Whirlpool Imperial Mark 18

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Lovepuppy and Kevin -

I know that Charles was looking for my reply sooner than now, but I've been traveling this weekend and been getting myself back in gear here.

So, first, YES, what a great looking set, via phone pic or not. They look great.

Personally, I love these machines, and have been having my laundry washed by one model or another similar my entire life. I would not want anything else to be honest, I simply truly enjoy them.

As to this machine, my first thought would be to say the pump for sure is probably bad, and the belt. These are not bad or expensive items to replace just due strictly to age.

However, there are other things that could be causing a leak and a no or slow-drain condition. Kenmore81 is right in that the outlet hose to the manifold trap could be leaking. This is far more common on large capacity machines like yours than standard tup models which have a different outlet hose which seats better.

You could also have a leaking lint filter. If it is clogged and/or cracked, this could be your culprit.

There is a variety of good news with all this as the pump and belt are still out there available from Whirlpool. The outlet hose is not, but they can be found and I know Kevin has one as I directed him to buy one or two recently. Ok....I almost insisted.

The lint filter might be a tough beast (probably NLA), but I saw one on ebay last weekend. These were used by Whirpool only as Kenmore had their own design they liked. Whirlpool's filter is molded as part of the manifold trap, and sometimes shakes loose and makes the outlet hose leak.

If this were my machine and I wanted it to live on a good while yet, I would pull the tub and replace the centerpost grommet (Kevin is familiar) and the tub outlet hose. At the same time, I'd change the belt and the pump. I know Kevin has changed pumps, but a belt too?

This can be a bit of work, but there are folks, including me and Kevin, who'll help. It wouldn't be the first time I was on the phone with Kevin doing mobile washer repair consultations :-)

GOOD luck!

Gordon
 
That is a great shot of the set, and the laundry room too. It looks just like something out of a very familiar television show. The only things missing are Bobby Brady, and the suds.

Have a good one,
James
 
AAAAHAHAHAHAAAA

It is very Brady Bunch -- in fact, we described our house as a Brady Bunch house before we remodeled it. The tiles in the master bath are the same color as the washer / dryer, as was the paint on all the doors. The owners were reaaaaaaally into goldenrod / yellow.

My mom's kitchen before she gutted it had appliances from the 50s -- including a very cool stainless steel oven. Oh well, I hope the parts from these guys were re-incarnated somehow and are living in new homes somewhere.

Dryer pics to follow...

lovepuppy++4-26-2010-22-31-45.jpg
 
Very nice pair and very nice find!
So many memories flood my mind from this pair!
Congratulations!
Brent
 
There IS a service # -- wonder if it's still in service?

I'll call it tomorrow just for kicks -- hopefully I will not be re-routed to a prison or to a telemarketing company...

lovepuppy++4-26-2010-22-37-21.jpg
 
Here's the serial # panel

May as well be sanskrit to me...

Well, hope you enjoyed the pics. Oh -- my name is Natalie. My puppy got spayed this morning so that's why "lovepuppy" popped in my head for a user name.

You guys are great!

lovepuppy++4-26-2010-22-41-22.jpg
 
 
That pic above of the pair is fabulous! My new desktop wallpaper. :-D

If I may be so bold as to request:
- a side-angle shot of the dryer panel oriented from the timer, as you did of the washer
- straight-on shots of the timers and of the auxiliary controls (each half of the console)
- dryer interior
 
Dryer -- inside

I was going to put the puppy inside for this shot but didn't feel like dealing with the PETA folks...

LOL @ "appliance porn." I'm an attorney and as far as I know it's totally protected by the 1st amendment, LOL.

lovepuppy++4-27-2010-01-06-57.jpg
 
Appliance porn indeed!

They really are pristine, looks to be no wear or scuffing on the dryer drum.

I always liked the color shading around the buttons on this set.

Bob/Appnut, here's a Whirly dryer with Wrinkle Guard aka Finish Guard. Notice the extended Cool Down section at end of the Autodry cycle. I don't recall now if it runs a full 2-1/2 hrs (with a pulse-delay on the timer), the feature sticker doesn't say.
 
Nice photos! Those machines look brand new! You won't find machines like that in the stores today.... Thanks for posting.

Jim
 
WOW!

Talk about excellent looking! I have a Whirlpool Imperial 80, 3 speed dryer in the same color as yours, which is one of my favorite dryers I have. I have to say your set look "show room new!"
Those are in my view, true classic whirlpool's at there best!

