Remember that 61 Whirlpool dishwasher??

[turquoisedude]

I am WAY overdue with a progress report on this machine... I had hoped it would be 100% complete by now, but I am soooo close and wanted to share what has happened with it so far.
This was 2010's 5th acquistion back in July - a nifty FP50B-1 top-loader that I estimated to be a 1961 model.
I discovered a few problems with it, though...

 

[turquoisedude]

Problem 1 - the leaks

I guess I should not have been too surprised that a nearly 50-year-old dishwasher might have a leak or two...

 

[turquoisedude]

The major source was a familar one - like the 56 GE pull-out the drain chamber was cracked and leaked kinda badly.

 

[turquoisedude]

A coating of automotive epoxy sealant worked for the GE, so I tried that technique again. It worked!
I also sealed the other hose connections with some high-temperature silicone as a precaution.
End result - no more leaks!

 

[turquoisedude]

Problem 2 - the timer shaft

I must admit this puzzled me at first... I did an initial water test (there's a video of it on YouTube) and I was thrilled that the dishwasher worked. The next time I tried testing it, nothing happened.
Some exploratory sugery revealed this broken clip where the timer dial shaft extension to the control panel meshed with the timer.
The fix? A small gear clamp made this problem go away!

 

[turquoisedude]

Problem 3 - cutlery baskets

Time and I believe chemicals (I suspect the machine had anti-freeze put it in during the months it was not in use since it came from a seasonal home) did a number on the original cutlery baskets. They were fragile and crumbling.
The good news is that a 70s or 80s WCI cutlery basket is a near-perfect substitute, although it's a one-piece unit instead of the original two Whirlpool provided.
So, I was three for three...

 

[turquoisedude]

Problem 4 - detergent cups

THIS was (and still, alas, is) a pain...
The original detergent dispenser cups, like the cutlery basket, were fragile and would come apart if I looked at them the wrong way.

 

[turquoisedude]

It took me some time to come up with a fix for this one. Oddly enough, when I ruined the pump casing of the 58 Frigidaire dishwasher I was working one, a solution that Hubby, of all people, proposed for that repair struck me as being a potential solution here. Anyone ever used that fiberglass-resin stuff to repair a boat or auto body?? The matting and resin held the Whirlpool cups together pretty well!

 

[turquoisedude]

After a bit of grinding down, the cups looked ALMOST feasible...

 

[turquoisedude]

But....

Not quite... I had fashioned a lid that did not 'flap' easily and I found that the layer of fiberglass resin changed the thickness of the cups and the trip arms just enough to prevent them from being tripped by the spring operated by a cam on the timer shaft...
I am hoping that I might be able to scare up a replacement set of cups somewhere. If anyone happens to have the original Whirlpool or FSP part number, please do let me know!

 

[turquoisedude]

Being close to 50, the dishwasher body showed some signs of its age...

 

[rollermatic]

enjoyed lookin at your pics

paul. soon as the weather warms up i'm gonna start again on some of mine. good luck finishing up this one!

 

[turquoisedude]

But nothing a coat of appliance epoxy couldn't fix... Or so I thought.
Painting in Quebec on a blustery October day is not, I repeat not, a good idea!
The paint job was pretty bad, so I buzzed it all off again and over Hubby's protests, I took the WP50B into the basement...

 

[turquoisedude]

And HERE's a surprise...

I had a can of custom-mixed appliance epoxy made to match the GE Kitchen Centre for a few touch-ups, so how could I resist!

 

[turquoisedude]

Next steps...

I must figure out a way to fix or replace the detergent cups, 'cause I like the idea of having automatically-dispensed detergent in both wash portions of the cycle LOL! If worst comes to worst, I can add the detergent manually, but by golly, this machine is going to wash dishes before spring!

 

[tomturbomatic]

I love the color! Actually BOL WP dishwashers used the twin silver baskets until recently. Check with John.

 

[bajaespuma]

Aferim!

Paul, this is the coolest machine!  I can't wait for your first video of it working. Love the design of the racks, love their color! CU went gaga over these early 60's Whirlpool dishwashers (LeFevre must have been the head of the testing department).

 

On another note, I will keep sharp eyes on the lookout for anything that may help you find those detergent cups. After several years of this hobby I've decided that there are no things as rare and precious as all the Rube-Goldberg designed detergent cups used on all the various Top-Loading dishwashers I've seen (could be its own thread). Between the magnetic ones on the early GE pull-outs and that amazing dual-dispenser on John's early vintage Maytag portable that we got to see in the warehouse, it seems like the first designs of these parts were always weird and wacky and, unfortunately, prone to breakage

 

[tomturbomatic]

WOW! Filter Stream Washing in both the dishwasher and the combo, but it's noisier with dishes in the combo.

 

[steved]

This help Paul?

I found

 

[steved]

Inside

you need part 82 cup and cover # 711819

 

[steved]

Sorry

I forgot I had this

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow!

Oh my, a wealth of Whirlpool information! The ad is just gawgeous, Ken!
And Steve, you did it again - you dug up yet another manual to help me out - thank you very much!!!

 

[bpetersxx]

vaccuums

looking for detergent cups and came up with vaccuums I think Hoover

http://www.pcappliancerepair.com/fi...ng=711819&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=search

 

[turquoisedude]

Fingers crossed....

the parts place on the outskirts of Montreal did not say an outright 'No - those detergent cups are no longer available'! They are going to do a couple of seraches and let me know - no doubt those more recent model numbers helped move this along. I will remain cautiously optimistic...