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Thread Number: 20653
Pushbutton Kenmore Pair |
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Post# 328006 1/31/2009 at 22:10 (5,556 days old) by jons1077  (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Post# 328011 , Reply# 1 1/31/2009 at 22:36 (5,556 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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| Post# 328015 , Reply# 2 1/31/2009 at 22:51 (5,556 days old) by qsd-dan (West) | ||
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Post# 328022 , Reply# 4 1/31/2009 at 23:24 (5,556 days old) by cleanteamofny ((Monroe, New York) |
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| Post# 328023 , Reply# 5 12/31/2069 at 18:00 (19,832 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.) | ||
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Very nice looking pair, minus the dirt and clutter. Definitely the 900 set from late 60s early 70s with the Vari-Flex agitator. These would likely have the QuietPak which would make them purr like kittens. Hope they are grabbed by a club member. Have a good one, James | ||
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Post# 328034 , Reply# 6 2/1/2009 at 04:31 (5,555 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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These are interesting machines! I remember seeing a few ringers on the Sears floor in the early 70s, they were over in the corner out of the main traffic area. As a kid I wanted to take out the agitators and put them in "real" washers. The Kenmores in the top photo are are a bit of an oddity. As Charles and James were mentioning, these were the #2 Kenmore machines in 1970. They carry 80/800 series model numbers. The washer had the Vari-Flex agitator. These are odd or different to me in that they have the old carryover console frame of the 1966 - 68/69 Lady K, but they are only two speed machines. In the Lady K, one of those 14 buttons is the custom-care 3rd speed button. I'm curious to know what replaced it in this model. Gordon | ||
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Post# 328074 , Reply# 8 2/1/2009 at 10:25 (5,555 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Forgot... | ||
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Post# 328163 , Reply# 9 2/1/2009 at 17:16 (5,555 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 328165 , Reply# 10 2/1/2009 at 17:33 (5,555 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Ben,
Well, to be honest space is really tight. I only have enough room to hook up 3 washers and 1 dryer. I only have electric power so a gas dryer does me no good. The washer is possible but I would have to seriously shift things and would have to unhook one to hook up another. I went ahead and wrote the seller to see if just the washer is available. I definitely love the machines and I Kenmore like that is absolutely something I want. It's only about an hour from me so we'll see what happens. The worst that can happen is I've already got some great machines and very happy with them. Jon | ||
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Post# 328191 , Reply# 11 2/1/2009 at 19:29 (5,555 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Just $20 for the washer alone!!! | ||
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Post# 329268 , Reply# 12 2/7/2009 at 20:27 (5,549 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Well, since nobody else wanted it...
I went ahead and picked the washer up today. It's a 1970 model. The man that sold it to me just happened to find the parts list still in the plastic too! It looks to be in pretty good shape...some cabinet rust on the very bottom but otherwise very good shape. Of course has the brown variflex agitator and everything is automatic. Just needs a good cleaning and he said it still works just fine. Pictures to come! Jon | ||
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Post# 329275 , Reply# 13 2/7/2009 at 23:16 (5,549 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Post# 329288 , Reply# 14 2/8/2009 at 00:27 (5,549 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon) |
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YAY John! | ||
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Post# 329289 , Reply# 15 2/8/2009 at 00:42 (5,549 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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More on the Kenmo...
So we got it out of the car. It is rather dirty and will need a deep scrub. I was able to open up the lid and kind of check out the insides. There's your typical rust on the cabinet from years of use but nothing terrible. The outer and inner tubs look really nice and shiny. The fabric softener dispenser/bleach compartments will need to come out and get a deep clean but they seem to work. The recirculation water for the detergent dispenser is very powerful too. Bypassed the lid switch and fired it up. It is just as quiet as I remember when using the one at Roger's home in Tucson. It really does purr. All of the funtions work. The timer advances fine and all of the selections work. Basically the only thing is the light is burned out. Bummer!!! I'll have to locate a new bulb but otherwise I'm really excited about it. Oh yah...gotta love the vari-flex agitator too. It really does make that machine versatile! Patrick, hope you'll be available to help us get it downstairs. I'll move the 1-18 out of its slot so I can give the Kenmore some use for a bit while. The Frigidaire needs some cleaning. (By the way...the squealing sounds from the 1-18 have pretty much gone away now. It's running like new!) More to come... Jon | ||
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Post# 329291 , Reply# 16 2/8/2009 at 00:45 (5,549 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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More on the Kenmo...
