Spotted during a service call: GM/Frigidaire dishwasher

[philr]

Nate, I'm wondering what's missing in the Custom Deluxe on the top of this thread to have 5 level wash since the pictures show it has the

Lower wash arm - 1
Whirligig wash arm - 2
Tower, lower level - 3 

Tower, upper jets for top rack - 4

 

Did they remove the spinning disc at the top of the tank in this model? (earlier Custom Deluxe models had it but lacked the whirligig)


[this post was last edited: 7/2/2012-16:04]

 

[roto204]

Hard to say when comparing Frigidaire US models

The Custom Deluxe I had (woodgrain trim, big stereo-like timer knob) had the spinner on the roof, plus the isolated tower normally reserved for the Custom Imperials.  In the middle of the wash arm was the rubber diaphragm a la Whirlpool that would mate the wash arm to the tower, which spun on two sets of disc "bearings" in the lower rack.

 

When I fixed-up the Deluxe that Andy (RedCarpetDrew) found, I added the spinner on the top (there was an insert, but no disc) and swapped the "space-needle" spray tower with its rack gantry for the more spacious rack from the Custom Deluxe, along with a whirligig wash-arm NIB and meant for a Custom Imperial for maximum wash on an otherwise more BOL unit.

 

So, here, at least, the Custom Deluxe was four-level wash because it lacked the whirligig on the lower wash-arm.

 

[philr]

Wasn't yours an Imperial?

 

Frigidaire stopped making appliances in Canada in 1970... So my 1974 Custom Deluxe is a US model (and I got it in the US too!). (and even the Canadian models were also quite close if not identical to US models, my Custom Imperial even says General Motors USA on it's control panel (but the tag on the tub says "made in Canada")

 

From what I understand, the Deluxe models in the sixties and early/mid seventies had the 3 level wash. Custom Deluxe added a spinning disc at the top and were 4 level wash (that's how mine is). Custom Imperials added the auxiliary spray arm in 1966, and by the late sixties, had a stainless ring on their spinning disc and a wash tower fixed to the lower rack instead of being fixed to the spray arm (and some later model Imperials did that too).

 

The late seventies models with the slanted control panels added the auxiliary spray arms in the Custom Deluxe models too and I think, triple detergent dispensers, which were not even available on the mid-sixties Custom Imperial models (my 1969 has them though). I think they might have lost the spinning disc at the top so they would remain "4 LEVEL WASH" or Frigidaire changed it's level counting procedure!

 

[philr]

If this is the one you're talking about, it also has the "5 LEVEL WASH". Otherwise, it had the same control panel as my Custom Deluxe save for the 5 level wash and pilot light. It must have been a bit older as mine has the white interior and plastic inner door while yours had the blue plastisol metal inner door and blue plastisol interior.

 

[philr]

Here's the door and interior in my Custom Deluxe

 

[philr]

And now the control panel

 

[philr]

And a newer Custom Deluxe similar to the one at the top of this thread.

 

[philr]

But not as new (still has the detergent dispensers with the stainless covers, but these Custom Deluxe have been upgraded to triple dispensers (and two electric dispensers)

 

[combo52]

GM Built Frigidaire DWs

Phil the machines with the white interior and the molded inner door linner with the detergent dispensers molded into the door are newer than the blue plastsol inner door machines, the white molded inner door was a HUGE improvement over the plastsol coated steel doors as the door was often the part of these machines that rusted out first. It is really too bad that Frigidaire never converted the entire tub to a molded tub like GE started to do on their TOL models in the late 1970s, I have little dough that they would have done this if GM had been serious about keeping Frigidaire appliances going. But it was easy to see by the mid 1970s that GM was not investing any real money in the appliance division as their were almost no real improvements introduced in the appliance line-up after this time, When the pressure was on to have a SXS refrigerator that dispensed water and ice in the late 70s they just sourced it from WP and it was undoubtedly the best refrigerator to wear the Frigidaire name that they sold in the 1970s and Frigidaire refrigerators were not that bad in the 70s but they were far behind WP and GE in features, performance and reliability.

 

[philr]

I know that the plastic doors were an improvement. This weekend, I had to remove the rust around the rinse agent dispenser on my older dishwasher. The plastisol had already been repaired but the result was not so good... It cracked again and rust was showing up both sides of the door in a 6" diameter circle... The printed instructions in the door were already partially destroyed and I needed to scrape an even larger area to sandblast it so I washed all the remaining instructions away...  There's a foam gasket between the dispenser and the door that probably stays wet constantly. It reminds me the rear side marker lights on my 1975 Buick Electra. They used the same kind of gasket to seal them and they absorb water and these make the metal rust quickly!

 

I wasn't aware that Frigidaire outsourced it's side by side refrigerators with water dispensers from Whirlpool. Here, Frigidaire didn't sell many appliances during the 1970's after the Canadian factory closed in 1970.

 

[roto204]

My machine

You're right, it was an Imperial!  My mind blurred everything together after the re-fits.  I apologize!

 

[philr]

Nate,

 

What did you do with yours?

 

 

 

[roto204]

Merged it into the Deluxe, and chucked it!

Hi Phil,

I merged mine into the Deluxe that Andy found, which had intact Plastisol. The Imperial was shot. SHOT. I'll post pics of what that looked like--it was like a horror show of what can go wrong with Plastisol coatings.

 

[philr]

I think I have already seen the pics! (I searched a lot in the archives recently and saved some of the interesting pics!).

Did you keep any parts of it?

 

 

 

 

 

[roto204]

No parts at the moment

Most bits and pieces got sent on; I have a box of range parts, but none of the Super Surge accoutrements at the moment.

 

[stevet]

CALLING REDCARPEDREW!

Andrew,
I have been trying to contact you by email.. I used the one listed in your profile here, but haven't heard back in like 2 weeks. Can you send me the correct address at the email address listed in my profile or if anyone can contact him, let him know I am trying to contact him?
Thanks
Steve