Rhode Island Rescue part 1 - The Frigidaire DW CIUK dishwasher

[turquoisedude]

Update - The Frigidaire Custom Imperial has been revived!

I'll apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, but I cannot upload directly from my stupidphone and the picture orientation may be wrong (that effin' phone just may the first thing I run down a recently acquired NIB GE Disposall....) 

Long story short - the timers were both repaired, thanks to the help of a pair of steady hands at Steved's on the long Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.  I popped them back into the timer today and tested the dishwasher. 

Sonofathing worked fine!  I did a couple of 'dry' cycling tests to ensure the main and rapid-advance timer motors were working and they are.  

I had to try a 'bucket test' and I am pleased to report that there were no leaks or drips, amazingly, and I could most definitely hear water being moved around by the Super-Surge wash arm and tower!

Tomorrow, the tub and exterior cabinet will get a clean-up and I'll haul this beastie to the basement for a hot-water test.  If that's a pass, I think the '63 Whirlpool "Telephone Dial" dishwasher is getting early retirement in St-Liboire!  

 

 

[turquoisedude]

More pics - details of the timer repair

I hope these pictures will work on the site; I've jiggered them to hopefully display in the correct orientation.  

 

I tried to 'document' as much as I could about how the timer motors from this 66 DWCIUK dishwasher were revived.  The issue with the machine was that when powered on, the pump motor started, but the timer did not advance to fill, wash, drain etc.   Both timer motors tested the same - it sounded as if the motor was running but the main drive gear would not advance.   I searched for replacement timer motors then stumbled upon a page from Dave's Repair Service in Pennsylvania which described the issue I had with my Kingston timer motors exactly.  

The problem was due to a broken gear (a sector gear) inside the timer - but the good news was that Dave had fabricated replacements.  In brass.  So I bought 2. 

Dave also posted a very detailed set of instructions on how to replace the gears.  I trust my shaky hands about as much as farmer would trust a starving fox in a chicken coop, but while visiting fellow collector SteveD on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, I had his help in cracking the timer cases, extracting the broken plastic gears, and replacing them with the brass ones.   We bench-tested them and both were now working again.  

I was itching to get back to Canada and get them back into the dishwasher timer!   

 

[turquoisedude]

I managed to get this short video as 'proof' the timer was now advancing, but trust me, I did several tests of the various cycles and functions, including the rapid-advance "cancel" option.  The timer was now working correctly once again! 

 



 

 

[turquoisedude]

This last series of pictures were taken this past Sunday afternoon when I moved the machine down to the basement in Ogden.  I had to remove the old-style copper water pipe connections to the water valve and get an adapter elbow to be able to (eventually) install it in St-Liboire.  I only got that part yesterday so the final cycle testing will only get done this weekend. 

 

I did take some time to give the tub a good wipe-down.  Under the dust accumulated from 56 years of very light use is a pristine tub and racks.  

 

I am very much looking forward to moving this to the Frigidaire-themed kitchen in St-Liboire very soon!  

 

[repairguy]

Good news Paul! It’s looking good.

 

[steved]

Yay Paul!

Never underestimate the power of a turquoise dishwasher!!

 

[turquoisedude]

First wash test

Hardly a Bob-Load but I selected a lot of cooking utensils, pots, pans, and bowls - the Pots and Pans cycle did an impressive job!  The main wash in this cycle runs for 32 minutes, with boosted hot water.  No dry cycle, but trust me, everything in this load was hot hot hot, so it flash-dried very quickly!

 

The only thing I didn't like was that there seemed to be some foaming going on and this caused a drip from the drying blower vent at the back of the machine.  I had observed spill rinse agent in the tub from previous transport so I guess my 'bucket tests' didn't quite wash it all out.  

 

There will be another dish-load test this coming weekend for sure!