Last weekend, I finally picked up the 1959 GE Princess that I bought from Will in Virginia last fall so this weekend, I had to give it a good once-over and evaluate it.  

It seems to be in pretty decent shape - I found the tub was in good shape; the racks seem to be in good shape too! Bonus - this one has both trim strips for the vent grille on the front of the cabinet.  

I'm going to guess that the machine got decomissioned when the tub gasket finally gave and caused the machine to leak badly.  That base plate has seen its share of water!

After I vacuumed out the tub, I figured I had nothing to lose by hooking the machine up to the ol' AC. 

Well, not much happened at first.  I could hear the timer running and I smelled the dust burning off the Calrod.  Ok, that was during the 'dry' phase of the cycle... LOL  

I did try advancing to wash, but the motor did not seem to want to cooperate... 

Well, that didn't stop me...  

I found the wiring diagram for this machine and made an alternate connection.   This time when I hit the switch, I was happy to hear that motor start!

I suspect the culprit is this cable that connects the dishwasher tub components to a junction box at the rear of the dishwasher cabinet.  The cable was nice and brittle, so I have a feeling a wire was broken when the machine was removed and subsequently transported.  Not a big deal to replace (full disclosure - I had to replace the one on the turquoise '59 Princess). 

I let the machine run through a full cycle - the motor started, stopped, and reversed correctly and although I do not have the water valve, I used a light bulb to test the circuit.  I was surprised to find that the water valve was briefly powered up during the drain part of the cycle at the end of the pre-rinses, main wash, and the first two final rinses.  I guess it was intended to help flush out food particles.  Funny, but I don't recall the '57 Mobile Maid doing this...  

Now to the reason why I wanted this machine so badly...  The lid.

The turquoise Princess that I bought nearly 10 years ago now (August 2007 - it was also the reason why I joined the club!) did not have its lid when I bought it.  Now I have one and I have to decide what I will do with this woodtone one... Oy, decisions, decisions...

Last fall when I was working on the garage renovation project, I couldn't help but notice how lonely the turquoise '62 MobileMaid looked.  

When I opened the lid I had a nasty surprise... Mice had gotten into it and made a big, smelly nest out of fibreglas insulation.  I cleaned it out back in November and pledged I'd complete the cleanup at some point.    That was last weekend and I was pleased to find that other than the mess, the mousies did not damage the machine.  Phew!

But I quickly saw why this machine had been sidelined...  The original hoses for the Unicouple had gotten brittle and snapped.   I made a botched repair back in 2010 when I got the machine - it almost worked, but the main problem was the drain hose kept kinking and wouldn't drain the machine properly.

Well I had 7 years to think about it so I was able to do a much better repair to the hoses this time around... LOL 

The repairs seemed fine on a short test wash yesterday.  Stay tuned for a Maiden Wash this coming weekend!

I think I missed having a turquoise portable in the Ogden Kitchen.  

So I finally got around to running a load of dishes through the '62 turquoise Mobile Maid on the weekend.  It's all good - the new hoses I used on the Unicouple held up and the machine ran through the full cycle with no issues. 

And it's not like I made it easy for the test.... 

Overall, the turquoise 'Maid gets a 95%.   There were a couple of utensils that still had some gunk on them after the cycle however, I think I can live with this.  

While the cycle was running I observed a few things I had forgotten about this dishwasher.  First, there is a brief 'purge' at the end of each wash and rinse period (except the final rinse) that I had also observed while testing the Woodtone Princess.  Next, I noticed the first pre-wash is quite a bit longer than on the '57 Mobile Maid or the '59 Princesses.  I was surprised that the Mobile Maid of this generation went back to 2 final rinses instead of three.  And finally, I was pleased to hear the lid 'pop' in the dry cycle (like the '57 does).  I can't wait to experiment with the cycles on this one - there is a 'Utensils, Pots & Pans' and a 'Fine China and Crystal'.  I've read up on these cycles, though, so I know they are both shorter cycles with a shortened dry period and I won't be disappointed... LOL 

I am really happy that I was finally able to get this dishwasher back up and running, especially that I now seem to have a decent method to replace the Unicouple hoses.  I promise to document the next replacement I do (and I have at least 1 coming up soon) more thoroughly but in a nutshell, the original hoses are cut off the Unicouple with a hacksaw and the replacement drain hose I used was a reinforced rubber 5/8 " (inside diameter) hose to prevent kinking.  The replacement fill hose is a softer, more flexible clear 3/8" (inside diameter) with a standard garden hose adapter on the water valve end.   I have a busy summer ahead... LOL 

In the meantime I am enjoying the roaring and rumbling of a bowtie impeller Mobile Maid in the kitchen again.

Yes I will, too Brian!  Glad you are enjoying those glasses!!

So, you know that old saying? There are 2 ways of doing things: the right way and the turquoisedude way...  Here's more proof!

I had just set the 62 MobileMaid on a cycle and was close enough to hear the 'pop' when the new fill hose blew out.  I got a good shower and there was water dripping through the basement ceiling.  "Queenie" the 57 Speed Queen got wet... poor dear.

So, kids, the lesson here is don't mess around - use REINFORCED hoses on dishwasher supply lines....

Well at least I got a chance to justify having a 3rd dishwasher in the kitchen. The Frigidaire slant-top portable took over for the 'Maid.  It was also interesting to do a side by side capacity test - the Custom Deluxe held about the same as the Mobile Maid but I could not fit the skillet in there.  More dishwasher experimentation with this one is needed.  