So we got it out of the car. It is rather dirty and will need a deep scrub. I was able to open up the lid and kind of check out the insides. There's your typical rust on the cabinet from years of use but nothing terrible. The outer and inner tubs look really nice and shiny. The fabric softener dispenser/bleach compartments will need to come out and get a deep clean but they seem to work. The recirculation water for the detergent dispenser is very powerful too. Bypassed the lid switch and fired it up. It is just as quiet as I remember when using the one at Roger's home in Tucson. It really does purr. All of the funtions work. The timer advances fine and all of the selections work. Basically the only thing is the light is burned out. Bummer!!! I'll have to locate a new bulb but otherwise I'm really excited about it. Oh yah...gotta love the vari-flex agitator too. It really does make that machine versatile! Patrick, hope you'll be available to help us get it downstairs. I'll move the 1-18 out of its slot so I can give the Kenmore some use for a bit while. The Frigidaire needs some cleaning. (By the way...the squealing sounds from the 1-18 have pretty much gone away now. It's running like new!) More to come... Jon | ||
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Post# 329341 , Reply# 17 2/8/2009 at 11:43 (5,548 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 329355 , Reply# 18 2/8/2009 at 12:46 (5,548 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Bob,
You're absolutely right. I really did like that 900 at Roger's house. I was completely sold on the variflex agitator and I love how it's fully automatic with soak, prewash, timed dispensers, etc. You know I like to stand around and watch my machines do their work but sometimes I really don't have the time. This is one that I can start and walk away knowing it'll do everything for me. I should be able to get it moved to the basement tomorrow. I will take plenty of photos and hopefully a video as well. Jon | ||
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Post# 329364 , Reply# 19 2/8/2009 at 15:19 (5,548 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Jon - You said the softener/bleach dispenser needs cleaning. I'd like to give you two bits of advise (that I learned the hard way): 1) The dispenser bezel is made of brittle plastic. The mounting screws can cause it to crack or shatter, so be careful not to over-tighten them when re-installing. 2) The solenoid controlled plungers that hold the softener and bleach in can get dried out (bleach) or get build-up on them (softener) which in both cases makes them leak. Make sure that they hold water in the dispenser until they're supposed to dispense before you trust it. I'm looking forward to seeing this machine in action and all cleaned up! Sounds like it landed softly in a good home. Gordon | ||
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Post# 329576 , Reply# 20 2/10/2009 at 00:14 (5,547 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Update...
OK once again thanks to good 'ol Patrick we got this beast down to the basement. I didn't realize how wide these were. My Westinghouse, GE, Maytag, and Frigidaire were all in the 26-27" width range. The Kenmore is 29" wide! The machine has a really rusty cabinet particularly in one section at the bottom. It happens to be in the area where the dispesers are. Spent the afternoon doing some cleaning and testing. Gordon, I was able to get the reservoir out (very tricky and did have one minor mishap but all is well. It looked like the softener side had clogged at some point and had run over so VERY MESSY. I didn't know that plastic was supposed to be CLEAR!!! After spending some time on it though I got it all spiffy and back in place. Ran a load of whites first so I could test out bleach and softener and they both work perfectly. Very pleased about that! The panel light was out as well. I was able to get a new bulb today, got it installed, and still no light. Luckily I had a spare fuse on an old GE dryer panel. Swapped those out and voila...light! Other than a solenoid here and a clank there, this machine is incredibly quiet. It is really unbelievable how quiet this design is. This machine has some really "top-of-the-line" features. The variflex agitator does a really nice job. Four settings really makes it a flexible machine without the need for 3 speeds. I was quite surprised by the Perm Press cycle as it is nothing I've seen before. It actually does 2 cool-down sequences in which wash water is drained and replaced with cold water along with slow agitation. I've also noticed this machine does quite a few spray rinses. More than I remember later beltdrives doing. The only not-so-great thing I can think of is softener is dispensed always in the first rinse so if you use the second rinse option your softener gets rinsed away. I apologize for not taking the time to do pictures or video but I promise I will very soon. This machine was definitely worth the $20 and has already proven to be a very well-made and well-thought out machine. More to come... Jon | ||
| Post# 329586 , Reply# 21 2/10/2009 at 01:25 (5,547 days old) by washoholic (San Antonio, TX) | ||
