Need help with '52 Westinghouse dishwasher


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Thread Number: 49805
Need help with '52 Westinghouse dishwasher

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Post# 719515 12/5/2013 at 21:22 (3,788 days old) by knoble ()
Checkrate/Likes I would like to restore my 1952 Westinghouse top-loading dishwasher as a project with my son. He's in high school, wants to be an engineer, and hates handwashing dishes. I don't care if I use original innards (hoses, motors, etc) or modern stuff tucked in there to make it work. Does anyone know where I can get information about how to do it, and where parts might be available? Has anyone restored a dishwasher? (People keep telling me to buy new, but from my photo, you can see it matches the oven and rangehood, which both work perfectly! Also, it's amazingly cool and unique. btw, that side of the kitchen is all original 1952, and in fabulous condition (except the dishwasher). I've been scouring the internet for resources/information, but have found very little. Suggestions? Ideas? Thank you!!!!!

Post# 719527 , Reply# 1 12/5/2013 at 23:38 (3,788 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes Hi Kristy and welcome, I had the 1949 version of that machine installed in our kitchen for many years. It was great fun to use. See this thread The downloadable service manual for this dishwasher is located here at the link below, Automatic Ephemera also has the owners manual... CLICK HERE TO GO TO Unimatic1140's LINK

Post# 719549 , Reply# 2 12/6/2013 at 07:18 (3,787 days old) by turquoisedude (.)
Checkrate/Likes Wow, Kitty, great kitchen (especially the dishwasher...LOL). There's lots of experience and expertise on restoring vintage dishwashers on this site, so don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have! That service manual that Robert has made available in the Automatic Ephemera library will be invaluable - doing a restore without documentation is always more challenging... How is the interior of the machine? I will hazard a guess that this machine has not been used for some time - did the former owners of the house provide any clues about what it was (or was not) doing? Looking forward to seeing more pictures of this one!!

Post# 719576 , Reply# 3 12/6/2013 at 10:35 (3,787 days old) by paulg (My sweet home... Chicago)
Checkrate/Likes 3 *What a great project* My dad (an engineer at Hotpoint) and I repaired many things together. That is why I am an engineer today. This is a great project. It'll be a real point of pride when it is running - but that pales in comparison to the "on" time with your son and the cool stuff you'll learn (and probably learn a few swear words too LOL ! Keep the Band-Aids handy.) Last but not least it is obvious this is an original Westinghouse kitchen. Why not try to keep it original?

Post# 719620 , Reply# 4 12/6/2013 at 15:34 (3,787 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)
Checkrate/Likes *What a beautiful kitchen.* I hope you can get that going again.

Post# 719642 , Reply# 5 12/6/2013 at 17:28 (3,787 days old) by mikepaquette ()
Checkrate/Likes *WOW* Please keep us posted.

Post# 719690 , Reply# 6 12/7/2013 at 00:04 (3,787 days old) by knoble ()
Checkrate/Likes Hi Unimatic1140 - thank you SOOO much for the links to the manuals. I've downloaded them and have started reading. My first challenge is going to be to remove the dishwasher from under the counter. It looks like the real estate guy had this rubber baseboard stuff put in, and there's wood behind that, so we're going to have to cut our way in. (Tool purchase opportunity!!!) Hi Turquoisedude - I've attached a photo of the inside. The racks are turquoise plastic coated, and I only saw one rust spot on the racks and it looks like it's been repaired. The tub just looks a little dirty, and the impeller blade has what looks like a worn spot. I'm not able to talk to the prior owners - I bought this place a year ago, and it had sat empty for 20 years prior to that. (So I have a 60 year old house with only 40 years of wear! Lucky me!) When I first bought the house, I had anticipated that nothing would work and I would need to replace all the appliances. Then I found out the oven worked - and the temperatures were accurate. And the range hood works. And the cooktop had these cute knobs that light up different colors depending on the temperature setting (high = red, low = blue, rainbow colors in between). And then I realized I had fallen in love with 60-year old appliances. I will try to keep the original Westinghouse parts as much as possible, if only because I'm on a budget and my labor is free. If something is truly broken, though, can you even GET spare parts? Please be patient - progress won't be fast. I'm working on other projects at the same time. For example, I'm typing this in the dark because 2 breakers are broken (one died this afternoon), and because the panel is an antique, I'm going to have to figure out where I can get those breakers. (Doable, but takes time.) Also, I'm planning to tile a new counter in yellow tile to match my existing yellow tile in the kitchen. (There is ONE manufacturer in the U.S. who can match my tile, and they're in Gardena, CA.) Also, I know this project is a stretch for me - my only other appliance repair was to replace a solenoid on a 10-year-old fridge. But I'm reasonably handy, and pretty motivated. (Just the thought of a modern-style dishwasher in that otherwise 50's kitchen just makes me cringe.)

