Unusual Kenmore washer

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"when are you going to dig it out of the mothballs"

Kevin - there are a few MUST HAPPENS before I can get that machine out of storage. First and foremost is to freshen-up a pair of LK machines for a member from the mid-west. I can't work on my stuff until that is out of the way. THEN, I would like to finish a couple machines that are at home already, including the almost done 1965 alphabet 70. After that, who knows, something will strike my fancy in storage I am sure. I think if Andy nudges me much further on the 1968 900s we'll have to make him a Maytag Man bobble-head doll, so that washer may have first dibs on a trip "to the spa" as Ron in NC says. I would also like to breathe life into a 1963 KM 70 in Coppertone that is a real basket-case. I love total re-dos, so we'll see what time brings. I also have four or five DD machines that heard there was a convention of WP-built washing machines in Charlotte, and came to stay. Those need to be fixed and homes found for them. They would get out of my way and into the hands of folks who need them.

Malcolm - I noticed the same thing on the timer dial. That would be really interesting if the machine stopped after the pre-soak. Thanks for including the video of Rodrigo's. That is one of my favorite KMs - definitely in the top 5. That model had a one-up cousin with the same timer as this machine. It also has a short gap between the cycles from what I've seen in catalogs. Maybe Joe remembers what his washer did?

Its good to know that a few others had or had seen this model. I shouldn't be surprised, Kenmore sold too many machines for something MOL like this to be rare.

Gordon[this post was last edited: 4/9/2014-18:01]
 
I have a question about the washer in the video that Malcolm posted in reply #14. At the 6:58 mark during the fill for the rinse, as the timer advances, it seems to start the motor briefly in between the increments. Is that something that is normal on machines of that era or with that model timer, or is this particular machine's timer misbehaving? I remember on my mom's early-mid 70's machine that this didn't happen when the timer advanced during the rinse fill.
 
Todd, I didn't notice the motor starting up during my first watch of the video, but now that you bring it up, I hear it... could that be background noise? If the motor did start very briefly, its not normal.

There is nearly always a two-minute pause in KM timers (timers with two minute increments anyway) during rinse fill where the machine will not agitate until the next increment. On some basic models that have 1-minute increments, the rinse pause is thus 1-minute.

I'd like to know what the purpose for this was, as it is in every belt-drive I've seen, 1961 to 1986.

Gordon
 
Hello, G.

I think they had to allow the full two minutes to accommodate the possibility of homes with low water pressure or instances when a user's pressure might temporarily drop; thus if your pressure is great, the fill is completed before the two minutes are up, and so we wait, panting. waiting for the lights to come back on and the rinse act to resume.
 
My mom had this machine in avocado. It had the 24" size cabinet, standard capacity washbasket and the straight-vane agitator instead of the roto-swirl.
 
My first washer I ever got was used and was one VERY similar to that one, a Kenmore 80 model. Same sounds as the video, same super roto swirl, same knobs and placement. Mine was coppertone and said it was Heavy Duty. Wished I hadnt given it to my brother in law when I bought these Maytags 30 years ago. That could have been the start of a great collection.
 
Thank you Kevin, oh right, so it's a roto swirl!!! How couldn't get this???? The fact must be I have never seen one white and so made me think of a different, unusual one ...also, you know, the cap looked different than the others roto swirl ones, I mean more "convex" and perhaps a little taller than the others roto swirl that looks more flat...
But it may be that it is just the combination of colors that gives me the impression that it is different shaped.... I just do not know for sure....
I love the roto swirl agitators and love the typical kenmore mustard color,....but this combination of white and mustard of that agitator is so intriguing, now that I think of it even a black RS with a mustard cap wouldn't be bad at all!
Just to know...do you know if they fit only the Kenmores or they can also fit a whirlpool machine?
I have BD whirlpool with surgilator, love the surgilator the same I love roto swirls and Km straight vanes, I don't ask this because I want to change it with a roto swirl, I am a "purist" and I like my machines to have their original pieces....but just for information...
Excuse me again for the off-topic.
 
Agitator

This is a SUPER ROTO SWIRL agitator. The regular roto swirl is the often referred to pregger in Bakelite. Supposedly, the vertical scrubbing veins are what make this so SUPER.

Malcolm
 
Congratulations on that outstanding find Gordon. My aunt had a 1973 60/600 that had the plastic console with the bump. While I did enjoy that washer, I am tempted now to take this picture to her and ask "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??? YOU PASSED THIS UP???" Several times we have seen early 1970s models that were throw backs to models a few years before, but I don't think I have ever seen one model package about three different vintages...and do it as beautifully. Best of luck with it.

Kenmoreguy89: The model Kenmore in Halloween 6 is a 1972 Model 200 series washer. Gordon has this one in his collection as well and is pictured in his photo album. Funny thing is the one in the movie had a replacement agitator in it. The true agitator for this washer is a gold straight vane. The one in the movie showed a white Super Rotoswirl with the gold cap of the original.

Have a good one,
James
 
Timer pause during rinse fill

Mickeyd,

I think you're right about the purpose of the two-minute timer pause during the rinse fill. My grandparents had a horrible well when I was growing up. Their 1981 24-inch belt-drive Kenmore would fill to cover almost the entire bottom half of the Dual-Action agitator before the well pump would kick in and the water pressure would drop off to a trickle. Approximately 15 to 30 seconds later, the timer would advance and stop until the tub filled to the set water level. Thus, there was never a pause after the inlet valve shut off and agitation began. It would be interesting to see how this would work now that my grandparents have a new well.

Rob
 

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