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Post# 329592 , Reply# 22 2/10/2009 at 03:40 (5,546 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Spray rinses
Jon - Spin spray rinses in all the belt drives I've come across from 1960 to 1986 have been the same, four 7-second sprays in the first minute of both spins. Does yours have more? Your machine may have a 4-minute spin before the rinse, and a 6-minute spin after, is that right? The two machines I got from 1972 this past summer are configured this way, which is a full two minutes of extra spin in each segment as compared to all the 1974 and later machines I've had or worked on. I was surprised at the length of the spins and suspect this is one reason that these machines often exhibit more bearing wear than newer machines. | ||
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Post# 329596 , Reply# 23 2/10/2009 at 04:15 (5,546 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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KenmoreGuy64, Our 1962 Whirly had four sprays in the post-wash spin, but only two in the final spin. That's on Normal. Gentle had either 2 or 4 sprays in the first spin, none in the final. Whirlpool advertised "Seven Rinses" which would be 4 sprays in the first spin, a deep rinse, then 2 sprays in the final spin. 4 + 1 + 2 = 7 rinses I also recall that our 1976 Whirly had shorter sprays. Maybe four seconds instead of seven. Perhaps Kenmores were programmed differently, as they typically had a leg-up on features against Whirlpool? :-) I don't recall now if Granny's 1970 Kenmore 70 had four sprays in the final spin. | ||
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Post# 329623 , Reply# 24 2/10/2009 at 11:59 (5,546 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Yep, I probably should have qualified that by saying 'Kenmore'. I don't really pay attention to Whirlpool differences, but I do know that at least since 1975, they've never shared a common timer with Kenmore in a full-size machine. Every Kenmore I have used regularly, which would be my mother's 3, from 61, 74, and 83, and all the various ones of mine have four spray rinses, 7-seconds I believe, in the first minute or two of spin, on the Normal/Cotton Sturdy cycle. I had never thought to check a Whirlpool. I do have one in my garage to work on soon, so that will be something interesting to check, for sure!
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Post# 329631 , Reply# 25 2/10/2009 at 13:46 (5,546 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
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Congrats Jon!! | ||
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Post# 330391 , Reply# 26 2/15/2009 at 01:24 (5,542 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Finally some photos...
Sorry for the delay. Very busy with work this month but was able to get some photos of the Kenmore after a little bit of cleaning. The tub ring is a bit of an issue that will involve vinegar and scrubbing due to hard water deposits but otherwise the machine cleaned up pretty well. I have also made a full video of the Permanent Press Cycle. As soon as it is loaded on youtube I will post that link as well. Everything works fine. It will need a tune-up at some point but it does really well otherwise. Enjoy!!! Jon 
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Post# 330393 , Reply# 27 2/15/2009 at 01:29 (5,542 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Cycle Selection
This machine has turned out to be extremely flexible with options much to my surprise. One thing I learned just yesterday about this machine is "Custom Care" and what exactly that does. I washed a set of horribly dirty rugs and decided I would use "custom care" on the regular cycle since it uses slow agitation. I figured that meant slow spin too so the rugs would be completely soaked. Turns out I was wrong...custom care only modifies the agitation speed. So it is possible to have a slow wash and fast spin. Totally awesome!
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Post# 330394 , Reply# 28 2/15/2009 at 01:31 (5,542 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Post# 330395 , Reply# 29 2/15/2009 at 01:32 (5,542 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Glamour shot...
The panel all lit up. The cycle dial has a slight crack but I'm sure I'll be able to find another one somewhere that's clean and in better shape. Luckily I had a spare fuse for the flourescent light and was able to a get a new bulb at a local light shop in town. It is a VERY bright light. Makes the GEs seem so dim in comparison. Could be that extra 2 inches of width too.
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Post# 330396 , Reply# 30 2/15/2009 at 01:37 (5,542 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Under the hood...
Here a shot of the instructions and cycles under the lid. It was so dirty you could barely see any of it. This was just a slight cleaning but at least we can see it! There is actually quite a bit of info on the lid. You almost don't need the use and care booklet but I wish I had it. Funny how absolutely no cycle automatically uses a cold wash and most don't use a cold rinse either. You have to modify those yourself with the buttons. Just funny how hot and warm water was used so much then compared to now. 