Post# 719692 , Reply# 7 12/7/2013 at 01:38 (3,786 days old) by alr2903 (TN)
Checkrate/Likes *Welcome.................* Wow is right. The good folks here will help you thru this. It is so wonderful that you came here before even considering a replacement DW. Your kitchen is beautiful. If you had somewhere to stash a second-hand portable dishwasher temporarily until you can get your vintage machine working might be a short term solution. Hopefully not much is wrong with the "Westinghouse".

Post# 719724 , Reply# 8 12/7/2013 at 08:43 (3,786 days old) by paulg (My sweet home... Chicago)
Checkrate/Likes *Mosaic* Is that fruit-and-bowl mosaic original to the house? It is very cool. Owning vintage appliances is fun and totally worth the effort. It's great that most of your stuff works. However if you keep in touch with this gang... and maybe pick up some spare parts here and there along the way... you can have all your kitchen gear running for years to come. And when you need that special trick to get things running again, you'll learn them here as this site is loaded with experts. You certainly came to the right place.

Post# 719731 , Reply# 9 12/7/2013 at 09:03 (3,786 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)
Checkrate/Likes *just take your time* its an awesome machine just take your time and youll get there. if we all can help just mail us or ask away

Post# 719732 , Reply# 10 12/7/2013 at 09:04 (3,786 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)
Checkrate/Likes I got lucky the interior of mine was in great shape

Post# 719733 , Reply# 11 12/7/2013 at 09:05 (3,786 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)
Checkrate/Likes the only thing I retro fitted was the pump mine was shot so I rigged in elec drain pump

Post# 719735 , Reply# 12 12/7/2013 at 09:07 (3,786 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes If something is truly broken, though, can you even GET spare parts? Yes and no depending on what is broken. I had to retro-fit a new electric drain pump in mine. When you do need parts you'll have to let us know what you need. Most likely we will be able to tell you what a suitable modern replacement will be. Don't worry we will be here to help!

Post# 719775 , Reply# 13 12/7/2013 at 12:35 (3,786 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)
Checkrate/Likes *Wow nice kitchen and am I seeing* Copper on those appliances , my favorite metal? That DW looks like it is in great shape low use as I can still see the tub reflecting the racks that means the enamel is in good shape. I have never worked on this specific machine but I'll help anyway I can with 30 years of rebuilding underfoot this shouldn't be too daunting a project. Jon

Post# 719914 , Reply# 14 12/8/2013 at 10:28 (3,785 days old) by turquoisedude (.)
Checkrate/Likes Wow - the interior looks great! It looks like one of those machines that only got used on big occasions!! The top tub seal looks good and if the tub is solid, that's more than half the battle. The drain pump was probably the weak point on these older Westinghouse models, but as Robert has stated (and done!) it's not a big deal to replace. If you done so already, it may be time to pour a couple of buckets of very hot water into the machine. You'll see right away if there are any serious leaks - a few drips may be seen but this could be due to gaskets and seals having dried up. Most often, the hot water softens them again and the drips stop. If you're feeling really brave, try setting the machine to wash and see what happens. You'll see if the timer is advancing and if the drain pump does kick in! The water inlet valve might cause some grief - they often get 'stuck' after years of storage. You can clean out the original valve and in a worst-case scenario, a "modern" dishwasher water valve can be substituted. Looking forward to seeing how this progresses!!