Rich
 
WP MARK 18 WASHER & DRYER

Thats a wonderful W&D pair you have I have been an authorized WP sales & service person for over 35 years I remember selling that model W&D pair. They have been lightly used over the years and I would try to keep them repaired and working for more years to come. I would not let a big factory service Co. work on these they will just condemn them. You need find a good independent service Co. who has been in business a good while who is willing to work on an older W&D, you may have Angies List in your area also look on the internet for your community list service to see who your neighbors are happy with. I had forgotten till saw the model # plate of your dryer but this was the last WP gas dryer to have the dual BTU gas burner it fires at 30,000 BTUs at the high heat setting making it one of the fastest clothes dryers ever made. The two speed tumble is also a very unique and useful feature to aid drying speed and reduce balling of sheets etc.I would never get rid of this dryer many of working parts of this dryer are the same as the dryers that WP is still using on thier current machines { motor ,belt ,rear drum rollers] a good repair person should be able to keep this going for decades. Email me if you need any pacific help with keeping them going. John.
 
Hey John, I'm not far away from her.....

GEExtraRinse and I are going over there Sunday morning to take a look at them and see what we can do to repair them, so no big service company here!

On the "two speed dryer"... I will have to check these out, but on my 1968 WP Imperial Mark 12 set, the "speeds" on the dryer ONLY changes the airflow through the dryer, not the tumble speed.

Kevin
 
WP MARK 18 WASHER & DRYER

Hi Kevin I sure the WPs will be in good hands when you get to see them call if you need any unusual parts. Your WP mark 12 does change the heat input when change the speed setting if its gas it changes the BTUs if its electric it has a dual heating element it runs @ 4600 or 5600 watts.
 
Appliance brochure pretty

Those 'pools are spiffy. I really love that "finished" laundry room; I want to have one myself one day. I mean where the appliances are well integrated with cabinets and counters and even the water faucets are built in and have their own customized handles. Interesting that it doesn't even require the old "flush installation" feature on the machines to look good.
 
 
Two-speed drying when Whirlpool first introduced it in the 1960s affected airflow (by shifting the blower belt on a two-stage pulley, and then later an air damper when the blower went to direct-drive) and heat input, not tumbling.

Multiple tumble speeds came into play I think from 1972 (LX_) to 1976/77 (LD_) by shifting the drum belt on a cylindrical tapered pulley. As I mentioned earlier, it was initially three speeds. The LDA series dropped to two speeds, then the feature was eliminated.

It also wasn't always restricted to the TOL model. This Imperial 80 is likely circa 1972 or 1973.

dadoes++4-27-2010-10-13-2.jpg
 
overhaul

I would go as far as to replace not only the pump and belt but the tub seal as well.I would also completely clean out the outer tub of any soap scum and lint deposits.I'd also replace the inlet hoses. Once the unit is ready,I would run a full cycle using straight Clorox Bleach and a full tub of hot water.Bar keeper's Friend works great on the porcelain and painted surfaces to get all the dirt and grime.Windex is great for all the dials,chrome buttons and control panel backgrounds.Great set!!
 
Thanks everyone -- you all are truly wonderful!

I think I know why the pair are in such great condition -- the owners were already in their 50s when they built our home. I'm sure the set did not get as much use as it would have had with a bunch of kids running around and laundry going all the time. Then the wife passed away about 10 years before we bought the home, so yes, I suppose the machines just weren't used all that often.

Oh -- I called the number on the sticker -- it goes straight to Whirlpool customer service!

Here is a partial re-post of the email I sent to Kevin a few minutes ago. I don't know if the issue is more complicated than previously thought, or if a button is just stuck somewhere, or what. But I love this set and do plan on keeping it as long as I can.

So I am doing a test run with a pile of dirty rags so I can answer your question re: the wooo / whirr. I am watching to see exactly how the cycle goes down. Here are the results:

1 -- After she filled with water, I noticed that she never began agitating. All you can hear is a loud "buzz" (sounds like reaaaaallly loud fluorescent lights) but no action. I played with the buttons and once I pushed "low" for agitate it started going. If I pressed "high" it would stop.

2 -- Same for drain / spin -- if "spin" is on "high" -- no go, would just sit with the tub full of water; if moved to "low, then it would spin and drain.

3 -- A bit of good news -- no puddle of water all over the floor this time -- is Madge just mad at Harold and acting tempermental? She used to be so mellow....
 
if you noticed the lights dim a bit when the washer buzzed but
failed to run on high speed,there might be a problem with the
motor-starting switch problems,a bad connection,etc.
even if the motor is bad(very,very rare)they are very easy to
obtain and replace with very wide year coverage.
 

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