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| Post# 330397 , Reply# 31 2/15/2009 at 01:37 (5,542 days old) by autowasherfreak () | ||
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Wow! Very similar to the one I will be getting. Yours looks fantastic, I hope mine turn out looking as nice as yours. Can't wait to see the video! | ||
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Post# 330398 , Reply# 32 2/15/2009 at 01:46 (5,542 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Finally the money shot!
So the inside isn't too bad as you can see. The agitator, tub, top...all in rather good shape with minimal to no rust anywhere. The stuff on the tub ring is hard-water deposit that I could not get scrubbed off quite yet. I'll be doing more cleaning in the future and probably removed the ring all-together and give it a good cleaning. The dispensers on the bottom left were in terrible shape as I would expect. I was able to really clean those up and get them to work perfectly again. I now keep a large measuring cup in the basement particularly for this machine. I always dilute my fabric softener in one cup of hot water before pouring into the dispenser to prevent as much build up as possible. I'm sure I will have to maintain it periodically as the one main flaw in this design is the lack of recirculating water in the dispensing system to flush them out and keep them clean. Not a big deal though. It's simple and effective! As for the Vari-Flex agitator...whoever thought of it deserves a pat on the back. This thing can be rather gentle if set on low (the fins at the base are retracted all the way in) but it's like being on steroids when set on "hi" (fins are fully extended beyond the base). Rollover is VERY effective! 
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Post# 330401 , Reply# 33 2/15/2009 at 02:14 (5,542 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Here's the video...
It's not completely downloaded yet but the link should work after a little bit longer. Enjoy! Jon CLICK HERE TO GO TO jons1077's LINK | ||
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Post# 330417 , Reply# 34 2/15/2009 at 06:39 (5,541 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 330433 , Reply# 35 2/15/2009 at 09:28 (5,541 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Bob, | ||
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Post# 330442 , Reply# 36 2/15/2009 at 10:38 (5,541 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Adding &fmt=18 to a Youtube URL runs the clip at a higher video quality. Perfect sound effect when shifting to final spin! | ||
| Post# 330484 , Reply# 37 2/15/2009 at 14:10 (5,541 days old) by autowasherfreak () | ||
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I talked a friend into renting a small Uhaul van, so I can get my Kenmore pushbutton. Hopefully this week, if not next week for sure! | ||
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Post# 330496 , Reply# 38 2/15/2009 at 15:53 (5,541 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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most don't use a cold rinse either
I imagine it would be completely the opposite if there was a current version of this machine. I looked at the owners manual of those NIB GE FF set that sold for $619. The options knob offers auto, cold water wash, and warm rinse. All programmed rinses are cold . the warm rinse option puts a warm rinse on the two cottons cycles as well as the specials/woolens button at the bottom of the series of cycle buttons. The perm press & poly/knits cycle buttons remain cold regardless.
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Post# 330532 , Reply# 39 2/15/2009 at 20:02 (5,541 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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| Post# 330552 , Reply# 40 2/15/2009 at 21:16 (5,541 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Post# 330581 , Reply# 41 2/15/2009 at 22:48 (5,541 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Thanks all!
I'm quite happy with it! It's a really nice machine indeed. I was finally able to pay attention to an entire normal cycle. Eventually I'll make a video of it but since we were talking about this earlier though I'd bring it up. We were discussing how many rinses these machines did to include spray and deep rinsing. This machine does 4 sprays in the first spin, 1 deep rinse, 4 more sprays in the final spin, and an optionaly 2nd deep rinse for a total of 10. I can't remember for sure but my 1984 portable does 3 sprays, 1 deep rinse, and 2 sprays in the final. The spins are also longer for a couple of minutes on the 1970 model machine. Glad you guys like the video! Jon | ||
| Post# 330583 , Reply# 42 2/15/2009 at 23:19 (5,541 days old) by autowasherfreak () | ||
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Johnathan: Here is picture of my pushbutton Kenmore. Mine has the white Vari-Flex. The water level control is next to the timer knob. 
