WP Dishwasher questions

[akronman]

My godson might buy a house with this dishwasher, unknown condition. When is it from? If in good working order or repairable, does it wash well? I have a spare KDS21 in perfect condition I could swap to him if this one needs much work. This WP says CONVERTIBLE-PORTABLE and is weirdly added in to a 1947 kitchen closet.

 

[awooff]

Wp

I had that same model in my first house. Washed great especially on heavy wash but does use about 13 gals of water. Door switch went out on mine.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Great washing machine. Keep it unless you have water problems like a shallow well. You can still get very good results skipping the first wash, just put the detergent in the first fill as well as the main wash.

 

[whitetub]

I would say it was made in the mid-1970's.

 

[DADoES]

 
The model/serial tag is probably affixed to the edge of the tub.  Model is coded for year of market introduction.  Serial is coded for year and week of factory production.

 

[qsd-dan]

May want to run a couple of loads of bleach through it first if that's mold at the bottom of the tank.

 

[appnut]

Takes Chromes off a trailer hitch!!! Looks like an adjustable upper rack. Early to mid 1970s I'd say.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

motor sound

The motor sound on these older units sound completely unmistakeable to me, especially when the pump is running while filling.

 

[combo52]

1978-80 WP DW

Very good DW, will out-clean the KD-21 DWs for sure.

 

Looks to be lightly used and in good shape [ that's just dirt in the bottom not mold ] if you run bleach in it don't use more than 1/4 cup to avoid damage to rubber parts.

 

You can even up grade this DW to a Power-Clean pump from a later machine.

 

John L.

 

[akronman]

Now at my house

My godson bought the house, the dishwasher doesn;t run but the washer, dryer, HVAC, stove and everything else does! So, the dishwasher is at my house for repairs, it's portable model SDF7800, and the underside looks remarkable! Except the motor, looks like it's been leaked on and seized. His entire Frigidaire kitchen looks like 1974 or so, the range has a 3 prong outlet right above the rear right burner, I think that bad idea was stopped in the mid-70's.
John, the parts diagram says motor 301861-Emerson, or 301858 GE motor, I can get a used Emerson at a reasonable price. But you mention upgrading to a Power-Clean? What should I be looking for?
Various pics, no rush on repairs since there's only 2 folks at his house and they've been washing by hand in their old place and here.
Underside looks excellent, this machine got some use but knowing the previous single 80 year old owner of the house, I bet it gave him trouble in the 80's and he pushed it in a corner of the kitchen and it hans't been touched since. Solenoids work for fill, then the motor does nothing at all.
And the impeller screw looks to have a folded over tab covering it, is that right or is it damage?
And the very 1st pic at the start of this thread---it turns out this is a prtable, they just kinda sawed off parts of the kitchen closet door jamb and stored it there! 1947 home remodeled in the 70's, what the heck!
Also, I am dis-assembling from top down inside the tub, correct? I will loosen the motor from underneath later?

 

[akronman]

Parts and diagrams

This is Whirlpool dishwasher SDF7800W1, W means white. IT has a reversing motor for pump up into the wash versus pump down to drain, as opposed to various machines using single direction motors with solenoids to choose wash versus drain.
Attached are parts list.

 

[akronman]

More Fun

sticker on top

 

[mickeyd]

I have this originally portable Whirlpool, too--thanks to Big Al, King of Dishwashers-- also transformed into a built-in with a handmade butcher block top. Tis a true beast, used mostly in the Winter months, because of its monster heater which adds fragrant warmth to the kitchen nicely. Got a real kick out of Uncle Bob's comment not to mention his telepathy, since today I bought my first Wegman's "Golden Pan" entree, a stuffed pork tenderloin, and indeed the Whirlpool ate the gold right off the pan. All the superlatives about Whirlpool custom Imperial are true.

One moment, please, for the pix.

 

[mickeyd]

Pix

 

[combo52]

Late 70s whirlpool dishwashers

Hi Mark,

It’s better to just replace the entire pump and motor assembly good used ones are still readily available I may even have one if you need help procuring one.

From underneath you merely takeoff the drain hose unscrew the nylon check valve that the hose was clamped onto swivel the four little tabs in word unplug the wiring and push the motor and pump assembly completely out of the dishwasher. You lift it out from the inside that is.

The early power clean assemblies will fit right in there as well.

John, call me if you have questions Mark

 

[tomturbomatic]

Beware the Power Clean Module

You will run into the same problems that John ran into if you replace the pump with a power clean module. The power clean module does not pump out as fast as the original pump so there is water left behind after every drain. Power clean machines have a timer with longer drain periods. John must not remember that he had to turn down the fill valve on his modified machine. How your son will manage that with a portable, I don't know.

 

[mattl]

I've got a similar unit in my basement I use for odds and ends. It will take paint off things. It's also very loud. Would not be my first choice for a daily driver due to the high water usage but does do a good job.

