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Thread Number: 36954
Patience has its rewards: 1940's Bendix Washer |
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Post# 549607 10/15/2011 at 18:28 (4,568 days old) by sudsmaster  (SF Bay Area, California) |
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I responded to an ad on Craigslist some two years ago. Received a voice mail in return, very heavily accented woman, could barely understand her, other than that she'd call again. Well, she never called again.
Then two days ago a fellow called and left a message. He also had an accent, but I could understand him. Short end of it, I picked up the vintage deco Bendix Automatic Washer this morning. It was worth the wait, I think. Here's a shot of it just off the van: 
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Post# 549614 , Reply# 1 10/15/2011 at 18:36 (4,568 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 549621 , Reply# 2 10/15/2011 at 18:53 (4,568 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Timer dial and dispenser lid.
I know it looks funky, but I rotated the dial and got the expected clicking etc. The lid appears to be stainless and will polish up. The porcelain all appears to be in good condition, as are the handles (which I understand can break). The painted side and front panels have rust, as you can see in the previous photos, but they can be sanded/blasted and resprayed. I had to fix the leveling feet (one was bent sideways) and got a look at the underside of the drum. It appears not to have leaked and there is little to no rust on the parts that matter. It will still be a project but I have a good feeling about this one. Of course the rubber all probably needs to be replaced, which could be a treasure hunt all in itself. 
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Post# 549624 , Reply# 3 10/15/2011 at 18:56 (4,568 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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PS-As I recall from when I was a small child, we had this very same model at one point. It lived on an elevated concrete riser in the basement. My older brother had once opened the door when it was in operation, spilling water all over and causing a big mess, so I was forbidden to go near it. But I admired it from afar. A few years later it broke down - don't know what the problem was - and the laundry was done at a local laundromat instead. But I remember that when it worked it washed things well enough.
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Post# 549628 , Reply# 4 10/15/2011 at 19:35 (4,568 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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 rich, that's the mahcine that started it all for me. and there's the infamous occurrances of me crawling out to the grage and opening the door like your older brother did. Fortunately, the water only had to run down the driveway, much to the neighbors delight, which meant bobby had gotten to the washer again, much to my mom's chagrin!! | ||
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Post# 549632 , Reply# 5 10/15/2011 at 19:43 (4,568 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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LOL, Bob. Well, the basement would flood from time to time anyway when we had a major hurricane hit (it was in Connecticut) but that was only once a decade or so. But my mom had a zero tolerance for us messing with the washer. I do remember once she was all in a tizzy about it, seemed to me she might have added too much soap (or maybe my brother snuck in and added more soap after she did). I remember suds and water coming out of places it shouldn't have... lol... Might be why the thing eventually broke down, water in motor maybe.
I found the "service" manual in the archives, which is nice. It will come in very handy as I restore the machine. Would be nice to have a copy of the owner's manual as well... hint hint... :-) | ||
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Post# 549639 , Reply# 6 10/15/2011 at 19:50 (4,568 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 549651 , Reply# 7 10/15/2011 at 20:24 (4,568 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 549661 , Reply# 8 10/15/2011 at 20:47 (4,568 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
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Nice score! | ||
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Post# 549680 , Reply# 9 10/15/2011 at 23:10 (4,568 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Is the fill flume at the 3 o'clock position when you ope | ||
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Post# 549683 , Reply# 10 10/15/2011 at 23:25 (4,568 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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| Post# 549711 , Reply# 11 10/16/2011 at 03:40 (4,568 days old) by frontaloadotmy (the cool gay realm) | ||
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That's pretty cool....Rich I responded to that ad also , never heard a peep; heavily accented or otherwise. It looks to be in very decent condition, considering it's 70 something.... | ||
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Post# 549715 , Reply# 12 10/16/2011 at 03:56 (4,568 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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| Post# 549718 , Reply# 13 10/16/2011 at 05:04 (4,568 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany) | ||
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Post# 549757 , Reply# 15 10/16/2011 at 10:35 (4,568 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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This one is a Model 156B, s/n 757.
That looks like the copy I have read, Swestoyz, but for the life of me I can't find it in the service manual now, so where did you find it? Anyway, also got the user manual, thanks Bob. I've already printed it out in booklet form on my Canon color laser printer, looks great! There sure is a lot of detailed information on soaps and water softeners and how to manipulate the simple controls to wash everything from diapers to lace (although they do recommend hand washing for some delicates, very sensible). The door seal has an accumulation of hard, dried lint on it it, which I think I'll spray with water to soften up before I attempt to remove it. What kind of oil should go in the transmission? Would an automotive GL5 90 weight be good? | ||
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Post# 549878 , Reply# 16 10/16/2011 at 21:19 (4,567 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 549883 , Reply# 17 10/16/2011 at 21:49 (4,567 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Thanks!