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| Post# 330584 , Reply# 43 2/15/2009 at 23:21 (5,541 days old) by autowasherfreak () | ||
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Control Panel I think I like the location of the water level lever better on yours Jonathan. 
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| Post# 330598 , Reply# 44 2/16/2009 at 02:28 (5,541 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.) | ||
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Congratulations Jon on getting those up and running. Thank you so much for that awesome video. I have never heard a Kenmore without the woo woo sound. It must be one quiet machine. I look forward to the video of the normal cycle. Have a good one, James | ||
| Post# 330615 , Reply# 45 2/16/2009 at 07:04 (5,540 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN) | ||
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That is one magnificent washer. Notice in the video comments I marked where the spin start is around 6:23. | ||
| Post# 330676 , Reply# 46 2/16/2009 at 15:18 (5,540 days old) by bestcleaning () | ||
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Excellent Jon. Congratulations! Does the recirculation (dispenser)stop during the wash cycle? Does anybody have some pic inside of Vari-flex agitator? -Rodrigo | ||
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Post# 330702 , Reply# 47 2/16/2009 at 19:16 (5,540 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Jason,
hehe I had no idea you liked Kenmores THAT much. But if you pleases you, I do frequent your Kenmore video as well. I had never seen a Perm Press cycle like this until your video popped up. It's pretty cool I think! As far as the recirculating dispenser, yes, it only does it for 2 minutes at the very beginning of the cycles. If you start the cycle at 12 minutes or less you have to put the detergent in the tub itself because the dispenser will not activate. However during the delicate cycle there are two times that it will activate: at the beginning (10 min wash) and again at 6 minutes which is the beginning of the "Wool" cycle. Jon | ||
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Post# 330710 , Reply# 48 2/16/2009 at 19:50 (5,540 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Jonathan, fyi,.. On the last generation of Kenmore 800s (the one like Jason got with the knotched lid opening rather than the metal/chrome handle) the detergent dispenser ran for 4 minutes (14 & 12 minute mark Normal and 12 & 10 minute mark for PP). I can tell you that 2 minute detergent flush on delicate barely got everything out of there--well I was using 3B All and Clorox 2).
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Post# 330717 , Reply# 49 2/16/2009 at 20:14 (5,540 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Bob,
Maybe they learned huh? Delicate definitely slows down the flow rate. Did you also notice also that when the washer is draining for the cool-down portions of the cycle, it is draining on slow speed? That's the first time I'd ever seen a Kenmore do that too. Drainings were always done on the normal fast speed. | ||
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Post# 330719 , Reply# 50 2/16/2009 at 20:31 (5,540 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Drainings were always done on the normal fast speed
Jon, as far as Kenmores were concerned, the w'n'w/PP cool down drain speeds alternated back & forth between high & low over the years. The first versions drained on high and added water MANY times without agitation in between. I think they went to the slow drain when they started the agitation while cold water fill during the cool down. I mean really, could you see that cooldown phase with high speed agitation where it starts at the point the water level is "reset"? Then when the extra large capacity machines debuted, Whirlpool put 4 minute drian periods on the machines. That is also when the cooldown drains switched to being on regular speed. You can not imagine my dismay and disgust when I did the first load of PP on the new large capacity Seris 70 washber purchassed mid to late winter 1975/1976. Was glad we still had the Kenmore 800 in Houston for a few more years, it jsut wan't "the same" anymore.
