well, when i dropped that custom imperial rollermatic off my truck several weeks ago and was contemplating suicide over it (just joking, i wasn't that distraught) so many of you sent me e mails and posts saying that you like my posts on this site and hope they continue! well here's one i have been meaning to do for awhile.
this is the first rollermatic i got, from matt (everythingold) in grand rapids mich! it is a 1965 custom deluxe model and it now runs flawlessly! i did tune it up when i first got it and here are the pics for those of you who are interested.
and lies next to a kds-17 in aqua/turquoise i picked up in cinti on my way home from that trip to grand rapids. it will be awhile before i get to that kds-17a.
and the first thing i saw was gasket sealant that had gotten on the rollers and other parts. i knew the pump was leaking anyway so i had already deicided to remove it.
of the pump and transmission. this is not a rapidry! it has a two speed motor however so there is a slow and fast wash and spin speed. fast spin speed is 710 rpm. slow spin is 465 r.p.m.
the pump gasket sealant that was put on it has flaked off and has gotten all over the place. i had to scrape it off the rollers, agitate arm, the motor.
that screws into the agitate shaft. it's that round black peice that the shaft goes into. luckily i didn't have to try to remove the shaft from this one as the machine doesn't leak and runs fine.
i am having a real problem gripping that ball support on my other 1965 rollermatic that i am attempting to tear down at the present time. but you guys gave me some good ideas on how to hold it firm while unscrewing the agitator shaft.
this one is about to be removed from the washer even though i did buy a new pump seal for it from larry in parma. decided to gravity drain this one, idea being no water would remain in hoses and pump, hence a nice dry tub and machine between uses!
i did put the impeller back on, thought it might circulate a little airflow plus i felt it was probably needed to hold the roller on motor shaft. and it doesn't hurt anything to have it attached without it's pump housing.
for anyone unfamiliar with this machine it's the black device with the 4 vanes on it at the right of the pic and attaches directly to the motor shaft.
not the dirt on the metal agitate roller under the agitate arm. this will be cleaned off soon enough with alcohol here.
that rises up in the outer tub. the spin shaft housing bolts to it and it also holds the water seal on it as the inner tub rests on top of it. ofcourse this is an upside down view from underneath.
it's rubber so it will flex and allow the wash tub to move laterally during spin periods, yet reinforced with metal to be strong enough to support the wash tub, motor and transmission, and water seal.
upside down view of everything. you can see i have already started running the hose for the gravity drain, it will connect into 1 inch pvc pipe and go directly down thru the floor.
the outer tub on this one is great, no rust at all!
is in very good shape too! i did oil both ends at the bearings however. and i have bought a replacement 2 speed motor from mark in pa. that i posted about, just in case i ever need a new motor.
i did oil the bearings of the agitate arm. i oiled all bearings except those of the floating rollers. i was careful
about it, made sure none got on the roller surfaces, and it's been several months and all is fine! i use this machine almost every day!
i also oiled the agitate shaft where it goes into the spin shaft roller.
at the rear of this pic. i was told these models use a capacitor to help the motor bring the tub up to full speed during spin periods. when it first starts spinning the motor is not turning at it's operational speed. i can tell that when i watch it spin, i can hear the starting winding switch click (disconnecting start winding) only after tub has thrown most of it's water and is spinning at it's slow spin speed.
this takes a few seconds and i always wondered how the motor was able to handle that long starting phase without overheating. again i was told by a friend on this site that the capacitor enables it to do this safely.
i also read in my manual i downloaded here that the rapidry models have a dual capacitor and a switch located on the high speed spin solonoid. so when it kicks into high speed spin it switches from one capacitor to another. i found this be true on the machine i dropped off my truck. i can see the switch at the solonoid, and the capacitor has 3 wires going to it instaed of 2 like this one. interesting!
this tub is in great shape! no rust, all water holes on the sides are clean and open, i think matt must have done some cleaning on it before i got it. i know he had to remove a plastic bag from the outer tub that was blocking the drain hole.
i think also that it was owned by some little old lady who took excellent care of it and used it little! i know matt said it was kept in the kitchen which explains the lack of rust that a damp basement would produce after 40 years!
of the transmission. you can see the pvc drain tube also. nothing like draining it on the ground below the house! my house is up on a crawl space so i can can do that.
another thing i did was leave the back bottom access panel o
and i put a lite down by the tranmission and a portable fan. that way i can watch it for leaks or any other abnormal behavior and the the fan will help cool the motor!
i am treating this machine with kid gloves!
it might look cheesy but who cares! i want to take every precaution with this washer and i was concerned about the motor running hot, so i figured the more air circulation the better!
and i can see in the pic i used 3/4 pvc for the drain, was thinking it was 1 inch.
of the drain line. i am going to install a valve on this line so i can shut it off during winter to keep cold damp air from entering tub. i am also going to substitute vinyl hose for part of it so i can see how long it takes to drain water out of outer tub.
when i get the next rollermatic working i intend to install a second drain line in it's outer tub, the quicker it can drain it's water the less chance of a leak around a water seal i am thinking. and i have only found one replacement water seal for these rollermatics, so if i can drain the water quicker it has to help. at least i am going to experiment with this idea on one of my other rollermatics.
this little one i am leaving exactly as it is now! it runs great, so i'm not gonna screw with it! as said i use it almost daily with perfect results!