Post# 721350 , Reply# 15 12/15/2013 at 19:19 (3,778 days old) by knoble ()
Checkrate/Likes Hi all, My son's out of school, and we're tearing into the dishwasher. And we need your help. 1st, responses to above: paulg: The fruit and bowl mosaic is original to the house. I love it. jetcone: It's a little dirty, but otherwise seems ok. turquoisedude: The machine is completely inert. Doesn't run at all. So what we've done: Thought we had to pull it out from under the counter, and the baseboard was continuous. So I cut the baseboard (no great loss, it was this cheap plastic stuff the real estate guy put in when he re-did the floor for a quick sale. Would have looked great in an office.) Also, the wood behind the baseboard was rotted out, which is kind of ominous - I'm anticipating leaks. When we tried to move it again, we couldn't budge the thing, and clearance was maybe 2 mm all around the cabinet. So then we unscrewed the side panel and looked in, and there's piping from the wall that's attached to the dishwasher. So I think they intended for it never to be moved, so we'll need to work on it in place. So we took off the other side panel, and have been attempting to take off the front panel. Can't figure out how to get it off. Help! The knob goes thru the front panel into a metal bar thingy. The only screws we see are holding the handle (not the knob!) onto the front panel only. The metal bar thingy goes behind and across the front panel and has 2 screws on one side, but not on the other. We unscrewed the screws. Didn't seem to do any good. How do I get the front panel off? The only thing holding it on right now is the knob that goes thru it. Here's a side shot. In the upper right of the dishwasher, you see the end of a bar with 2 slots in it. That's what's holding the knob in, I think. Thank you all! -Kristy

Post# 721354 , Reply# 16 12/15/2013 at 20:17 (3,778 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes Kristy can you take a picture of the knob you are referring to that you cannot remove? I'm not exactly sure which piece you mean.

Post# 721370 , Reply# 17 12/15/2013 at 22:28 (3,778 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)
Checkrate/Likes *Great Looking Antique-Copper Westinghouse Appliances* Your WH kitchen appliances are probably about three years newer than 1952. It should be fairly easy to keep the cook-top and wall oven working well for many years to come, but as an appliance repairman and an appliance restorer myself you will face many challenges trying restore and use this DW as a daily driver. If as you mentioned you want to keep the neat vintage look of your kitchen appliances you might consider buying a NEW Kitchenaid DW equipped for full custom front panel and take the entire front and trim from your WH DW and install it on a new DW, I have seen this done and until you open the door no one will ever know. That said I will try to help answer questions about fixing the WH DW and keep in mind we have many good used parts for the cook-top and wall oven. John L.

Post# 721376 , Reply# 18 12/15/2013 at 22:56 (3,778 days old) by knoble ()
Checkrate/Likes Hi Unimatic - here it is Hi Combo52 - I want to try to fix what I have. If not, I would like to do as you suggest. I had already considered dropping the front panel into a new dishwasher. Shopped Sears, Lowes, Home Depot and none of them carried dishwashers where you could do that. I'm in the Central Valley of CA, and don't know where I can find a dishwasher where you can drop in a front panel. Also, are the dimensions the same? I don't want to cut up my existing cabinets - I have roll out drawers on one side, and a sink cabinet on the other side that's at an angle. The front of the dishwasher is 23 7/8 X 30 3/8. THANK YOU! -Kristy

Post# 721378 , Reply# 19 12/15/2013 at 23:05 (3,778 days old) by knoble ()
Checkrate/Likes My dishwasher hole is 24 wide, 25 deep, and 34 1/2 high

Post# 721379 , Reply# 20 12/15/2013 at 23:54 (3,778 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes Ok, I see. If you look on page 16/figure 16 of the service manual it shows the control handle. At the 6:00 position under the bottom of the handle/dial there is an allen head screw that must be removed, then the handle/dial will slide off of it's shaft.

