norgeway
Well-known member
Fantastic!!
Fantastic work on ..In my humble opinion...the finest washer ever made.
Fantastic work on ..In my humble opinion...the finest washer ever made.
Taking apart a 1964 Montgomery Wards/Norge Plus-Capacity Washer
- Thread starter Unimatic1140
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NORGE WASHER TEARDOWN
Robert fantastic job tearing down the Wards washer I glad you decided to fix this one. Now everyone can see why I had often said these machines were not practical to repair in the field. Norge continued to use 1950s technology into the 1980s with all the pot metal parts that were exposed to water and detergent. I also always though it was a poor idea to use a sealed ball bearing so close to the water seal, this design still caused major problems for Maytag with the Amanatags and the Norgetags with all those leaking roaring washers. Having sleeve bearings are part of the reason that Maytag helical drive, GE Filterflow and Whirlpool washers lasted so long. But in any case I am sure that you will have it running like new again, I think you are probably the only person the site to rebuild one of these. Congratulations.
Robert fantastic job tearing down the Wards washer I glad you decided to fix this one. Now everyone can see why I had often said these machines were not practical to repair in the field. Norge continued to use 1950s technology into the 1980s with all the pot metal parts that were exposed to water and detergent. I also always though it was a poor idea to use a sealed ball bearing so close to the water seal, this design still caused major problems for Maytag with the Amanatags and the Norgetags with all those leaking roaring washers. Having sleeve bearings are part of the reason that Maytag helical drive, GE Filterflow and Whirlpool washers lasted so long. But in any case I am sure that you will have it running like new again, I think you are probably the only person the site to rebuild one of these. Congratulations.
Very timely indeed
Thanks for doing this. My Wards/Norge has just upset my little world: after months of no use, will spin, but won't agitate. My favorite "other" machine has pooped out on me.
Thanks for doing this. My Wards/Norge has just upset my little world: after months of no use, will spin, but won't agitate. My favorite "other" machine has pooped out on me.
autowasherfreak
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2008
- Messages
- 3,637
Robert, you are AMAZING. I'm positive you will have her running as good as new!
Awesome job Robert. Glad to see one of the favorites is getting saved!
The bearing number you provided crossed over to a Grainger number 5U499, a sealed NTN 6006LLBC3/5C. The store over in Plymouth has 5 in stock.
Ben
The bearing number you provided crossed over to a Grainger number 5U499, a sealed NTN 6006LLBC3/5C. The store over in Plymouth has 5 in stock.
Ben
mickeyd
Well-known member
Hi Robert, Thank you for kicking off Thanksgiving week with
Last month you showed us brain surgery on the AW 6, and now we see into the core of the Wards, the pelvis, I suppose. It's so amazing. Laying in bed last night, one of the pre-sleep meditations was: why doesn't he quit his day job, then publish and market these fabulous repair clinics. You must be up to at least thirty since I joined on Jan 1, 06. They make the process so understandable, even doable if you have the strength, parts, and skill.
Should email this next part so no one can see me be dumb(er) ;'D but I don't care~ the gray water seal in #13 looks fine to me, but you say that you can tell that it's bad. How? Is it supposed to be flush around the shaft?
At what age did your gift manifest, and what was the first machine you operated on?
Last month you showed us brain surgery on the AW 6, and now we see into the core of the Wards, the pelvis, I suppose. It's so amazing. Laying in bed last night, one of the pre-sleep meditations was: why doesn't he quit his day job, then publish and market these fabulous repair clinics. You must be up to at least thirty since I joined on Jan 1, 06. They make the process so understandable, even doable if you have the strength, parts, and skill.
Should email this next part so no one can see me be dumb(er) ;'D but I don't care~ the gray water seal in #13 looks fine to me, but you say that you can tell that it's bad. How? Is it supposed to be flush around the shaft?
At what age did your gift manifest, and what was the first machine you operated on?
Beautiful machine! I don't think I ever saw one with a metal tub ring. My '64 Norge has the plastic tub ring. And I'm so envious of your lint filter! Still searching for one for my machine.
the gray water seal in #13 looks fine to me, but you say that you can tell that it's bad. How? Is it supposed to be flush around the shaft?
Hi Mike, its as its carbon face type seal so its not suppose to be flush. I knew it was bad because its obvious that the bearing it was suppose to protect has water damage.
At closer inspection of the original seal shows the split that let water through...
Hi Mike, its as its carbon face type seal so its not suppose to be flush. I knew it was bad because its obvious that the bearing it was suppose to protect has water damage.
At closer inspection of the original seal shows the split that let water through...
Here are the new bearing and the new old stock seal ready for installation, complete with the yellow newspaper that the upper seal ring was wrapped in the box.
A closer inspection of the seal show the carbon face on the left side and the metal ring on the right. The metal ring faces downward on the carbon face, the carbon is soft and does not wear down the metal as they press together and spin. The carbon face is stationary and the metal ring spins along with the wash basket, it sits under the Spin Tube Hub.
Here is the brand new bearing all installed in the outer tub support, the spin should be silent now. (silent for a Norge lol).
Since the hub has some corrosion damage I put a thin bead of silicone around where the outer rubber part of the seal sits to prevent leaks around the outer edge of the seal. If the hub was new and the metal was smooth this wouldn't be necessary. Its all part of 50 year old washer restoration that they don't cover in the service manuals.
And here is seal all installed and ready to go. Time to put the machine back together...
Super-Cool Writeup!
Thanks for posting this Robert, it's really interesting to actually see these parts, how they failed and are subsequently repaired. Oh, and a handsome machine too!
