Thread Number: 7376
Clean up photos of Amanda and Dan's Whirlpool
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Post# 145049   7/25/2006 at 21:02 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        

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I worked on the 84 Whirlpool Saturday, for my niece Amanda. The machine did not have much use, however the previous owner (Dan's grandmother) must have had well water with a high iron content. Plus the machine had sat in a leaky basement for the last five years without being used. The gross ring with the lint on it in the spin basket is a "Magic Lint Filter" a 1980's replacement for an actual lint filter system. ("Tragic Lint Filter", as far as I am concerned)




Post# 145050 , Reply# 1   7/25/2006 at 21:04 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Tub ring

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And winged Surgilator

Post# 145051 , Reply# 2   7/25/2006 at 21:07 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Dirty tub

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With a gross deposit of dried whatever under the "lint filter"

Post# 145052 , Reply# 3   7/25/2006 at 21:09 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Cleaned, but rusted tub

rickr's profile picture
Time to get out my POR 15 again this Saturday.....

Post# 145053 , Reply# 4   7/25/2006 at 21:11 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Metal furnace tape will help with this job

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Doubled over and pushed up from under the rim of the tub.

Post# 145055 , Reply# 5   7/25/2006 at 21:16 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Three coats of POR 15

rickr's profile picture
On the tub bottom, the rusty areas of the tub rim, the short center post. (and my hands and arms..... again) LOL!!

I also checked the wiring, hoses, and replaced the drive belt just because it is 20+ years old, while waiting for the POR 15 to dry.


Post# 145057 , Reply# 6   7/25/2006 at 21:21 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Time to clean the parts up.

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Two jugs of CLR rust remover, one spray bottle of CLR, Twelve Brillo pads and lots of "elbow grease" to clean the rust off the spin basket.

I was also trying to do some work on my 1957 Unimatic, but Amanda's machine comes first.


Post# 145058 , Reply# 7   7/25/2006 at 21:26 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Getting it together....

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Going back together. And looking like a washing machine of any brand or vintage should..... CLEAN!!


The tub ring is a hard plastic material on this model. It was easier to clean than the metal type. It had one piece of metal, just under the snubber. Of course it was starting to rust. So I painted the edge with three coats of POR 15


Post# 145059 , Reply# 8   7/25/2006 at 21:28 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Looking good!!!

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Like any vintage machine should!!

Post# 145061 , Reply# 9   7/25/2006 at 21:31 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Spin cycle action shot

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I did not bypass the lid switch on this washer. Amanda and Dan have two small children, it cannot be done.

Post# 145062 , Reply# 10   7/25/2006 at 21:35 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
Control panel glamour shot of 1984 Whirlpool

rickr's profile picture
After the machine gets a coat of car wax.

Looks pretty good,I must say. Not old enough for my taste... However this machine would be as old to Amanda, as my 1956 Whirlpool is to me!


Post# 145066 , Reply# 11   7/25/2006 at 21:44 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        
What happened to the ......

rickr's profile picture
.....Tragic Lint Filter???

Well, I'm not putting that worthless thing back in this nice sanitary machine. Besides making the washer smell like mold, I don't think it did a damn thing anyway. It fit on the bottom of the spin basket, so the lint was already out of the spin basket (and clothes) by that time anyway.

It now resides in the trash can.


Post# 145067 , Reply# 12   7/25/2006 at 21:46 (6,455 days old) by westytoploader ()        

Rick, you did a FANTASTIC job cleaning that machine up...don't know if I could do it myself! That Whirlpool looks fresh off the showroom floor like all of your machines, I bet Amanda and Dan will be thrilled! Will definitely last another 20 years. And I'm sure you'll have the WI-57 looking and running like brand-new in no time! :)

I've seen and ran this exact machine before, at a certain residence in El Campo that also houses a spectacular theater room...;-)

--Austin


Post# 145069 , Reply# 13   7/25/2006 at 21:49 (6,455 days old) by bobbyd32l ()        

Nice Job!! I love that agitator! I would love to see it in action, I bet the turn over is awesome! Again, Great Job! What a nice machine! They are going to love it for years to come!

I also like that Frigidaire ;)


Post# 145070 , Reply# 14   7/25/2006 at 21:55 (6,455 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)        
Wow!

swestoyz's profile picture
Rick, everything you touch always comes out looking showroom perfectly clean! Most would pass on this machine, but with the bit of time and energy you put into it, most would love to take it home! You are such a nice family member to do this for your niece and nephew - Wow, what a guy!

