RCA Victor Custom 60 EDE-600

[dongchim]

Hi everyone,

I inherited a RCA Victor Custom 60 EDE-600 dryer that has been with my family since my parents bought it second hand in the early 70s. I came across this forum while trying to learn more about it - very cool that there are people out there collecting vintage appliances! They don't make them like they used to.

Does anyone have more information about my specific dryer? The serial number is 540890. I found an advert from a newspaper from October 1969 where this model was being sold for $170 ($1350 in today's money), but I'm curious who the actual manufacturer was (Inglis? Whirlpool?).

I recently found the dryer to be running a bit hot, so I tested the thermostats with a heat gun and took temperatures with an IR thermometer. The low operating thermostat was opening at 200F instead of 135F, and the high was opening at 260F instead of 165F. They’re Thermodisc branded and I assume the original parts. The safety thermostat looks different from the Thermodisc ones (similar to thermostats being sold today) and it opened at its specified 245F, so it has possibly been replaced. I plan on replacing the low and high thermostats with Supco LS2-140 and LS2-175 ($7 each). They're not exactly the same but hopefully that's not an issue, as they're the only ones readily available around here.

A while back, one of the connectors at the heating element had burnt up and failed, causing the dryer to stop operating. I found that a prior repairman did not replace the connector properly (bare wire doubled over itself and tightened against the terminal), and I assume the increased resistance from a poor connection damaged the wiring. I've since replaced the connector and all has been well.

The drum belt currently has cracks all around - not sure if it's original but the belt is labeled FSP 337019 (94-1/8" long, 3 ribs, 1/4" wide). A replacement belt was difficult to source but I found a retailer that can special order a Supco LB274 belt ($14). I might pick up a spare to have on hand in case it becomes no longer available.

And a disgusting “repair” from a few years ago – the exhaust vent was stuck open and flies got in and laid eggs in the dryer exhaust. They also got past the lint trap and into the drum… Fun times.

 

[dongchim]

I forgot to upload a photo of the wiring diagram

 

[circlew]

Dryer was manufactured by Inglis, the Whirlpool licensee in Canada.

 

[dongchim]

Dryer seems to be working fine with the Supco thermostats so far. I can hear them switching on and off as they regulate the dryer temperature.

Should there be some kind of filter on the air intake? I cleaned out a bit of dust build up at the bottom of the heating element and thought that it could benefit from a filter, although that would be another item to check and service.

I also replaced the legs with polypropylene casters for convenience. I was worried about movement during operation but it doesn't seem to be an issue so far.

7/8-Inch Threaded Stem Appliance Caster, Dual Wheels, 4-Pack

The Shepherd Hardware 9441 7/8-Inch Threaded Stem Appliance Caster, Dual Wheels, 4-Pack

www.shepherdhardware.com

 

[dongchim]

Turns out the Supco LB274 replacement drum belt is no longer available, so I think my only choice is to try to source new old stock on eBay. Not crazy about buying a 20-30 year old rubber belt but maybe if the bag is still sealed, then the rubber degradation will be reduced. Either way, better than replacing an otherwise functioning dryer...

 

[114jwh]

It looks like an old part number for the 337019 belt is 237555 according to some parts sites. It appears that Midbec in Canada may have this part available listed under 237555.

 

[combo52]

Older whirlpool dryer

We have lots of those belts if you need one new in the packages I wouldn’t worry about it being 30 years old. If it’s sealed in the package, they normally hold up fine.

I would not try to put any type of intake filter on the heating element, anything that restricts the air might cause problems. There shouldn’t be that much dust to be pulled into the element in the first place if the dryer is properly vented outside the house.

John L

 

[dongchim]

Sorry for the delay, and thanks for the additional info on the replacement belts! I ended up buying a NOS FSP 337019 belt off eBay for cheap, but perhaps I should carry a spare.

More recently, the dryer stopped working and wouldn't power on again. I tore the machine apart and found that one of the dryer side live wires had melted and broken off at the terminal block, with dramatic scorching (photo attached). I assume the screw down lugs loosen up overtime, resulting in a loose connection, high resistance and melted wiring. What would be the proper fix to prevent this from happening again? Solder the stranded wire solid? Bypass the terminal block with wire connectors?

James - we appear to be neighbours. Would you be interested in taking this dryer when we replace it? Our washer tub bearing is leaking, and I'm not able to replace it as the nut securing it is badly corroded and seized after 30 years of use. When the bearing eventually seizes and fails, we will likely replace both washer and dryer with a heat pump combo unit (which scares me to be honest).

 

[114jwh]

Hi Dongchim - glad you got the belt and all worked out. As for the offer down the road for the dryer, thanks for thinking of me. Its a nice machine but I'm pretty much full myself so I would consider putting a post on the Shopper Square forum when the time comes to see if there is someone else that might be interested. If you are going to get the all in one unit you might just consider keeping the dryer since you have it anyway and its already hooked up. On days when you are doing lots of laundry at once you might appreciate having the ability to dry the clothes separately to keep successive loads moving along quicker.

As for the melted wire on the terminal block, I'll leave it to the experts for advice but I'm confident you are correct that its likely from a loose connection. I'm not certain if just replacing the wire is good enough (if its not long enough to strip back the burned part) or if its best to also replace the block as well since you mentioned in an earlier post it happened before.

