Two almost-twin dishwashers!

[philr]

Today, I picked up a dishwasher that I wanted for a long time. At the same time, I gave a similar one to a friend of mine who just got the GE fridge in the other thread.

Can you see the difference?

 

[philr]

OK, the one on the right had it's lower panel repainted in white...

Now, let's see inside...

 

[philr]

Now I guess most of you found it but here's more pics!

 

[philr]

I just replaced the racks in the WU600 with newer (and much nicer!) blue racks that Paul gave me. The white ones were in pretty bad shape.

I took pictures of the serial numbers if the new WU600 and of my remaining WU601. I think I'll install both together and compare them!

The WU600 is from August of 1973 and the WU601 is from May of 1976.

 

[jetaction]

Score!!

Maytag RR dishwashers are my overall favorite vintage dishwasher. Ease of loading, capacity, cleaning are all amazing. Not the most stylish compared to others but we can't have it all in one model can we??
Congrats Phil!

 

[a440]

Love the 73' direct drive! That motor was about the size of most swimming pool pumps at the time! Great sounding machine while running with a full load! I always thought the wash action sounded like a Maytag top loader washing from the same vintage.
Awesome machine to have in your collection.
B

 

[behzad]

Hello Phil

I really like the clean design of those dishwashers. According to the pumps styles, I guess the non-belt type(actually the left one) is quieter than the other one. Is it right?

Thank you by the way
BJ

 

[philr]

I guess the non-belt type(actually the left one) is quieter

That I'll have to find out!

Here's an interesting thread about the early direct drive (pre-belt drive) models.

"avocaco" frigidaire electric stove & maytag dishwasher alert!!!

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/app/4326928914.html found this craigslist ad & thought it would be perfect to post on here for all the avocado & electric frigidaire stove and maytag dishwasher fans. it was posted 15 days ago, but updated just yesterday. ad says: "60'S MAYTAG DISHWASHER ~...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[behzad]

thank you Phil, I'm gonna read that.

BJ

 

[easyspindry]

The dishwasher on the left . . .

. . . had a poor design (I had one) that caused the porcelain to rust through and leak. When Maytag discovered this flaw in the design, they offered a "kit" to repair the damage or offered a good trade-in toward the price of a new dishwasher. The original dishwasher was bought in 1972.

I chose the trade-in, received the new machine and never had a problem with it for I don't know how many years.

I had a friend who was re-doing a kitchen in a rent house, and I gave the dishwasher to him. I don't know whether or not it is still running.

I got myself a Hobart-built ISE which ran flawlessly until the main seal in the tub started decaying.

Never a complaint with either Maytag as far as cleaning ability. But I found the ISE capacity was greater, especially for items such as large cookie sheets.

Jerry Gay

 

[behzad]

Hey Jerry
The horrible dishwasher which you talking about doesn't have any grinder, does it? And I just noticed that there is no float switch on WU600! Or maybe located at another place. Since I'm not expert in Maytag dishwasher, any idea would be great.

 

[philr]

Jerry, where did the tank rust through in yours? 

 

BJ

I also noticed there's no float switch, maybe it has a pressure switch underneath, I haven't checked for that. I have a 1969 Frigidaire mobile dishwasher that has neither, the undercounter version had one.

 

 

 

 

 

[behzad]

Phil
you're right, I think it has a pressure switch right down the tub.
This is the only possible way to measuring the water level.

Thank you again.

 

[appnut]

Didn't these dishwasher feature a metered fill rather than timed fill?

 

[combo52]

Early MT Built-in Dishwashers

The direct drive WU600 was the first BI DW MT ever built, it was a very good cleaning machine and a nicely styled unit as well. But it had MTs unusual reverse rack loading design that plagued MT DWs from the beginning for its poor flexibility and limited capacity. [ MT DWs never really took off in sales until they voluntary dropped this flawed [ consumer hated ] design ].

 

The DD machines were quieter overall than the noisy BD machines that came later, but like several other brands of DWs with reversing motors when the motor started in the drain direction the pump made an interesting loud sound as they stared to drain.

 

The early MT WU600 DWs did have several serious design flaws that caused MT to replace or exchange a large # of them in just a few short years.

 

All these early MT DWs were timed fill [ like 98% of all DWs ever built in the US ] on the DD DWs there was a safety over fill rubber pressure type over-fill switch under the SS sump cover.

 

[philr]

John, 

 

I read your posts about the design flaws in another thread, were they all corrected by the end of the WU600 production?  I read about bad wiring cut by repeated door openings and upper wash arms rubbing the porcalain which caused rust problems. 

 

On mine, I can't tell about the wiring as I haven't used it yet (it's supposed to work fine) but the porcelain over the wash arm seems OK (with just a trace of gray which suggests there was very light rubbing, not causing any serious damage). 

 

If I remember well, I think you said some of these (or was it the earlier WP600?) had a Delco motor? They must be earlier models because this one seems to have a GE.

 

By 1973, even most Frigidaire appliances didn't have Delco motors anymore...

 

 

[combo52]

Early MT WU600 DWs

Hi Phil, yes MT corrected a lot of problems by the time yours was built, so hopefully yours will work well.

 

One of the big problems with the early ones was the main pump discharge hoses blowing off the pump housing and flooding the kitchen. It was a PITA to fix as you had to pull the whole DW to get to the pump, then we had to take a triangular file and file grooves in the pump discharge port and reclamp the hoses and pray it didn't happen again.

 

[easyspindry]

BJ, the tank . . .

. . . rusted through right at the edge of the Figure 8 metal plate just under the lower wash arm.

I have to say the Maytag cleaned well, but the noise was deafening, especially when it drained.

Jerry Gay

 

[tomturbomatic]

The dishwasher on the left looks like it had a briss while the one on the right looks unmodified.