Thanks for posting this Robert, it's really interesting to actually see these parts, how they failed and are subsequently repaired. Oh, and a handsome machine too!
Cool pics!
And a great explanation of the process. I've never worked on a Norge design before, so it's great to actually see how they are put together. Thanks for sharing the info. Have a good holiday!
And a great explanation of the process. I've never worked on a Norge design before, so it's great to actually see how they are put together. Thanks for sharing the info. Have a good holiday!
supremewhirlpol
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2009
- Messages
- 2,134
Very nice work Robert! I'll keep that Silicone in mind.
mickeyd
Well-known member
You're such a good teacher.
Yeah, the main spin bearing looks like a space craft part after re-entry. Grins. Learned that to look that bad, only a leaky seal could have let water in long enough to cause such damage. Fire and water, so bad in the wrong place. I understand now. And the close-ups show the seal damage clearly. Must be the light in #13 that makes the "gray" look so nice.... nice, that is, till you see the rich dark new one and the bright brass ring in the middle... ORRRR... is that the bearing? LOL Thanks.
Yeah, the main spin bearing looks like a space craft part after re-entry. Grins. Learned that to look that bad, only a leaky seal could have let water in long enough to cause such damage. Fire and water, so bad in the wrong place. I understand now. And the close-ups show the seal damage clearly. Must be the light in #13 that makes the "gray" look so nice.... nice, that is, till you see the rich dark new one and the bright brass ring in the middle... ORRRR... is that the bearing? LOL Thanks.
Joy!
Congratulations on the joy of maximum wash action! That's a beautiful machine, and it represents some of my favorite Montgomery Ward aesthetics, stacked "M|W" logo with a ring of dots and all.
I enjoyed reading about your repairs and the whys and wherefores of what was making it misbehave--amazing that a faulty motor could do all that. I'm so glad you kept at it and fixed her up--she's beautiful!
To answer a question you asked long ago and I missed, the Wards Roger and I found lives on to this day. My then-boss inherited it, preferred it over her Kenmore, and did all her wash in it. The torque spring issue is nil if there is a full load of clothes in the tub to hold the agitator down. It only caused issues with small loads, where the agitator batted and tangled the clothes prior to spin, causing grievous out-of-balance conditions.
Speaking of which, we washed a rug in our MW the other night, and it was completely out of balance--but never knocked or did anything out of the ordinary. All I noticed was that the clothes were wet after the spin, and I sussed out the rest. I guess if it's out of balance during spin, it has a way of never coming up to speed--the tub oscillates wildly, but it stays put. Weird. But cool!
David is so totally attached to the Wards that he has told me it's the only washer he'll use. So, I guess I'd better keep my eyes peeled to keep us in a steady supply of them. (He hated the Whirlpool.) He enjoys the monster capacity and aggressive wash action. The neighbors enjoy the way it rearranges picture frames on their side of the wall and shakes loose plaster dust out of the ceiling.
Congratulations on the joy of maximum wash action! That's a beautiful machine, and it represents some of my favorite Montgomery Ward aesthetics, stacked "M|W" logo with a ring of dots and all.
I enjoyed reading about your repairs and the whys and wherefores of what was making it misbehave--amazing that a faulty motor could do all that. I'm so glad you kept at it and fixed her up--she's beautiful!
To answer a question you asked long ago and I missed, the Wards Roger and I found lives on to this day. My then-boss inherited it, preferred it over her Kenmore, and did all her wash in it. The torque spring issue is nil if there is a full load of clothes in the tub to hold the agitator down. It only caused issues with small loads, where the agitator batted and tangled the clothes prior to spin, causing grievous out-of-balance conditions.
Speaking of which, we washed a rug in our MW the other night, and it was completely out of balance--but never knocked or did anything out of the ordinary. All I noticed was that the clothes were wet after the spin, and I sussed out the rest. I guess if it's out of balance during spin, it has a way of never coming up to speed--the tub oscillates wildly, but it stays put. Weird. But cool!
David is so totally attached to the Wards that he has told me it's the only washer he'll use. So, I guess I'd better keep my eyes peeled to keep us in a steady supply of them. (He hated the Whirlpool.) He enjoys the monster capacity and aggressive wash action. The neighbors enjoy the way it rearranges picture frames on their side of the wall and shakes loose plaster dust out of the ceiling.
Well, I'm going to have to admit that I'm a sucker for the agitator design on the '64. That's the same type as on the first washer of my mom's that I'm able to remember, which was a mid-to-late 50's vintage Norge.
Robert, I hope you'll post a video of the washer going through its cycles once it's up and running again. Truly a labor of love that you've documented above.
Ralph
Robert, I hope you'll post a video of the washer going through its cycles once it's up and running again. Truly a labor of love that you've documented above.
Ralph
Nothing better,
Than seeing a minty new fresh bearing fitting into an old well used casing!!! and you do make it look easy, but that comes with practice & patience....AND having the correct spanners and wrenches...and the nouse to improvise!!!
Along with a good silicone, rust treatment and enamel paint, thats in every restorers toolkit, looking forward to the vids!!!
Are those bearing kits just for washers etc or generic for other uses?? and what is the cost??
Cheers, Mike
Than seeing a minty new fresh bearing fitting into an old well used casing!!! and you do make it look easy, but that comes with practice & patience....AND having the correct spanners and wrenches...and the nouse to improvise!!!
Along with a good silicone, rust treatment and enamel paint, thats in every restorers toolkit, looking forward to the vids!!!
Are those bearing kits just for washers etc or generic for other uses?? and what is the cost??
Cheers, Mike
