Thread Number: 69105
/ Tag: Small Appliances
Toaster Trouble |
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Post# 918990 , Reply# 1   2/3/2017 at 16:31 (2,609 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 918999 , Reply# 2   2/3/2017 at 17:12 (2,609 days old) by perc-o-prince (Southboro, Mass)   |   | |
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Thanks, Paul. It IS something that could have jostled loose during shipping then, right? |
Post# 919023 , Reply# 3   2/3/2017 at 19:06 (2,609 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 919163 , Reply# 4   2/4/2017 at 10:42 (2,608 days old) by perc-o-prince (Southboro, Mass)   |   | |
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Paul- could you please email me some directions on how to correct this? I need to get them to the buyer. Chuck |
Post# 919201 , Reply# 5   2/4/2017 at 13:42 (2,608 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 919605 , Reply# 6   2/6/2017 at 00:27 (2,607 days old) by MattL (Flushing, MI)   |   | |
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You don't want to share with the rest of us? Never know when that knowledge might come in handy... |
Post# 919662 , Reply# 7   2/6/2017 at 10:37 (2,606 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Well.... turns out what I sent didn't work real well. I guess like a vintage washer or dishwasher, it's a good bet to get the service manual before you start to mess around!
However, here are some very general steps that I sent to Chuck:
Now, this was written with a GE Toaster in mind (just because that was the last one I worked on...). The mechanisms of brands like Proctor-Silex, Toastmaster, and the non-radiant control Sunbeam models are similar but not identical. I'd say the best thing to do is dismantle and observe the toaster's mechanism. The attached picture is of a GE mechanism that I found in one of those old "Repair Appliances at Home" Do-It-Yourself books.
Other than that, my advice is probably not that great, alas...
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Post# 922394 , Reply# 8   2/19/2017 at 12:44 (2,593 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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The toaster that Chuck has been having trouble with is one of those lovely Sunbeam glass-panel models. While I don't have one of those, I have a chrome-body Canadian-made model that uses the same toasting mechanism and to try to help diagnose the problem, I took mine apart. I also took pictures as I went along which may help someone else along the way!
Now, the problem Chuck described is that the toaster will buzz as soon as the toast lever is lowered. Usually these toasters will buzz like the devil at the end of the cycle when the toast is supposed to pop up but doesn't. Either way, you have to get inside the toaster to find out what's wrong.
First step - to be able to remove the end panels, the knobs for the toast lever and light-dark selector have to be removed. On a Sunbeam of this era, they are simply pulled off. Older toasters and other manufacturers used a set screw so check the underside of each lever before trying to remove them. |
Post# 922395 , Reply# 9   2/19/2017 at 12:46 (2,593 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Next, the toaster body or shell and end panels are removed. This Sunbeam has only 4 screws and when they are removed the body is freed of the end panels. |
Post# 922396 , Reply# 10   2/19/2017 at 12:50 (2,593 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Now the toaster body should be loose. Gently pry it away from the bottom of the end panels. This will in turn loosen them.
On this model, there is a lip on the inside of each end panel that the top of the toaster body slips into. Gently pull down on the panel and it should slip right off. Be careful not to damage or disconnect the power cord (I'll get back to that...) - I wanted to observe the mechanism in operation without the shell so I left the cord connected.
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Post# 922401 , Reply# 11   2/19/2017 at 13:07 (2,593 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Now the toaster mechanism will be fully visible. In the second picture, you see the 'cord end' of the toaster. If the toaster is not heating up at all, check continuity on the power cord but also check to see if the toast rack plunger is making contact with those strips that are connected to the power cord. It can happen that the contacts are bent and no longer making a connection. |
Post# 922404 , Reply# 12   2/19/2017 at 13:26 (2,593 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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This type of toaster has been referred to as a 'relay and solenoid' type of toaster. In operation, when the toast lever is pressed down, power is sent to the toasting elements. Under the toaster are a series of bimetal bars which will bend as they heat up. The distance between the bars is adjusted by the light-dark selector - the further apart they are the longer the toasting cycle or the darker the toast. There is an adjusting screw that you can see in the third photo to vary this distance if necessary. There is one more bimetal element at the top of the timing unit - when this is bent to the right spot, it will make contact with a wire that leads to a solenoid to the left of the toast lever. The solenoid is activated and will release the toast rack, popping the toasted bread back up. The first photo shows the toasting rack engaged - if you press in the solenoid spring, the toast will pop up.
I wanted to try to video this process, but here's where the joke is on me... As I disassembled the toaster, the power cable failed on me. I know this one has been apart at least twice before, so I guess the extra stress and flexing I gave the cable did it in! It's repairable, but I don't have the right-angle disconnects as are found on the original cable...
Now, as to why a toaster like this would buzz continuously, I can only guess that the light-dark timing screw shifted so that the uppermost bimetal bar is always completing the circuit to the solenoid. OR perhaps something on the light-dark adjustment (that bar indiciated by the screwdriver in the fourth photo connects to the timing unit); perhaps something has slipped and is forcing this bar into constant contact.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone!! |