 

[akronman]

New motor pump arrived

I will have fun all evening. For the record and searches,
Whirlpool Dishwasher SDF 7800 W1, also known as SDF7800. Serial #F85105973 tells me 1973, which seems to match his Frigidaire stove in era.
Pump/motor assy known as 301829 or 675688 or 675688A for assembly.

 

[akronman]

new parts kit motor pump assembly

more fun

 

[repairguy]

Congrats on finding a NOS motor/pump assembly. It looks like it’s a 1976 model built the 51st week of 1978.

 

[akronman]

wow

This has been one of the easiest repair jobs ever, thanks John for the idea of the entire pump/motor assembly. Not a drop of water on the floor, 2 loads done, very clean dishes, medium quiet machine. Upper racks have dials to move up and down, bottom rack has a foldable rear set of times. Silverware baskets are removable for easy unloading. All I ran so far is the Super WAsh B, no extra heating, and air dry, all good. WASH rinse rinse WAsh rinse rinse dry, whereas Super Scrub A does extra heating in the first wash and the final rinse, unnecessary so far. My godson's water heater tank is miles from his kitchen, I might tell him just leave the A button pressed all the time.
Highly impressed, and also believing that this 1973 machine got darn little use.

 

[combo52]

Whirlpool dishwasher motor replacement

Yay Mark glad you got it working, these were really one of the best designed dishwashers ever we never charged more than 15 minutes of labor to change the pumps in these.

The relay isn’t really needed but if you changed it that’s OK they included a relay because they had an earlier design in the early 70s that could cause the motor to fail so they started including relays at one point.

As Melvin said in his post above the dishwasher was actually built in very late 78 so it’s really a 79 machine.

This machine should be good for a long time yet, they improve the impeller and seal design so this replacement pump shouldn’t fail the next 20 years or more.

John

 

[mickeyd]

Knew you'd love it~

I remember you loved sudssavers, and wonder if you recycle DW water. Even though mine is built-in now, the plumbing is not, so I have a ball with the expelled liquors depending on what I'm up to, either the boil wash or the boiling last rinse or both get saved to wash the floor soak a pot, accumulating dishes, a lot of variety here.

Also, Mark, the buttons and dials allow for a lot of cycle mods. My favorite is to press the A button, let the those babies boil, then move the dial to last click on the wash cycle for the drain, and rinses. When the second rinse water is steaming, I press D, and the heated rinse stops and proceeds to drain and dry. It's a pretty green cycle. Lots of possibilities, including shortening the fill(s) which are so generous. Your nephew will be very happy.

A nothing burger.... but the dial hits a hard stop between wash and rinse, right after the D marking on the cycle plate. Wondering if you or John, etc. know why that is.

 

[mickeyd]

-

 

[tomturbomatic]

When we had our portable dishwashers, my mom would let the water drain into a cast iron skillet in the sink for a quick wash.

 

[combo52]

60s and 70s Whirlpool DWs

Hi Mark, glad you got this working.

 

Hi Michael, I always hearing your appliance thoughts and energy saving tips.

 

WP designed the mechanical stop point into the timer at the short cycle starting point so it was easy to precisely start the cycle with go guess work such as turning the dial a little too far and missing the fill period etc.

 

All you had to do to start a full cycle was to pull out the timer knob, if you wanted the short cycle you just turned the timer knob till it stopped and then pulled it out, this was also done so sight impaired people could use the DW easily, I always thought it was a very clever design that worked well.

 

John L.

 

[akronman]

yes

Yes I let the drain water run over the worst or biggest pans, it helps.
And I think the door open handle is disconnected from shutting off the timer, you really have to push in the timer before openong the door?

 

[appnut]

Mark, that similar thing happened to our 1960/1961 Waste King. Somewhere along the line of about 5-6 years of usage, that began happening. Boy did my mom get a surprise the first time that happened to her when she went to add something to the load.

 

[bigalsf]

Sorry, a little late to this thread.

No, you do not have to push in the timer before opening the door. There is a door interlock switch that interrupts all power when the door release is pushed up. When you shut the door again and it latches the machine will resume where it left off. Whirlpool always recommended when closing the door in the middle of a cycle to hold the latch up for five seconds before latching. This allowed he air to heat up a bit preventing a rush of air out of the vent when restarting.

This is a great dishwasher with a couple of features over the built in model (the cutlery basket and adjustable upper rack). Those did not come on the built in model. I'm sure your son will enjoy it.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I think this dishwasher also has the air vent that fills with water to prevent steam from escaping during the washing and rinsing. After the last drain the water completely drains out of it to allow steam to escape during the dry cycle. All of that is a way to let you know that if you interrupt the cycle in mid flight, you should not let the door open down fully immediately or you will have a puddle of water on the floor in front of the dishwasher so hold it closed for a few seconds after pressing on the door latch to give the water a chance to drain out of the vent or hold it in a semi-open position for the same reason if you just need to add an item to the top rack.I hope your family gets lots of pleasure from this excellent dishwasher.