I printed out the service manual and found the copy today as I was perusing its later chapters. This unit does appear to be a late pre-war version. It has most of the improvements in the line, save for the fill flume location. I was also interested to learn from the service book that there was a manual version of the machine, with two dials: one for temp, the other manually to select operations such as wash, drain, rinse, spin, etc. | ||
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Post# 549884 , Reply# 18 10/16/2011 at 21:55 (4,567 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Is that top part of the timer bakelite?
Yes, it appears to be bakelite.
Not sure what the dial is made from. It's some sort of white plastic substance. Might be a casein based material. The machine appears to have been in the "basement" level of a house on a hillside in Piedmont (a tony enclave just east of Oakland). Typical of these homes in the Bay Area, it was just a crude half-basement, with the dirt floor of the crawl space uphill of it open to the half-basement. While not overly damp appearing, it was probably more humid than a proper basement or above grade laundry room would have been. But it was a western exposure, which probably helped to keep it on the dry side. And because it was on a hillside it had better drainage than most half-basements. I've seen some flood on a regular basis in the winter in homes built on more level ground in the "flatlands". | ||
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Post# 549934 , Reply# 19 10/17/2011 at 07:01 (4,567 days old) by Easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC) |
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Those machines . . . . . . are great. I have a 1944 diving bell model that must run on EverReady batteries -- it just keeps going and going and going . . . You're gonna love it. The mechanism is so simple and gets the job done. Don't forget to pour HOT water in so the seals will expand before using it. Jerry Gay | ||
| Post# 550000 , Reply# 20 10/17/2011 at 13:18 (4,567 days old) by aquarius8000 () | ||
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Here are some pics i took of the machine when i went to a museum! Scroll down. CLICK HERE TO GO TO aquarius8000's LINK 
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Post# 550160 , Reply# 21 10/18/2011 at 07:49 (4,566 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 550164 , Reply# 22 10/18/2011 at 08:10 (4,566 days old) by Easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC) |
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bolting it down . . . . . . can be a problem. If you want to give it a whirl, you or one of your burly friends could sit on it when it gets to the spin cycle. That's the only time it would try to walk. And if there's nothing in it, it won't walk. Good luck. Jerry Gay | ||
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Post# 550260 , Reply# 23 10/18/2011 at 17:50 (4,565 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 552354 , Reply# 24 10/28/2011 at 00:43 (4,556 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 552396 , Reply# 25 10/28/2011 at 08:29 (4,556 days old) by turquoisedude (.) |
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Congratulations! | ||
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Post# 552601 , Reply# 26 10/29/2011 at 11:05 (4,555 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Thanks.
It's interesting to read that the service and owner's manual recommend that the incoming water be as high as 165F. I doubt that most homeowners keep their water that hot these days - but it is a good temp for sanitizing laundry, and something that most modern washers with internal water heaters can do more economically. It's also very interesting that the owner's manual goes into far more detail about the technical aspects of laundering than do most modern washer owner's manuals. There's a good deal of discussion about the appearance of properly "lively" soap suds, as well as a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of various water softeners - with complex phosphates like STPP (in the Calgon of the day) specifically mentioned. The washer also has a proper soak cycle - with a drain after the soak, so that the soak water/dirt/soap can be eliminated before the wash cycle starts. And there is a discussion that long, overnight soak periods may impair laundering efficiency, as dirt can redeposit on the fibers during the long soak, and that the 10 minute soak cycle of the Bendix is superior in that aspect. | ||
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Post# 552698 , Reply# 27 10/29/2011 at 18:10 (4,554 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Door gasket arrived today. It's in much better condition that I thought it would be. Like unused, although the seller said it was pulled off a low use machine.
Now the tricky part may be getting the old, very hard gasket off the machine. I'd like to do it preserving its form, just in case, but that might be impossible.
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Post# 552848 , Reply# 28 10/30/2011 at 18:33 (4,553 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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First test run
Rolled the Bendix out to the courtyard (I have it installed on top of a furniture dolly) and filled the tub with hot water by hand. It immediately started to leak out of the bottom of the machine. Just for fun, plugged it in, and it went through all the cycles OK, at least with manual turning of the timer: soak, drain/spin, wash, drain spin, rinse, drain/spin.