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| Post# 330720 , Reply# 51 2/16/2009 at 20:50 (5,540 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.) | ||
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Hopefully this is not too silly a question: On the Gentle cycle, did Kenmores from the 60s/early 70s drain at slow speed, or did they switch to high speed? Thank you in advance. Have a good one, James | ||
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Post# 330723 , Reply# 52 2/16/2009 at 21:10 (5,540 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Post# 330724 , Reply# 53 2/16/2009 at 21:19 (5,540 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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| Post# 330948 , Reply# 54 2/18/2009 at 02:00 (5,539 days old) by washoholic (San Antonio, TX) | ||
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You’re the best, Jon! | ||
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Post# 330990 , Reply# 55 2/18/2009 at 09:35 (5,538 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Interesting note about Perm Press / Wash & Wear in Kenmores
Sears catalogs sometimes mentioned back in the 60s and 70s that they had engineers constantly testing and deveoloping their machines. That seemed overplayed to me, but there is actually evidence that they accomplished some things in replacement timers that were or are available for the belt-drive washers. My point - Wash & Wear / Perm. Press changed a lot in Kenmores over the years, and may have as well in WPs, I'm not so sure. In Kenmores though, I remember the two partial drains, slow-agitate cold-water refills in our '61, and the much less amusing non-agitate refills in our '74. I don't recall the agitate speed in that machine during cool-down (we don't use Perm Press much at all). One thing I can say for certainty however - most of the original timer numbers for belt-drives have been revised and sub-over to newer or different numbers. This can sometimes alter a machine's "personality", For example, a 1973 18-lb large capacity machine originally used a timer that was shared and used mostly with a standard capacity model. The big-tub was really just a variant of the regular one. The original timer allowed only a 2-minute drain. That doesn't leave a lot of idle time on a full tub, especially in the 18-pounder. This was followed by a four minute first spin and a 6-minute final spin (Normal cycles). The original timer for those machines subs now to a differnt timer, which has some altered sequences - a 4-minute drain and a 2-minute first spin and 4-minute final spin. Total cycle time doesn't change, but the new timer improves the drain period for the big machines, and lessens wear and tear on spin bearings (which was an issue in high-mileage pre-1978 machines). Other changes have been made to timers, some of which even got "announced" to owners in the form of a little instruction sheet packed with the new timer. In the late 70s, a new version of one very common timer came packed with an announcement stating that one of the original two cool-down sequences in Perm Press had been eliminated, as testing had determined that the 'new' single-cool down cycle was virtually as effective and saved water. Appnut mentions that large capacity machines had a 4-minute drain by the mid-70s. While this is true, the standard capacity machines that used the same timers did also. The timer in my 'green beast' is the same timer that was used on probably half the machines made from 1976 thru 1986, and has a 4-minute drain. To accomodate the various pumps and capacities during that time, the timer has to accomodate the biggest machines with the slowest pumps. I recently found a new timer for my '61 model 70. It too has a sub-over part number. The machine doesn't need a timer that I know of, but I have it for when or if it does. It would be interesting to see if the wash 'n wear cycle has been altered in it too! Gordon | ||
| Post# 331061 , Reply# 56 2/18/2009 at 16:47 (5,538 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN) | ||
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What exactly was the "custom care" cycle or option? | ||
| Post# 331089 , Reply# 57 2/18/2009 at 18:38 (5,538 days old) by cehalstead (Charleston, WV) | ||
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custom care As described earlier in the thread, the Custom Care button slowed the agitation to gentle during any cycle. Spin speed remained the same...... | ||
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Post# 331107 , Reply# 58 2/18/2009 at 20:10 (5,538 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 331110 , Reply# 59 2/18/2009 at 20:14 (5,538 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land) |
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Post# 331138 , Reply# 62 2/18/2009 at 22:14 (5,538 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Jason,
On my machine at least, the custom care button changes all agitation speeds to "slow" but the spin speeds apparently stay the same. That makes the normal cycle perfect for rugs and knit blankets. I have to wash rugs alot here since we have pets. You can also see from the lid photo that the enzyme soak and prewash cycles are both slow agitation as well. So it's actually possible to soak, prewash, and wash all on slow speed. Cool huh? I have to say this thread has been getting a lot more response than I expected. Must be tons of Kenmore fans in here! I love it! Jon | ||
| Post# 331143 , Reply# 63 2/18/2009 at 22:27 (5,538 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.) | ||
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"I have to say this thread has been getting a lot more response than I expected. Must be tons of Kenmore fans in here! I love it!" Yep...... I may not have the level of knowledge that "KenmoreGuy64" has, but I am an ardent Kenmore fan. So yeah...... I am definitely one..... --Charles-- | ||
