RCA Whirlpool, not CA, this time I checked my typign

[akronman]

Here's a few more pics, I fooled with the machine while waiting for Ebay to deliver the new pump and wig-wag. However, after 10 minutes running, the pump now works, and I think the wig-wag too, but only $40 spent, so I'll have them when needed.
I already cleaned an 1/8 inch layer of crud from tub top, will CLR do the rest?
And I've seen the fabric softener dispenser plunger operate properly, don't know yet about the bleach. But with all the spray rinses, isn't it kinda dumb to bother with softener?

 

[akronman]

Lid Shot

Pretty self-explanatory. I'll try CLR for all the soap scum/mineral deposits on the lid

 

[akronman]

wig-wag

The pic ain't great, but I think it still has the 1959 wig-wag, and it seems to work. I'm gonna lube the sliding cams with a bit of Vaseline, and if the first few loads seems to run correctly, I'm gonna leave the new wig-wag in its box til needed.

 

[akronman]

paint

I've repainted worse ones than this

 

[akronman]

Surgilator

Who comes up with these names? It says SURGILATOR, Patent pending.

Is this considered about a 12 or 14 pound machine? Quite noticeably smaller than the 1979 Maytag or 77 Filter Flo.

 

[combo52]

1960 WP IMPERAL MARK 12 WASHER

Hi again the cam bars should be lubricated with automotive type grease the wig-wag with light machine oil [ turbine oil zoom spout etc ] there is a hole on the top of wig-wag on each side that is for the purpose of oiling these.  Vaseline is not a recommended lubricant for any mechanical part of this washer, These machines were originally considered to be 9lb capacity machines you could probably put a little more in but I consider all bigger claims to be false. Try weighing a pile of cotton clothing and see how big a pile of 9lbs is. It is an 18 gallon machine WP made the same capacity machines from 1947-1987, it was later called large capacity but of coerce they also had super capacity machines starting around 1967.

 

[appnut]

Thank you for the close-up of the lid chart and instructions. 

 

[bugsyjones]

Completely unrelated to your washer....

What's that book to the far left in the last picture?

It looks familiar from my youth.

~Tim

 

[akronman]

Off subject

Book is my 6 year old god-daughters. My 25 year old partner also remembers it from his youth. I, on the other hand, remember Captain Kangaroo in black and white.

 

[akronman]

rear cover

1 pic

 

[akronman]

Now the good stuff

IT's down in the basement, new fill hose, felt bumpers on feet, and running pretty well. I used an autmotive liquid gasket around the tub port for the water level hose, cured that small leak, only to find another minor leak at the other port, tub-to-filter-pump. That will be a chore for tomorrow, it's about a drop per minute.

It sure is a smaller tub than I'm used to, but turnover for appropriate load seems great.

 

[akronman]

Magic Mix Dispensing Filter

This was with low-suds detergent, but a load with Tide had foam in that plexiglass window

 

[akronman]

wig wag

One of you pros, let me know if this is maybe the original wig-wag. It's working perfectly well, I will get a dab of lithium grease on the cams/slides

 

[akronman]

filter

Blurry pic, but filter doing its part

 

[akronman]

mostly a working machine

Agitation in high and low speed is good, it clunks properly when shifting and wigging-wagging, neatral drain is powerful, and spin is not quite Filter Flo or 'Tag, but adequate. It does 4 spray rinses for almost every single spin ( I've only tried 4 of 10 cycles so far) which about halfway undoes the fabric softening, typical for Kenmore, I think.
And the spray seems to slow down the spin considerably by the 4th time, though the pumping and hose seems fine for neutral, hmmm...???? But then there's enough time to get back up to speed fully in the final spin.

The fabric soft dispenser plunger works but seems, so far, to go off during the initial spin, dropping softener into the tub port-to-filter pump hose, maybe it collects there and gets into the deep rinse once recirculating begins? I don't yet believe that the bleach plunger works, and I think I may just leave that assembly as is, don't know.

So there is still some work to do, I like a fun project, but for $50 and no ability to plug/plumb it in when I bought it from a dusty unused corner of a basement, I lucked out incredibly. But I am a bit unthrilled with the 9 pound tub in that HUGE machine, 29 inch, and the sprays undoing the fabric softener, and the only medium extraction speeds typical to Whirlpool, but then SOMETHING HAPPENED. See this pic first, then down below

 

[akronman]

I remembered I bought a new light bulb

I finally realized I left a new light bulb in the trunk, ran to garage, and GLORY BE.

 

[akronman]

Lighted console

Now I'm sold on it! There's stuff for my Filter flo, other loads for the Maytag, and there will always be something just perfect for a load in this old beauty.

 

[akronman]

more lights

Also, my name is MARK, and this says IMPERIAL MARK XII right there in perfect flourescence. Who else has their name in lights right on a washer? Once I got that bulb in, I decided to forgive this machine any of its idiosyncracies.

 

[akronman]

night light

I think that light will stay on forever, it'll make the other machines jealous but safe in that old basement.

 

[DADoES]

 

That's the old-style wigwag & plungers for sure.  Amazing if it's the original wigwag (note, the correct technical name of the wigwag is control magnet assembly). 

