Work on 2 GE BowTie style dishwashers

[turquoisedude]

Last weekend, I finally picked up the 1959 GE Princess that I bought from Will in Virginia last fall so this weekend, I had to give it a good once-over and evaluate it.  

 

It seems to be in pretty decent shape - I found the tub was in good shape; the racks seem to be in good shape too! Bonus - this one has both trim strips for the vent grille on the front of the cabinet.  

 

I'm going to guess that the machine got decomissioned when the tub gasket finally gave and caused the machine to leak badly.  That base plate has seen its share of water!

 

[turquoisedude]

After I vacuumed out the tub, I figured I had nothing to lose by hooking the machine up to the ol' AC. 

 

Well, not much happened at first.  I could hear the timer running and I smelled the dust burning off the Calrod.  Ok, that was during the 'dry' phase of the cycle... LOL  

I did try advancing to wash, but the motor did not seem to want to cooperate... 

[this post was last edited: 5/1/2017-09:31]

 

[turquoisedude]

Well, that didn't stop me...  

 

I found the wiring diagram for this machine and made an alternate connection.   This time when I hit the switch, I was happy to hear that motor start!

 

 

[turquoisedude]

I suspect the culprit is this cable that connects the dishwasher tub components to a junction box at the rear of the dishwasher cabinet.  The cable was nice and brittle, so I have a feeling a wire was broken when the machine was removed and subsequently transported.  Not a big deal to replace (full disclosure - I had to replace the one on the turquoise '59 Princess). 

 

I let the machine run through a full cycle - the motor started, stopped, and reversed correctly and although I do not have the water valve, I used a light bulb to test the circuit.  I was surprised to find that the water valve was briefly powered up during the drain part of the cycle at the end of the pre-rinses, main wash, and the first two final rinses.  I guess it was intended to help flush out food particles.  Funny, but I don't recall the '57 Mobile Maid doing this...  

 

 

 

[turquoisedude]

Now to the reason why I wanted this machine so badly...  The lid.

 

The turquoise Princess that I bought nearly 10 years ago now (August 2007 - it was also the reason why I joined the club!) did not have its lid when I bought it.  Now I have one and I have to decide what I will do with this woodtone one... Oy, decisions, decisions...

 

 

 

[turquoisedude]

But wait, there's more!

Last fall when I was working on the garage renovation project, I couldn't help but notice how lonely the turquoise '62 MobileMaid looked.  

 

When I opened the lid I had a nasty surprise... Mice had gotten into it and made a big, smelly nest out of fibreglas insulation.  I cleaned it out back in November and pledged I'd complete the cleanup at some point.    That was last weekend and I was pleased to find that other than the mess, the mousies did not damage the machine.  Phew!

 

 

 

[turquoisedude]

But I quickly saw why this machine had been sidelined...  The original hoses for the Unicouple had gotten brittle and snapped.   I made a botched repair back in 2010 when I got the machine - it almost worked, but the main problem was the drain hose kept kinking and wouldn't drain the machine properly.

[this post was last edited: 5/1/2017-10:07]

 

[turquoisedude]

Well I had 7 years to think about it so I was able to do a much better repair to the hoses this time around... LOL 

 

The repairs seemed fine on a short test wash yesterday.  Stay tuned for a Maiden Wash this coming weekend!

 

I think I missed having a turquoise portable in the Ogden Kitchen.  

 

[firedome]

neat machines...

hope to see those this summer at the Ogden Museum!

 

[philr]

Paul,
Now I want to see the Talisman back in service!!

Roger, do you plan travelling north anytime soon!?

 

[classiccaprice]

It's a tough choice Paul on what to do with the Woodtone. It was in such good shape considering, you can see why I didn't want to part it out. It's a shame the people who uninstalled it were so rough with it. At least they didn't cut the cabinet and I found 98% of the machine in their junk pile! I'm glad you've got some good parts though!

 

[tomturbomatic]

I remember that sub interval switch energizing the water valve at the end of the drains to flush debris. I think that innovation came with addition of the baffle at 12 o'clock in the sump that directed the water down the drain. The GE combos I have played with do the same thing.