Post# 721385 , Reply# 21 12/16/2013 at 00:33 (3,778 days old) by knoble ()
Checkrate/Likes Found it! (and a black widow spider hiding back there too) Thank you!!! Next steps will have to be after my electricity gets fixed. About 75% of my lights and outlets aren't working in my house. Don't know if the dishwasher is on one of the circuits that's working or not. Electricians promised they'd come out tomorrow. We'll see. I guess the next thing I start working on is the electrical and the motor. -Kristy

Post# 721427 , Reply# 22 12/16/2013 at 10:02 (3,777 days old) by turquoisedude (.)
Checkrate/Likes Oh, wow - I hope the issue is indeed due to a bad circuit in the house wiring (well, not that this a good thing overall!) Please keep us posted!!

Post# 721720 , Reply# 23 12/17/2013 at 22:05 (3,776 days old) by knoble ()
Checkrate/Likes Electrical in the house is now resolved. I had: 1. a bad connection (clip or something) on one of the lines from the power company. 2. a bad breaker, and 3. a switch where the lows from two different circuits were wired together, and as it happens, they were on the A and B sides of the board. Once all these were fixed, still no power to the dishwasher. Turns out the line to the dishwasher was capped off and abandoned. I have now reconnected it, and it shares a circuit with the dispose-all only. Next project: There's a valve in the dishwasher that's probably 60 years old. When I opened up the dishwasher, I found the round valve handle laying on the floor, next to the valve. Considering the drip marks on the outside of the tub, I think I want to have the valve replaced before I do much else. One of the major charms of this place is the wood floors, and I don't think I want to flood them.

Post# 721813 , Reply# 24 12/18/2013 at 11:16 (3,775 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes I assume you are talking about the water valve? If so you should be able to replace it with a more modern valve, but you are going to have be creative to retro-fit how it's mounted in the machine with hardware store hardware.

Post# 729387 , Reply# 25 1/21/2014 at 13:13 (3,741 days old) by knoble ()
Checkrate/Likes *broken drain pump - help?* Whew. Got thru Christmas and 2 weeks of laryngitis. Ready to go again. It looks like the timer is working, but the hose from the drain pump is messed up. I can get more hose at the local big box, but on the drain pump, the plastic part of it where the hose is/was attached is snapped off. I'm thinking I need a new drain pump? Otherwise, I'm gluing plastic, which doesn't inspire me. What can I replace it with? Thanks!

Post# 729546 , Reply# 26 1/22/2014 at 05:35 (3,740 days old) by turquoisedude (.)
Checkrate/Likes I believe you can swap one of the more recent washing machine pumps in this style of dishwasher. Robert, our webmaster, did just that with a Westinghouse roll-out machine if I remember correctly. It should not be a difficult thing to do. Congratulations on having a working timer! THAT is more than half the battle won already!

Post# 729551 , Reply# 27 1/22/2014 at 06:35 (3,740 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes Yes you can, BUT unfortunately the power to the pump is reversed, energized means no drain, and no power means draining action. So if you swap the pump like I did, you need to rewire that circuit with a relay to reverse the power. It's a bit on the complicated side.

Post# 729552 , Reply# 28 1/22/2014 at 06:37 (3,740 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)
Checkrate/Likes Thanks for sharing the photo of your kitchen. What a blast from the past! My dad built a small house in the early 1950s and we had the same Westinghouse oven, cooktop and dishwasher. I was born in '59, and by the time I was a toddler, that poor dishwasher was getting started all the time. Then I discovered our 1960 Model 80 Kenmore with its colorful pushbuttons and rhythmic, clickety-clacking rapid-advance timer. Much more fun to play with than the dishwasher, LOL. Best to you concerning the dishwasher restoration project!

Post# 760185 , Reply# 29 5/29/2014 at 04:49 (3,613 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Status?* I'd sure love to know whatever happened with this dishwasher restore project. I love that kitchen and love that dishwasher. Did this gem ever get running again?

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