Thread Number: 32955
Taking Apart a Bendix Economat
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Post# 496141   2/13/2011 at 09:07 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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So I have three rubber tub Bendix machines now.  The one against the wall was my original one that I've had for over 10 years, it was found at an estate sale.  The other two I found last year from a old appliance dealer/servicer in Fargo.  The one in the foreground is an early mode and the middle is a Crosley version of the Economat.

 

My original machine worked ok for many years, but now its leaking so it needs to be fixed.

 





Post# 496144 , Reply# 1   2/13/2011 at 09:08 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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The early model is in rough shape and will be used as a parts machine to restore the Crosley if its possible.  I have no idea what kind of mechanical shape the Crosley is in yet.


Post# 496145 , Reply# 2   2/13/2011 at 09:10 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Here is the money shot.  The protrusion in the rubber tub is the sensor for the water level switch.  As the rubber bag fills with water it expands and depresses a lever on the other side of the tub when its full.


Post# 496146 , Reply# 3   2/13/2011 at 09:11 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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A view from underneath the machine.


Post# 496147 , Reply# 4   2/13/2011 at 09:13 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture

and a view from behind with the rear panel removed.


Post# 496148 , Reply# 5   2/13/2011 at 09:14 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture

The lid has this dome on it, I've always wondered what's inside this dome, time to take a screwdriver and find out!


Post# 496149 , Reply# 6   2/13/2011 at 09:15 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Interesting, it turns out the Dome is spring loaded on the lid, it pushes both in and out slightly, I've never noticed that it can move before.  Also there is a rubber valve of some sort in here, I have no idea what that is used for...


Post# 496150 , Reply# 7   2/13/2011 at 09:16 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture

Ok now that the Dome mystery is solved, time to remove the top. Its held down by these four screws on the edges...


Post# 496151 , Reply# 8   2/13/2011 at 09:18 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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With the top removed you can see the clips that hold the top of the rubber tub down as well as the timer and 2nd rinse switch.


Post# 496152 , Reply# 9   2/13/2011 at 09:20 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Here is the "Aspirator" assembly.  There are two components, the one at the top is the vacuum breaker for the fill flume and the other connects the fill flume to the tub.  They must be there to seal off the air flow during the suction part of the extract cycle.


Post# 496153 , Reply# 10   2/13/2011 at 09:21 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture

Here is another look at the Aspirator Assembly


Post# 496155 , Reply# 11   2/13/2011 at 09:23 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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The agitator just pulls right up and out and now its time to remove the bottom plate that holds the rubber tub down.  The early models have these odd style bolts (I'm not sure of their name) they have no slot on top for a screwdriver and standard wrenches wont work with them.  So my trusty Vice-Grip comes to the rescue.  The other two machines have standard bolts that you can use a socket wrench to remove them.


Post# 496156 , Reply# 12   2/13/2011 at 09:24 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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After the bolts are out I pried up the plate and removed it...


Post# 496157 , Reply# 13   2/13/2011 at 09:24 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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and out comes the Rubber Tub!


Post# 496158 , Reply# 14   2/13/2011 at 09:25 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Wow, never seen one of these removed before...


Post# 496159 , Reply# 15   2/13/2011 at 09:26 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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And a view of the "outer tub" so to speak.  Looks like it was leaking a bit...


Post# 496160 , Reply# 16   2/13/2011 at 09:27 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture

Once you remove those bolts the transmission is sort of just hanging there and ready for removal.   This is the early transmission, there were two designs.  The other two machines have the later transmission.


Post# 496161 , Reply# 17   2/13/2011 at 09:29 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Its actually quite small and cute!  The hose connection is for the fill flume, it fills from the top of the transmission.


Post# 496162 , Reply# 18   2/13/2011 at 09:30 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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and a breakdown of this transmission parts...


Post# 496163 , Reply# 19   2/13/2011 at 09:32 (4,793 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Now its time to remove the pump.  Again there was two pumps and this is the early version.  I was surprised to see that Bendix had outsourced this pump to another company.  Later on it appears they built their own.  The pump not only has to remove the water, but also remove the air from the tub to make it collapse and extract water from the clothes.  I can read part of the date stamp, but the year has worn off unfortunately.


Post# 496164 , Reply# 20   2/13/2011 at 09:35 (4,792 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Finally I remove the timer, you can see the suction release valve that is built right into the timer.  When extract is over the rubber seat is lifted and air is sent through this tube into the tub to release the pressure.