 

[combo52]

Burned wires on a dryer terminal block

The wires definitely didn't have a good connection any longer. They may have been loose, almost from the get-go or loosened with time. Most of the time we see this type of damage the cord was not properly tightened when it was attached to the range or dryer..

We see this type of damage several times a month mostly on electric dryers occasionally electric ranges.

You'll need to cut each of the burned wires back at least 4 inches. You can just use a heavy duty wire nut. If you have enough wire or you can use two of them and add a section of wire but you need to cut the wire back to where it's shiny and not heat tempered and damaged.

John

 

[dongchim]

Thanks for the feedback! It is quite insightful to see what kind of issues you run into in the field.

I wanted to use my fancy Wago 221-612 connectors but they only fit 10 AWG max, and the wiring is 8 AWG presumably because it is stranded wiring. Anyway, I ended up cutting the wires back, (poorly) soldering the stranded wires solid and reusing the terminal block for now.

Of course, once everything started working again, the blower belt breaks! It seems to be 1/4" in diameter and 38" long, with FSP 238739 40 markings on it. Hopefully I can find a replacement quickly as we need the dryer up and running ASAP!

And no worries James! It'd be nice for this to go to a good home instead of the recycling depot. Keeping it around is a good idea, but the space has already been earmarked for the wife's shoe collection...

 

[dongchim]

Fortunately I found one place stocking the replacement blower belt (WP691371) locally. Unfortunately it was quite expensive. My old belt was rubber and stretched to 38" while the new belt seems to be clear polyurethane and only 35-3/8". The blower spins much faster now that is has proper tension, curious how much that'll effect drying times.

 

[dongchim]

$100 tube

 

[combo52]

Replacement blower belt

It's outrageous what they want for parts sometimes as they become harder to get, they can charge pretty much what they want, they are companies online that you can order those urethane belts from custom made to the size needed my friend John E in Saint Paul also can make those belts.

Glad you got the wiring problem fixed to make a really long lasting repair probably would be better to use a new terminal block if you're curious if the repair is good after the dryer has been running with a heavy load and heating the whole time for 10 or 15 minutes kill the power and see if either of The Connectors are getting warm warm to the touch is OK if it's too hot to touch then you should redo it because it will fail pretty soon.

John

 

[dongchim]

Drum bearing?

The dryer started making all sorts of grinding noises and the drum wasn't spinning properly, so I removed the drum to inspect the bearing. I'm a bit lost because there doesn't seem to be a proper bearing - just a plastic sleeve on the body and metal shaft on the drum? Any ideas if I'm missing something, or if something has completely worn away?

In the meantime, I greased the drum shaft with Molyslip and the fan bearing with 3-in-1 oil. The drum is spinning again but I can still hear faint grinding noises that don't inspire confidence. There's also a squeaking/chirping sound only at start up, which I believe is the fan belt slipping.

I can't find any part numbers, but stumbled across two eBay listings that show the same plastic sleeve and drum shaft that I have:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/193124928733

VTG Whirlpool DRYER LPI5501W0 Parts | Rear Drum Bearing Shaft 299305 | eBay

Should you not be able to sort it out on your own, or if you aren't sure what exactly is wrong with your appliance, you can schedule a virtual service call on our website! This is a standard policy among appliance parts dealers.

www.ebay.com

 

[combo52]

Whirlpool dryer drum bearings

The rear bearing looks fine just fill the groove in the steel shaft with the thickest high temperature grease you can find and you should be fine.

What do the front bearing ring and the little slides look like that support the front of the drum that might be making the noise.

John

 

[maytag85]

Quite similar to the 1963 Whirlpool Imperial dryer I own, been out of service since its matching washer has been having timer issues. Currently have put that project on hold until the holidays are over, may end up having to transplant later consoles on since I am doubtful a replacement will show up.

In regards to the cycling thermostats, replaced the ones on mine back in 2022. The low heat thermostat is rated for L120-10, medium is L140-20, high L160-20. Definitely made the dryer perform much, much better.

 

[combo52]

Clothes dryer thermostats

Typically do not go bad and should not be replaced unless they show signs of failure.

It's very hard to get good replacements in most cases and the replacements sometimes aren't as good as the originals.

The safety thermostat should be kept at the same temperature level as the original, on an older dryer if you want to reduce the operating temperature a little bit, you can go down 10 or 20° if you like.

But as an appliance tech, I replaced less than a couple thermostats a year working on hundreds of dryers every year they just don't fail very often.

John

 

[dongchim]

Happy new year. I'm back with another issue: the $100 tube above (ie replacement fan belt) has stretched enough that there is insufficient friction on the fan pulley to spin it, despite being tensioned. This issue was already starting to present itself in my earlier post, as the belt was chirping/slipping upon start up.

I tried cleaning the belt, fan and motor pulleys to no avail. Everything spins freely and easily by hand, but the belt continues to slip and screech under operating conditions. I guess the original pulleys are not designed for urethane belts and there is not enough friction?

Out of desperation, I added a "loop" to the belt for more tension and it works, for now. It is not ideal as the belt could rub against itself, but the fan still exhausts air despite spinning the opposite direction than designed.

So... Any ideas on possible fixes? Try to source a rubber belt? Or will this be the end of the road?