Whirlpool Transmissions Oil Question

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maytag85

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Currently in the process of putting the original transmission back together out of my 1963 RCA Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII washer. My question is will Valvoline 50 racing oil work? Reason why I am asking is Gordon (kenmoreguy64) mentioned somewhere in a thread in the archives that he would try using Valvoline 50 weight racing oil since it’s light on detergent and is more easily available but I just want to double check since it’s been a number of years since there was a thread about transmission oil in Whirlpool belt drive washers.
 
Maybe I might use gear oil but I think it might drag on the gears putting strain on the belt and motor. The original gears out of the transmission to my 1963 Whirlpool don’t have much wear on them at all.

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Royal Purple Synthetic.....

one of the best superior replacements in lubrication....

highly recommended by our own Jon/Jetcone....

not someone, or something I would have to second guess.....



 
I finally ended up selecting the GL-4 Hypoid Gear Oil by Quicksilver 858064Q01 High Performance SAE 90 Gear Lube for Mercury Outboards.

I thought it might have some benefit or protection in case of water intrusion since it was formulated for outboard motor use.
 
Oil For WP BD Washer Transmissions

I would not use anything lighter than 70 weigh gear oil, but you could easily use 90-120 weight, it is not critical in a WP washer,

 

Even in cold environments WP washers like all other washers ever built will not have trouble agitating like Maytags with the silly slipping belt drive when you are trying to wash clothes.

 

John L.
 
Combo 52 wrote:

"Even in cold environments WP washers like all other washers ever built will not have trouble agitating like Maytags with the silly slipping belt drive when you are trying to wash clothes."

 

 

 

And in the freezing cold, with a Whirlpool transmission full of molasses, the motor strains to spin up that transmission to full speed with no slippage, and the bearings and the seals are bound to suffer undue wear.

 

That "silly" slipping belt drive is just one of the reasons why heavily used Maytag machines outlived the others.
 


Even in cold environments WP washers like all other washers ever built will not have trouble agitating like Maytags with the silly slipping belt drive when you are trying to wash clothes.

 

<strong>If a Maytag belt was adjusted as tight as a BD WP/KM, it wouldn't slip in cold temperatures either.</strong>

 

When I restored my 906 washer, I installed a new upper shaft and bearings in the upper transmission housing (the shaft was perfect and bearings were fine but I had them on hand, so why not?). I also wanted to experiment with 75/90 Royal Purple synthetic gear oil to see if it was a suitable replacement for the original Maytag oil since I was curious how it performed, knowing it was a matter of time before Whirlpool obsoleted it. During the winter as a torture test, I filled the washer full with water and let sit overnight in the garage to cold soak. Temperature of garage and machine were at 41F the following morning and the transmission banged right up to speed with no drag. When these machines are set up properly with the correct oil, one can have their cake and eat it too.

 

 
Another thing too is oil tends to thicken at time goes on. I put some Royal Purple gear oil in and it seems similar to motor oil but is more sticky than oily. I’ll see how it goes when I get the transmission installed but that won’t happen until later this week or next since I am waiting on the new spin clutch to arrive since the original clutch grabs a little too much when it engages into the spin and is abrupt at times but that should all be fixed when I get the new clutch installed.
 
Hi John, I am getting the 3 pad clutch you mentioned in the original thread about my 1963 Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII set since it allows everything to continue running at full speed when the spin engages without dragging or bogging anything down when the spin engages.
 
BD Washer Clutch

Are you getting a fast brake clutch and brake assembly or the regular clutch and brake ?

 

The FB is a little over 3" in diameter the regular clutch is over 4" in diameter, if you are converting to FB you need to change the spin cam-bar and use a hardened pin in the control-magnet plunger for the spin side.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

John 
 
Hi John, I’ll have to see when the clutch arrives later this week. The clutch I ordered is the correct clutch and I don’t plan and changing any pulleys and I’ll take pictures of when I get the clutch installed on the spin tube and brake assembly.
 
Some photos of the new clutch. This should definitely work better than the older style of Whirlpool clutch from 1947 to 1967.

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