 

Just wondering if maybe the filter housing has been changed.  Our 1962 Whirly had a turquoise housing.  I've seen white on later machines, 1970s.

 

Regards to the slowed spin by the 4th spray ... if this machine has a pump protector manifold at the tub outlet, there's a weep-hole in it to release/prevent vapor lock that can get clogged with lint/debris.  Not saying that's the case for sure, just a possibility.  The hole can be cleared with length of wire or a long allen wrench or other such thing, by aiming just right through a basket perf.  You have to know how the manifold is constructed, where to aim.  Sorry, I don't have a visual of it.

 

Delicate cycle(s) may not have sprays in the final spin.  Can't say about W-n-W.

 

Fantastic to see this machine coming alive.

 

[akronman]

One problem

I removed the water fill valve to take to the store for proper hose, and I may have miswired it. I'm not used to 3 solenoid valves, Hot MEd Warm, can someone explain how it functions? Since it's all a preprogrammed timer, ther's no switches for temp, and I have to cycle thru a load to check this out.... or many loads. After one very wrong fill, I switched the top and bottom wires. Now Hot is true hot, Cold is true cold, but I can't tell any diff between MED and WARM.

Thanks for any help--

 

[yogitunes]

Mark

check your lid instructions for "when" medium temp would be in effect.....

best thing is to use a thermometer and check the different temps once filled

 

[combo52]

1960 WP IMPERAL MARK 12 WASHER

The orignal lint filter chamber would have been black on this model and yes your machine has the orignal control magnet assembly [ I do prefer the correct term ]. Some WP BD washers do bog down in the spin cycle when spray rinsing but they really shouldn't. It could have a blocked vent hole  in the pin trap, it may have a weak water pump or even a loose or worn drive belt. But if all else fails try using a low sudsing HE detergent. Water temps, if the hot & cold are correct then you have the valve wired properly assuming that one white wire is on each solenoid coil. When the machine calls for the medium temperature the hot coil and the center warm coil are used, this should give you a temperature half way between what you get on warm and hot. If your hot water is around 140 degrees it should be around 120 degrees.

 

[akronman]

pin trap

Where is the pin trap? New pump should arrive in a day or so, if you can tell me where the pin trap is, I'll clear it out at same time. My filter Flo, extra capacity tub, sometimes gets quite bogged down during sprays, because of GE's excessively long spray and large overloads in tub, but this is a much smaller tub and fewer, shorter sprays, so it surprised me. The new pump will be installed when it arrives, but I also want to check this pin trap I've heard tell of. But the neutral drain seems as fast as any other machine.

Yes there's a white wire on each solenoid, so I'll trust that the valve is working correctly. My water tank is set med-high, but I really don't pay much attention to dishwasher/laundry/hot water use unless ready for the shower, I know I sometimes run laundry when tank is kinda just warm, my own fault.

Combo----Martin----Thanks for your help

Another thing-----porcelain top is very clean white, but all other components are off-white, uniformly aged/yellowed. Is this likley due to aged paint, as opposed to color choice? I'm worried that my usual sand/primer/rustoleum will stand out like a sore thumb unless I repaint the entire machine 100%. It's a noticeable difference in shades, but it is a white machine. Non-color blind friends say it's all white, but pure porcelain white versus faded. I think it's gonna make the paint job an all or nothing.

 

[mickeyd]

"Fantastic to see this machine coming alive."

Ditto,

 

Reply #17, the angle shot really captures the machine's beauty. You must have felt blessed when you remembered the light bulb and made Mark XII the star of the basement.

 

[akronman]

Slow down during spray rinse

I think I fixed it. I searched here for photos of the exterior tub, figured out that Whirlpool-Kenmore had the tub sump way up front. My machine was tilted a bit towards the rear, I think it was holding water in the rear of the tub. So I shimmed the back legs just about a 1/4 inch, almost unnoticeable, and all that slow down stopped. I ran one of the exact same loads, towels, no problem with forward tilting Whirlpool. I've run about 4 other loads since, and never again a slow down at 3rd or 4th spray, while it had happened almost every single time before.

I did get the new pump from Ebay today, but with all aspects of drain/pump seeming fine, I'm not replacing it yet.

One question-----the filtering continues to flow during first half of neutral drain, until the water level drops below the tub post. Is that correct, or is it a sign of poor pump?

Thanks

 

[mixfinder]

Trouser Tracks

It is 100% normal for the filter to recirculate until the water falls below the level to service it.

 

[DADoES]

 

Correct.  The four ports of the pump constitute separate recirculation and drain sections.  Recirculation is pulled from an outlet at side of the tub and continues until the water level drains below it.  Water would drain during agitation, except for the flapper valve in the pump obstructing the pump's outlet port.  The flapper valve is shifted open or closed by the agitate cam bar.

 

[akronman]

Thanks

Then with my tiny tilt forward, that pump is working fine, I'm keeping it as is.
Thanks

 

[rp2813]

Congratulations!

It's a beautiful machine and it literally had your name on it!

 

You must be feeling a super-surgilated sense of gratification and satisfaction having accomplished such a great revival operation!

 

It was destined to end up in your hands.  Great job, and here's to many years of enjoyment.  That includes just sitting there and admiring it even when it's not running.