 

[turquoisedude]

Maiden Wash - '62 Mobile Maid

So I finally got around to running a load of dishes through the '62 turquoise Mobile Maid on the weekend.  It's all good - the new hoses I used on the Unicouple held up and the machine ran through the full cycle with no issues. 

 

And it's not like I made it easy for the test.... 

 

[turquoisedude]

Overall, the turquoise 'Maid gets a 95%.   There were a couple of utensils that still had some gunk on them after the cycle however, I think I can live with this.  

 

While the cycle was running I observed a few things I had forgotten about this dishwasher.  First, there is a brief 'purge' at the end of each wash and rinse period (except the final rinse) that I had also observed while testing the Woodtone Princess.  Next, I noticed the first pre-wash is quite a bit longer than on the '57 Mobile Maid or the '59 Princesses.  I was surprised that the Mobile Maid of this generation went back to 2 final rinses instead of three.  And finally, I was pleased to hear the lid 'pop' in the dry cycle (like the '57 does).  I can't wait to experiment with the cycles on this one - there is a 'Utensils, Pots & Pans' and a 'Fine China and Crystal'.  I've read up on these cycles, though, so I know they are both shorter cycles with a shortened dry period and I won't be disappointed... LOL 

 

I am really happy that I was finally able to get this dishwasher back up and running, especially that I now seem to have a decent method to replace the Unicouple hoses.  I promise to document the next replacement I do (and I have at least 1 coming up soon) more thoroughly but in a nutshell, the original hoses are cut off the Unicouple with a hacksaw and the replacement drain hose I used was a reinforced rubber 5/8 " (inside diameter) hose to prevent kinking.  The replacement fill hose is a softer, more flexible clear 3/8" (inside diameter) with a standard garden hose adapter on the water valve end.   I have a busy summer ahead... LOL 

 

In the meantime I am enjoying the roaring and rumbling of a bowtie impeller Mobile Maid in the kitchen again.

 

 

 

[rpms]

Glad to see the gas station glasses are still in use. Will have a toast to you this holiday weekend with the ones you gave me. Like the Maxwell House Hugga Mugga mug. I had two mugs and the sweatshirt.

 

[turquoisedude]

Yes I will, too Brian!  Glad you are enjoying those glasses!!

[this post was last edited: 5/16/2017-10:38]

 

[tomturbomatic]

Glad it's working. Yes, I remember the reduction of final rinses from three to two between our pink baby and our blue one. You might have better luck with the utensils if you do not pack  glasses so close to the utensil basket in that open area of the upper rack.

 

[turquoisedude]

So, you know that old saying? There are 2 ways of doing things: the right way and the turquoisedude way...  Here's more proof!

 

[turquoisedude]

I had just set the 62 MobileMaid on a cycle and was close enough to hear the 'pop' when the new fill hose blew out.  I got a good shower and there was water dripping through the basement ceiling.  "Queenie" the 57 Speed Queen got wet... poor dear.

 

So, kids, the lesson here is don't mess around - use REINFORCED hoses on dishwasher supply lines....

 

Well at least I got a chance to justify having a 3rd dishwasher in the kitchen. The Frigidaire slant-top portable took over for the 'Maid.  It was also interesting to do a side by side capacity test - the Custom Deluxe held about the same as the Mobile Maid but I could not fit the skillet in there.  More dishwasher experimentation with this one is needed.  

 

It's a holiday weekend here so I won't be able to get a replacement hose til Tuesday.   I may need to drag the Roto-Rack back out of the basement... oh, wait, maybe not.... LOL 

 

[turquoisedude]

How many times does it take turquoisedude to fix a hose?

Three, apparently... LOL 

 

So after the big blow-out last week, I bought some REINFORCED hose for the 62 Mobile Maid.  It looks much better, no leaks on initial testing but we'll only know for sure with a real load of dishes. That will likely be on Sunday (started loading the 56 GE, just in case...)