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Post# 331171 , Reply# 65 2/19/2009 at 04:16 (5,537 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Jon / Charles / Kevin - I've debated about whether I should even mention this, but in the thread I posted a couple weekends ago about the '65 Kenmore 800 and the '76 green beast, we discussed the console bulb for this machine. Jon provided the model number of this washer, which was 110.7004801. The model number for my '65 800 is 110.6504802. The series indicator number in this format of model # is the third digit to the right, which is 8. That makes this an 80/800 series washer. Until 1976, the only 90/900 machines that I know of were Lady Ks. Charles is correct about the speeds in the 1960s Lady Ks. The '63 was an 800 series machine (model 110.630480x), and was one of those where the series was actually displayed on the panel. The third speed debuted on the '64, which became the first 900 series machine (model number 110.640490x). The third speed lasted in belt drives until the '76 Lady K, and all but one of them had the 'piano key' push-buttons. The '76 was a two-speed machine, and I am not aware of another 3-speed belt drive being made, or a 3-speed Kenmore of any kind until the 90s DDs. I don't know when those debuted... Charles is right also about the 'Custom Care' button. Though the '64 and '65 machines have a 3-speed motor, the button for them says 'slow' or 'extra slow' on the panel, not 'custom care'. Gordon | ||
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Post# 331300 , Reply# 68 2/19/2009 at 21:30 (5,537 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 331308 , Reply# 70 2/19/2009 at 22:08 (5,537 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Post# 331309 , Reply# 71 2/19/2009 at 22:19 (5,537 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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| Post# 331312 , Reply# 72 2/19/2009 at 22:30 (5,537 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.) | ||
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To "DADoES": Thanks "DADoES"...... I rest my case..... Alright Gordon, your turn..... --Charles-- | ||
| Post# 331313 , Reply# 73 2/19/2009 at 22:44 (5,537 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.) | ||
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Not that I would try to get into this debate, but I decided to go onto the Sears site to check out the Parts section. I typed in the model number 110.7004800, and although the sketch is hard to make out, I could see that the console parts matched the Kenmore pictured above. CLICK HERE TO GO TO 70series's LINK | ||
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Post# 331320 , Reply# 75 2/19/2009 at 23:54 (5,537 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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All the more reason for me to have it then... | ||
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Post# 331334 , Reply# 77 2/20/2009 at 03:56 (5,536 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Charles - Lets go back to what I said above. I said "Until 1976, the only 90/900 machines that I know of were Lady Ks." I didn't say they were all Lady Ks, I said they were all I know of. I certainly haven't seen them all, and I hadn't seen Steve's machine before. It's cool that you remembered that picture, and it would be interesting to know why Sears made that distinction. That console debuted in 1966, and that year there were four 90-series models, so there must have been something different about each one. There were several 90-series non-Lady K machines in 1976, and with his machine pictured here, there clearly was a 90/900 prior to this as well that wasn't a Lady K. There were also some years it seems (1962 comes to mind) when the best model issued that year was not called a Lady K (this from a time when the Lady K was different each year), and perhaps Steve's came from one of those years, 1967 for example? I remain absolutely firm however in that the third digit from the right in model numbers of this era is the machine's series, and the subject of this thread is therefore an 80 or 800. It stands to reason that whatever the dynamic was in Sears' marketing dept. for 1970, they felt that this model belonged in the 800 category. Perhaps this is because the Lady Ks of the time were sold with the drop down console door, so a machine without that got knocked downline, regardless of where it had been earlier. It is important to note that the inclusions in a particular series have changed drastically from one year to the next. A perfect example are two 1979 Kenmore 90 washers: one was the highest line machine that year with a mechanical timer. The identical featured machine in 1980 was numbered as a lower line 80 series. Further, the next machine downline in 1979 was also a 90-series, but was a 70-series in 1980. Here are some pre-1974 model numbers of machines that I either have now or had in the past, or have parts lists for: 110.6114721 - my 61 model 70 110.6204701 - 62 model 70 parts list 110.6304500 - 63 model 500 parts list 110.6304701 - 63 model 70 of Gyrafoam's 110.6308804 - my 63 Lady K 800 dryer 110.6504801 - my 65 800 110.6504901 - my 65 Lady K coppertone 110.6504902 - my 65 Lady K white 110.6504905 - my 65 Lady K with the newer style lid handle 110.6604400 - 66 model 400 bol 110.6704701 - 67 model 70,the 2nd washer I repaired for resale 110.7004501 - my 70 model 500 midline washer 110.7014501 - my other 70 model 500 that James likes so much 110.7204902 - my 72 Lady K white 110.7204904 - my 72 (1973 built) Lady K coppertone There is no doubt that the third digit to the right is the machine's series indicator. For 1974 into the mid 1990s, the fifth digit to the right is the series number. Gordon | ||
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