It's a holiday weekend here so I won't be able to get a replacement hose til Tuesday.   I may need to drag the Roto-Rack back out of the basement... oh, wait, maybe not.... LOL 

Three, apparently... LOL 

So after the big blow-out last week, I bought some REINFORCED hose for the 62 Mobile Maid.  It looks much better, no leaks on initial testing but we'll only know for sure with a real load of dishes. That will likely be on Sunday (started loading the 56 GE, just in case...)

So I finally got a chance to use the 62 Turquoise Mobile Maid on Saturday night.  I was relieved to see the latest attempt at replacing the fill hose held this time!   A full cycle test was in order... 

The hose did NOT blow out during the main wash this time around.  Phew!   Love that sound the Mobile Maid makes when it's running!! 

I'm struggling and juggling machines a bit these days, trying to make some room but I had to get back to work on "Princess Turquoise"!

I finally managed to install the lid from "Princess Woodtone" who gave up her 'crown' for Princess Turquoise. 

I had a bit of a time messing with the springs that hold the lid in place - between the 2 machines, I only had 1 good spring.  There was one other, but it had been stretched out.  No biggie - I actually managed to compress it back down using vice-grips. 

So after nearly 10 years, Princess Turquoise was almost complete again.  This is the view from the rear of the tub showing the lid back in place.  

I was a little concerned about how well everything would fit together again on this one... Recall that the original cabinet had been cut during removal by its previous owners and that Phil had welded it back together for me.  I had a couple of alignment issues with the cabinet for the '57 Whirlpool when I reassembled it - but nothing too serious.  

When I first popped the tub back into the frame, I couldn't get the tub all the way back in - the front panel kept hitting the trim panel on the right hand side.  Fortunately, that was just because I had not firmly installed the front panel!  A couple of screws tightened and voilà - problem solved.  

I was fortunate that the plastic grille on Princess Turquoise was more or less intact, but I needed the lower trim strip from Princess Woodtone to complete the installation.

Because I just HAVE to mess something up, I realized after getting the lid back in place that I had not reinstalled the water inlet line...  It's an oddball installation, too...  A piece of copper tubing is somehow mounted to the top of the cabinet frame with a spout that lines up over a "trough" that serves as a fill flume and tub vent.  I am kinda glad I didn't have to juggle a Power Shower with that, however I am willing to try when I get an SU70... LOL

I still need a water valve, too, but that should not be a big problem.  I may wind up swiping the one from my unsold 1993 Moffat!  

I'm getting closer to doing a full cycle test... perhaps by August when Princess Turquoise will have officially been with me 10 years!  LOL 

I was all wound up about vintage machines this weekend, worrying about the Lady K in St-Lib, so I tried to keep my mind occupied on something else.  I think it was worth completing the work on the Princess Turquoise, which had been otherwise sidelined for the past 10 years!  

I had one little challenge - install the fill tube and make sure it was properly aimed at the fill/vent trough in the dishwasher lid.  I think I got it more or less right... I still had the original copper fill tube, but it had been 'unbent' over the years and I don't have a specific service manual for the SU60 models like this so I was not 100% sure how to route the pipe.  I think I may have to redo it, but at this point I was too itchy to get it back together for a water test!

So, the moment of truth.... Would it hold vater?

Youbetcha!! 

Yes, that is some creative plumbing alright... LOL 

It still needs a couple of minor tweaks...   I ran the dishwasher through a full cycle out on the driveway and noticed some water seepage from one corner of the tub (the left side as viewed from the back of the machine); I am not too surprised, the closed-cell gasket that I cobbled together for a first water test a couple of years ago had gaps in the corners.  That will be pretty easy to remedy.  

The other wee issue was something not previous noted.  I noticed a few drips of water coming from the motor mounting collar area as the Princess complete the cycle.  I have a feeling that this is due to dry gasketing and that if I'd used hot water for the test this may not have been an issue. As it was, I noticed the drip had diminished by the end of the cycle.  I'll try a hot water test soon to be sure. 

Also, I noted something different between Princess Woodtone and Princess Turquoise... Princess Turquoise does not seem to have that short water inlet 'purge' during all drains, save the final rinse.  Both are 'S' models from 1959 but knowing GE, I can't help but wonder if there were a few early run models of the SU60's that still had the older style timer without the purge.    Since Princess Woodtone is probably going to sacrifice her body in the name of science, I wonder if I should swap timers...  Decisions, decisions!    Of course You-Know-Who is going to be on my case about 'So where does it go now'....  Not sure I am ready to give up that Maytag in St-Lib but....  

I have been using the '62 Mobile Maid regularly and I am pretty happy with overall results.  Full disclosure - did a load of my 'better' dishes AND the new estate silverplated flatware on the weekend after a Canada Day shindig and the 'Fine China and Crystal' cycle did just fine.  

However, as I use this machine more, I fear the gasket on the tube which feeds the power shower is going to give up on me.  Now this one is not at all like the one on the '71 Mobile Maid - are the new 'sleeve' type gaskets compatible with the older one?  There is still plenty of time left for me to play with the '65 Talisman Mobile Maid, too, so I may just need to get a couple of spares.  

If anyone has the part number of this, please let me know.