Remember this next time your GE combo won't spin

[turquoisedude]

Ok, I admit it, you probably don't really notice but if a 50s GE combo doesn't want to spin anymore, this switch may be the cause...  

This 'switchette' is attached to the convoluted out of balance mechanism that is tripped if the tub shimmies and shakes too much.  

I believe I busted the switch when attempting an adjustment to the pump brake...  

I managed to rip the upper blade connector right out of the switch when I moved the unbalance switch mechanism to get to the pump brake.

 

[turquoisedude]

Amazingly, I had a spare switchette (the whole unbalance mechanism as well) from a parts donor combo.  

And naturally I managed to snap the spade part of the upper connector on the spare....

 

[turquoisedude]

Did I despair? Not quite.  I swore a bit, then had a brainwave.

I took the switch apart and attached a length of wire to it, clamped the switch back together, then tested the switch.  It worked!

 

[turquoisedude]

I just had to add a male disconnect to hook up the spin solenoid wire and reinstall the switchette.  And... 

Problem solved!  The blinding 208 rpm spin was back.  It only took me 3 months to getting around to do this repair.. LOL 

 

[repairguy]

Necessity is definitely the mother of all invention. Congrats on your repair!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Great save!

Is this the same switch that is connected to the mechanism in the, as you are looking at the machine, left front foot? Consumers' Research Bulletin upgraded the rating of the free standing combo when they discovered that this mechanism was tripping far too frequently and preventing the desired amount of water extraction before drying in the free standing model, but not in the built-in model which slides in a track that is bolted to the floor and is held down by the countertop above it. When a friend had one of these, I used to sit on the front corner to force the spin speed to its rip-roaring maximum and eliminate the ticking.

 

[appnut]

Congratulations Paul. Glad you didn't spin down in despair (or was that disrepair).

 

[turquoisedude]

Tom, yes, the switch I "repaired" is part of the that scissor-like unbalance switch.  Mine trips plenty of times - I didn't know there was a baseplate for the undercounter combos until I'd had mine for a few years, alas.  The baseplate was not included when I found the Wonder Kitchen - kinda surprising as it had never been installed.  I wound up bolting this one to the floor to keep it from wandering into the dining room during spin.... LOL 

 

[tomturbomatic]

The GE Combo Tour of Homes: "And now we are moving from the kitchen into the dining room." You are brilliant to keep all of those things alive and ticking.

Have a happy egg day.