Then I set about pulling off all the external panels to find the leak. Turned out to be the short 1" ID rubber hose (about 5" long) running from the bottom of the tub to the water pump. Found a replacement at the auto shop (a small hose section preformed with the appropriate 45 degree angle). That fixed that leak. Then I noticed that the coin trap gasket was also leaking. No surprise there; it's heavily cracked. Found a toilet part gasket that I was able to carve into a shape that fits OK. Fixed that leak. Door gasket dripping a bit while tumbling; have a replacement gasket for that but am waiting a bit before I install that. I'd like to try to save the original door gasket; might try painting it with brake fluid to see if it can soften up and swell a bit. Other findings: The timer motor must be seized, because it doesn't advance on its own. The cold water inlet valve seems to work ok, but I don't think the hot water valve is working. The screens before the valves were heavily encrusted so I simply yanked those. Will replace them with new screens later. The drain connection from the pump to the back of the machine (a short length of hose with a 90 degree metal bend, like some washer hoses, and a hose thread on each end (F/M) is leaking where it rubs against the chassis. Another easy enough fix. The rubber connector between the top of the outer tub and soap dispenser is sort of shot. It still fits but it would probably be best to replace it. Might have to find some sort of huge industrial rubber hose for that. So the work to do: fix the timer motor; fix the hot water inlet valve; fix the drain pump outlet connecting hose; fix the soap dispenser connector. And, of course, clean the inside of the machine and have the panels sanded, de-rusted, and painted appliance white. The porcelain top is in relatively good condition with some light scratches, and the timer dial looks intact if a bit in need of cleaning. The drive belt is in surprisingly good shape; can still read the "Bendix Home Appliances" logo and the part number on it. But probably wouldn't hurt to replace that as well. The wiring looks to be intact and in good shape, but I was a bit alarmed to see that a hot wire connection is exposed at the timer very close to the back of the outer tub. Since the power cord is not polarized, that could be hot or neutral. When I service the timer I'll look into putting in some extra insulation in that spot, as well as rewiring the power cord to a three wire grounded one. I took photos and even a video of the machine running; will try to upload those here later. It's a project, but can be fully restored, I think. | ||
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Post# 553184 , Reply# 29 10/31/2011 at 19:20 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Anybody have any advice on the best way to get the timer going again?
Obviously I'll need to remove it from the machine - taking lots of pics because there are many wires going into it. Fortunately there's a wiring diagram under the washer top and there's also the service manual. But if it's the motor that has stopped, it might just be out of lube, and a little high quality lubricant might free it up, I suppose. Like an old electric clock? I wonder if there's any new old stock timer motors, or substitutes that could be used. | ||
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Post# 553191 , Reply# 30 10/31/2011 at 19:45 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Naked Bendix test tumbling | ||
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Post# 553192 , Reply# 31 10/31/2011 at 19:47 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 553194 , Reply# 32 10/31/2011 at 19:49 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 553195 , Reply# 33 10/31/2011 at 19:52 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 553198 , Reply# 34 10/31/2011 at 19:56 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 553200 , Reply# 35 10/31/2011 at 20:08 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 553201 , Reply# 36 10/31/2011 at 20:11 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 553202 , Reply# 37 10/31/2011 at 20:15 (4,552 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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It sounds like you're right on track to getting this beauty running automatically again. The water valve is pretty straightforward, looks like the hosing is going well and that leaves the timer...
I would start by removing it from the machine, taking off the timer motor and checking to see if that runs when it's off the timer. If so, you're good to go there. Replacements can be found, but it can be challenging. It could be that the escapement just needs a bit of cleaning and light lubrication. The replacement gasket (spud) looks like a brilliant solution! | ||
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Post# 553206 , Reply# 38 10/31/2011 at 20:27 (4,552 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
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Yes you're on the right track | ||
| Post# 553232 , Reply# 39 10/31/2011 at 21:39 (4,552 days old) by stan (Napa CA) | ||
Love this thread | ||
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Post# 553247 , Reply# 40 10/31/2011 at 23:21 (4,552 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Naked Bendix in Action | ||
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Post# 553249 , Reply# 41 10/31/2011 at 23:46 (4,552 days old) by Supersuds (Knoxville, Tenn.) |
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Very enjoyable | ||
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Post# 553475 , Reply# 42 11/1/2011 at 20:35 (4,551 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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I guess that's the notorious low-speed spin... | ||
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Post# 553554 , Reply# 43 11/2/2011 at 06:57 (4,551 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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BENDIX REFERBUSHING Rich thanks for your thoughtful pictures and explanations, also enjoyed the video. Lots of these old Bendixes and Westinghouse FL washers had bearing failures even at these calm spin speeds. Water in the bearings is always the real enemy not spin speed, but in times past repair folks thought nothing of installing new bearings and seals when they failed.
I look forward to seeing the completed project. John | ||
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Post# 553557 , Reply# 44 11/2/2011 at 07:16 (4,551 days old) by Easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC) |
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Thanks for the pictures . . . . . . and the video. They are interesting machines. I have a timer for that model and you're welcome to it if you want it. The last time it was used, it worked flawlessly. However, I am out of town for the month of November. Good luck with your new toy. Jerry Gay | ||
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Post# 553566 , Reply# 45 11/2/2011 at 08:09 (4,551 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 671677 , Reply# 47 4/9/2013 at 19:16 (4,026 days old) by moparwash (Pittsburgh,PA ) |
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What a find! | ||
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