Will it clean off hardened, day-old Lobster Thermadore? (Joke meter still asleep--Sorry!)

So DW and retro-challenged, I actually thought it was an undiscovered, " Mystery "brand machine. You really fooled me. Blew up your pic. Great. That body of water looks like it could spout steam at any moment, the way some of them do.

 

[toggleswitch2]

.
~The off-color stripe in the background is the sealant for the tank seam.

Hi guys!
Beary nice!

Listen, I don't mean to pee in your Cheerios, but PLEASE be sure your sealant is 100% non-toxic. My father worked with a BRILLIANT research doctor/scientist that was doing work for a non-profit organization (Read "low pay"). The doctor attempted to seal his GE/Hotpoint DW back in the 70's with something (I think it was actually aquarium sealant, which he PREUSMED was harmless). Long story short, his family suffered PEMANENT nerve and brain damage.

Me? I won't use any such sealant in a DW and happily forward to the krusher any such machine. But that is just me!

 

[rp2813]

Well Togs, I haven't heard of any class action suits against WK/U for sealant issues. I'll keep my fingers crossed, at least until for some reason I can't move them anymore.

Ray, I had my doubts about this machine when I first started using it, but now I'm really happy with it. It's doing at least as good a job as the Motley Maytag it replaced, and the KDI 21 we had at the other house. And neither of those other two machines can touch this one when it comes to drying. This is the first machine I've ever owned or used that doesn't require me to wipe out remaining water from the items on the top rack, and it's not even a forced-air drying system. That, to me, is both very impressive and luxurious. Bob, you were right on the money about that!

I have a crusty casserole dish in the machine right now waiting for a full load to run through, and I'm going to use the steam option on it. Just the rinse/hold cycle alone seems to have loosened things up on it nicely.

Ever since I've had this machine installed I've been using real plates for every little thing. No more paper. I'm using the hell out of this dishwasher because it's so much fun, and so far I can't complain about its cleaning ability. Yeah, it could be quieter, but I'll gladly accept extra decibels over the limp-wristed silence of a brand new machine.

 

[roto204]

Sealant clarification

Hi Togs, we should probably clarify that Thermador did the sealing, not us.

Eddie, LOL--I wonder if Bosch made a revised sponge?

Yes, Ralph, I totally agree--after I bought a new Frigidaire that could not clean the far side of cereal bowls in the top rack (and could not clean pans in the bottom), there's no way I'm going modern again. I'll just do them by hand.

And I do not do them by hand.

 

[toggleswitch2]

~there's no way I'm going modern again. I'll just do them by hand.

"It was a small load, so I did it by hand"

 

[yogitunes]

Usually when you do it by hand, you only get a small load!

(ducks and runs)

 

[combo52]

THERMADOR DW

The real TD DWs did have the two arms welded into one piece and a real SS tank. TD stopped making them in the early 1970s and went with the cheaper to build Waste King design. A friend recently gave me a 1971 TD DW, its an interesting machine. I will have to post some pictures some time when I dig it out.The door hinges usually bend on DWs with heavy wood panels when one door spring breaks or if the proper stronger springs are not used and the user keeps letting the door just drop open. Do it a few times, thats all it takes. I have been trying to fix a 1986 TD steam DW for a friend but have been unable to find a timer. Its in really good condition but it may be recycled very soon let me know if there are any other pts you need.

 

[rp2813]

John, if you can find a timer, that machine is well worth fixing.

I just ran a near BobLoad through mine last night, with starring roles played by two crusty casserole dishes. I opted for "Heavy Steam" and as a result, I am officially and thoroughly head over heels in love with this machine. Both dishes came out sparkling. That simply would not have happened with any of the machines I have used prior to this one. Add to that the fact that I didn't have to wipe water off of a single item on the packed top rack, and I hope this dishwasher lasts me for many, many years. None other can even compare.

I can't thank Nate enough for hooking me up (literally) with this machine. It's nothing short of awesome. I couldn't ask for a more kick-ass butch machine than this one.

The Thundering Thermador rides again!

 

[roto204]

And then!

And so, we continue!

Upon running the machine, we find that the dispenser leaks from two places: The rinse-agent dispenser, and the shaft of the detergent dispenser that passes through the door.

The rinse-agent dispenser will be simpler. We just cut a new seal from gasket material--the rubberized cork of the old unit is waterlogged and icky, and needs replacing anyhow.

Here you can see the unique metal tang that drives the rinse agent dispenser, and the detent in the dispenser cam that fires it.

Here's how it works:

1 - Bimetallic strips fire and flex upward, tilting a pivot arm that is spring-loaded. The disc is also spring-loaded (the big spring coiling around the disc itself), so the disc spins counterclockwise for a segment. The first cup opens.

2 - Bimetallic strips fire again, and the above process repeats to open the second cup.

3 - Bimetallic strips fire the third time, and the rinse-aid dispenser is triggered. The dispenser is completely non-electric and 100% plastic. (You'll see.)

Closing the cups the next time arms the mechanism. Holding the door at 90º allows fresh rinse aid to flow into the "charge" compartment in the dispenser box, and the cycle is ready to repeat itself.

 

[roto204]

The dispenser

The old dispenser has to be replaced; it leaks rinse-agent (and caused Ralph a few nights of lousy wash-action and door-drips).

Fortunately, there was a spare on eBay. Here's the dispenser au naturale, with our new gasket:

 

[rp2813]

Oh Noooooo!!!!

Another thread where the latest pix have stopped displaying for me.

Help Mr. Wizard!