Post# 496165 , Reply# 21   2/13/2011 at 09:38 (4,792 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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With the parts machine done I now filled the other Bendix with water (the one that I've had for 10 years) to see where it was leaking from.  Unforutnately it was from the rubber tub.  In pulling out the tub I discovered that under the metal plate it has all sorts of detergent residue on it as well as at the bottom of the tub.  I'm soaking them now in hot water and will scrub all of that off, hopefully that will make for a good seal again.

 

More to come when that task is completed.


Post# 496169 , Reply# 22   2/13/2011 at 09:50 (4,792 days old) by macboy91si (Frankfort, KY)        
Vacuum

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The idea of a vacuum bladder washer is neat. Thanks for the detailed shots of a neat, rare machine. How durable are these rubber tubs with normal use? I know they would be susceptible to puncture, but the actual rubber on the one you removed seemed in good shape. Does your tub read "Goodyear" around the rim? Thanks -Tim


Post# 496173 , Reply# 23   2/13/2011 at 10:18 (4,792 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
RUBBER TUB BENDIX

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Neat to see you working on this washer, I was playing with ours last weekend, if you need any parts for these I have a box of used parts for these, sorry no good tubs. I had never seen the earlier water pump before I wonder what it looks like inside?. The later round pump was not a Bendix built pump either but rather a Gorman-Rupp pump almost the same one used in the 1956-1958 33" WP built KM & WP combos.


Post# 496191 , Reply# 24   2/13/2011 at 11:04 (4,792 days old) by spin-it ()        

Robert:
Loved the photos and the step by step chronicle of the breakdown. Relatively simple machine. For now it's the closest I will get, the search continues. Thanks,
Kevin


Post# 496192 , Reply# 25   2/13/2011 at 11:04 (4,792 days old) by supremewhirlpol ()        

Oh this is what I've been waiting for!!! Do you have any videos? Nice machines Robert!!

Post# 496219 , Reply# 26   2/13/2011 at 12:47 (4,792 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)        
Rubber Tub

chestermikeuk's profile picture
Hi Robert, such a simple design, was fascinated seeing it in action (well listening to the sounds!!!) with you in 2001, always wondered how the insides would look, great show...

Just how thick is the rubber tub?? your first model seems to have a darker coloured tub and a more supple appearance, is this grey one thicker??

Happy fixing, Mike


Post# 496224 , Reply# 27   2/13/2011 at 13:26 (4,792 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)        

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Very cool tear down Robert. I've always thought that Bendix copied Maytag's Model E transmission for these. They look similar, have a similar splined agitator shaft, and internally are quite alike. They must have been different enough that the boys in Newton didn't cry fowl.

Hopefully the tub is good from the parts machine that it can be used in the later Bendix. The Crosley though, that's where the money is!

Those weird screws - they're Gulmite screws. Maytag used them for the same application, and I've also seen Bendix use them on the Duomatic door hinges.

Ben

BTW - thought you'd enjoy this sheet discussing the date stamp for the General rubber tubs.


Post# 496251 , Reply# 28   2/13/2011 at 15:00 (4,792 days old) by jamman_98 (Columbia, SC)        
Theory on the Odd Rubber Valve

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I believe the odd valve is for letting excess air out of the top. If the clothes are being squeezed out there might be some excess air that needs to come out. To prevent the round top from losing it's seal on the tub, the valve would let off the pressure. Like a safety valve.

 

Just a thought

 

Joe

jamman_98


Post# 496257 , Reply# 29   2/13/2011 at 15:30 (4,792 days old) by joelippard (Hickory)        


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This is alot of fun to see such a unique machine being taken apart, I look forward to seeing the rest of the process.


Post# 496261 , Reply# 30   2/13/2011 at 15:51 (4,792 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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Yep, Mike remembder we stood there and wtche3d it wash (reminded me so much of a Maytag) and then listened to it ha ha ha.   Just think you experienced 1140 rpm Unimatics and a rubber tub Bendix all in one weekend.  Talk about extremes. 


Post# 496276 , Reply# 31   2/13/2011 at 17:44 (4,792 days old) by 300C (Jonesboro, GA)        
My Next Door Neighbor Had One of These

Robert, fascinating! I remember when I was a young lad in the early 1960s that my next door neighbor had a 1951 Bendix top loader with the rubber tub that squeezed the clothes rather than spinning them. She used to let me look it over. She had bought it new and had to replace it around 1966. She traded it in for a BOL GE Filter-Flo.

I hope you can make some videos of these machines.


Post# 496302 , Reply# 32   2/13/2011 at 20:18 (4,792 days old) by westie2 ()        

Thanks Robert fo all the pictures. This sure brings back memories of my grandmothers. Hers was a semi=automatic that you had to fill with a hose attached to the sink faucet. She had hers from about 1951 until the mid 60's when my grandfather left a nail in a pocket and it runined th tub and they were not able to get another. They bought a MOL Whirlpool. I can still hear it running in my mind.

