Solid tub speed queen stumbled in my store today

[lorainfurniture]

It seems to function but the center tub boot dryed and cracked. It was pretty weird, the first run is was a few drops, the second load was a monsoon

My first time working on this style, it’s pretty cool.

 

[gansky1]

Very cool.  78-79.  It's in remarkable shape for it's age. 

 

[repairguy]

What a cool machine. I’ve never worked on one either but I’ve always wanted one in avocado. I’ve only seen one in this area on 3 occasions. A laundromat had them until around 2000, my great aunt had one until 1987, and an aunt bought a used one in the mid 1990’s and had it briefly due to the motor would overheat and the place she bought it from swapped it for a JCPenney penncrest. Enjoy!

 

[potatochips]

That control panel style is very elegant.

 

[frigilux]

Nice find! Is this from the era when the motor and pump ran during the fills and there were a couple of loud solenoid clanks when the lid lock engaged and disengaged?

 

[iowabear]

Thanks for posting the pictures, I really enjoyed seeing them.

 

[mrsalvo]

Our family's washer. Think it was my mother's favorite washer. When I think of the solid tub SQ's I think of WATER, WATER, and MORE WATER, vigorous wash action, and, of course, the solenoids engaging. You could hear the pump underneath also. NOT the quietest machine, they were all business. Laundrymats hummed with them. Growing up, they were not my favorite washer.

Around the time I entered 5th grade we bought a 20 lb Norge Montgomery Wards washer with the filter screen set towards the back of tub, I felt like we moved up in the world. Not sure she liked it as well as the SQ, as she bought another solid tub SQ as soon as the Norge started leaking. Strangely, the 70's SQ didn't last very long.

The memories!!

 

[combo52]

70s Speed Queen Solid Tub Washers

These were fun but very short lived machines, first of all they did not test well and being more expensive that a MT did not sell well.

 

They were a combination of rugged SQ design with lots of cost shortcuts, the 70s machines did not have the more rugged solenoid shifting system for the home models, SQ also added a tub brake to these later 70s models which caused further problems.

 

Hi Eugene, Bob is the one to ask about these washers, he probably has more experience than anyone I have ever known with them, hopefully you can get it going.

 

John L.

 

[goatfarmer]

Nice machine, good luck with it!

 

[tomturbomatic]

The control panel legends are confusing with too many ABCs meaning too many things.

 

[lorainfurniture]

I fixed it

Bob had the tub boot at his house, along with the service manual. After working on this I can really appreciate the simplicity of modern washers. This model has no solenoids , the wash/ spin is engaged by a worm gear that flips a lever .

It’s fun to watch that’s for sure.

 

[rp2813]

From Speed Queen to Signature

IIRC, SQ washers from this period didn't score well with CR either.  And that was when they provided thorough reporting.

 

Wow Barry, that is totally out of the earplug frying pan and into the deaf-defying fire.  No surprise that the Signature developed issues in relatively short order.  That's their "signature" behavior.  Of course your mom didn't like it as well as the SQ. 

 

I know, I know, I'm like Hans posting about the virtues of manual defrost refrigerators.  PTS(ignature)D has left me scarred for life.

 

[cfz2882]

really cool...

...that at least one late model SQ ST is working in the present day