Post# 496306 , Reply# 33   2/13/2011 at 20:49 (4,792 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Bendix!

peteski50's profile picture
Thank you Robert for posting - this brings back a lot of memories when I was a tot my grandparents neighbors had one. I liked the sounds it made and I look back and have many fond memories of this machine! Best Of Luck with the restore!
Peter


Post# 496307 , Reply# 34   2/13/2011 at 21:01 (4,792 days old) by washernoob ()        

Seeing that rubber tub is really cool! Never really could visualize what it looked like out of the tub.

Im sure it will be like new when you finish it!

Thanks for sharing the pictures!


Post# 496326 , Reply# 35   2/13/2011 at 22:57 (4,792 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture

Just how thick is the rubber tub?? your first model seems to have a darker coloured tub and a more supple appearance, is this grey one thicker??
Hey Mike, actually its pretty thick rubber.  All of the rubber tubs I have are in generally good shape, I'm thinking it was leaking  between the rubber and hold down plate.

Thanks Ben for the date stamp info, that is cool! The early parts machine tub is a B and the later one is a D.  The Crosley is a Good Year tub.

 

I believe the odd valve is for letting excess air out of the top.

Joe that is a really good theory, makes sense to me.


Post# 496327 , Reply# 36   2/13/2011 at 23:01 (4,792 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)        
What I wouldn't give!

mickeyd's profile picture

 

 

Either we kidnap Drew Cousteau with his underwater camera to Robert's so he can film the squeezing or we chip in and buy Robert his own to film the deep sea wonders, and then we'll have Nirvana right here in Earth before the Aliens come. The belly wiggles in mirth.


Post# 496330 , Reply# 37   2/13/2011 at 23:37 (4,792 days old) by A440 ()        

Great pictures of the breakdown Robert.

Thanks for taking the time to post them.

What an interesting machine!

Brent


Post# 496333 , Reply# 38   2/14/2011 at 00:02 (4,792 days old) by Spankomatic (Ukiah,CA)        

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Great photos,Robert. I'm curious... Does this machine have a filter? Looks like one might go down the agitator like a Maytag. It just has me wondering......

 

Jim


Post# 496361 , Reply# 39   2/14/2011 at 06:36 (4,792 days old) by Easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC)        
Bendix Economat

Thanks, Robert, for this fascinating tear-down of the Economat. There were several of these machines in my small hometown when I grew up. There was an earlier model with a slightly different lid and fill mechanism. That particular model had a red button in the handle of the top that had to be pressed to release the pressure before the lid could be opened.

On this earlier model, the fill faucet fit into a hole in the side of the dome, and the water ran through the dome and down through a hole in the center of the dome that had a valve that would plug and unplug the hole to maintain or release the pressure.

I never saw one of this model that worked properly.

I have always wondered what the guts of these machines looked like.

On the model you have, it always interested me that in the fill process, when hot water was selected, the water sort of oozed in from under the agitator. But when warm waster was selected, the water bubbled up through and out of the top of the agitator.

Such a shame that it is impossible to watch the extraction cycle.

You are a genius!!! Thanks for all the pictures. Can't wait to see the rest of the operation.

Jerry Gay


Post# 496400 , Reply# 40   2/14/2011 at 11:23 (4,791 days old) by Spankomatic (Ukiah,CA)        
the water bubbled up through and out of the top of the agita

spankomatic's profile picture

Would love to see THAT!


Post# 496432 , Reply# 41   2/14/2011 at 14:07 (4,791 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture

I thought one of the pumps Bendix used in this machine was a Robbins-Meyers, thought I'd read that somewhere.  Perhaps they used several until they got to the Gorman-Rupp - that Economat against the wall has the round-body pump like the WP combo.

The valve in the dome is indeed to let out pressure - filling the tub with water for the rinse(s) displaces air that has to be released and that spring-loaded lid and dome are heavy.

 


Post# 496433 , Reply# 42   2/14/2011 at 14:07 (4,791 days old) by 3beltwesty ()        
1940 Rotary Pump patent for pump shown in reply #19


Here is the page 1 of 2 of Patent 2,189,356 on the casting of the pump in reply #19


CLICK HERE TO GO TO 3beltwesty's LINK


Post# 496479 , Reply# 43   2/14/2011 at 20:39 (4,791 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

turquoisedude's profile picture
Cool! Yet another venture into the inner workings of a fascinating vintage washer! Thanks for the detailled photos, Robert and keep us posted as work progresses!!


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