Ben

PS - I want to know your secret - on getting out the hard water stain on the tub, it looks brand new! Oh yeah, and nice WI-57, BTW!!


Post# 145071 , Reply# 15   7/25/2006 at 21:58 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        

rickr's profile picture
Thanks guys! Amanda was going to purchase a new dryer, and junk the matching dryer to this old WP washer. However I talked her out of it. Sooooooo, guess who has a dryer to go over this Saturday???? LOL!!
Won't be as bad as the washer, or take near as much time however. Plus they will be saving a ton of money, and have better machines also.


Post# 145072 , Reply# 16   7/25/2006 at 22:05 (6,455 days old) by pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI)        

pulsator's profile picture
WOW!!! That machine looks amazing!!! Perhaps I will be able to find a BD Whirlpool in fixable shape! I've always got my open for a good condition large capacity Whirly, but none have popped up! I guess I just gotta look closer to the machines that could get fixed up and look like new!

Post# 145111 , Reply# 17   7/26/2006 at 00:18 (6,455 days old) by knitwits1975 ()        

I like it!

Post# 145123 , Reply# 18   7/26/2006 at 01:38 (6,455 days old) by agiflow ()        

Beautiful restoration Rick! Washing the belt-drive way! LOL

It will be great to see that Frigidaire when your done with it also...nice work.


Post# 145127 , Reply# 19   7/26/2006 at 03:14 (6,455 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
Great looking washer, Rick. Did you have to do anything else to the machine besides a good cleaning?

Post# 145130 , Reply# 20   7/26/2006 at 03:57 (6,455 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Whirlpool

peteski50's profile picture
Rick,
What a wonderful job done. This is a real awsome washer. My sister had almost the same model just slightly different. It laster her 16 years with heavy use. I am sure they will be very happy with such a great treasure.
Best Wishes
Peter


Post# 145144 , Reply# 21   7/26/2006 at 07:48 (6,455 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)        

mayken4now's profile picture
Rick, you did that machine a wonderful favor, and of course Amanda too. That is the way I like to do them, CLEAN everything, they way a washer should be!

Steve


Post# 145214 , Reply# 22   7/26/2006 at 10:31 (6,455 days old) by rickr (.)        

rickr's profile picture
Thanks guys!

All I did to this machine was to take it apart and give it a good cleaning. It really did not need anything else. I did replace the drive belt, just because it is 20+ years old. I figure it is easier to replace the belt in my driveway, than to have to replace it at a later date in Amanda's utility room. I will replace the dryer belt for the same reason. I would think that this set should last 20+ more years, if they want to use them for that long. They really do not have much wear on them at all.

BTW: Amanda did her first load with this machine last night, and she said it works perfectly. Will have her take some "action shots" of the matched set, after the dryer is finished next week.


Post# 145329 , Reply# 23   7/26/2006 at 16:27 (6,454 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)        

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Nice job,Rick! I've got a job for you cleaning up some of the trade in's I get in. Doesn't pay very well,though....8^)

Post# 145337 , Reply# 24   7/26/2006 at 17:38 (6,454 days old) by golittlesport (California)        

golittlesport's profile picture
Great work! That washer sparkles!

Post# 145531 , Reply# 25   7/27/2006 at 19:00 (6,453 days old) by alr2903 (TN)        
rickr

you can wham a restoration together, i always look at your pics of your most recent projects, You do very nice work. alr2903.

Post# 146654 , Reply# 26   8/2/2006 at 21:43 (6,447 days old) by sactoteddybear ()        
Hey! Rick:

Congrats on the great job of cleaning and saving another Vintage Whirlpool Washer. That was so nice of you to help your Family out like that, especially to get them doing Laundry in a Matched Set.

I'm curious to know if you did an alternate Self-Clean Filtering System, or did you install a Manual-Clean Filtering System? I would assume that if you did the Manual-Clean Filter System that you would have mentioned about it.

Good Luck with the Overhauling of the Dryer, it sounds like neither one of them were in very bad shape, given that you mainly had to replace the Belts on both the Washer and Dryer.

Peace and Cheers to Whirlpool Laundry Times, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...


Post# 146662 , Reply# 27   8/2/2006 at 22:15 (6,447 days old) by rickr (.)        

rickr's profile picture
Thank you Steve,

The washer does not have a filter system now, but as far as I am concerned it never really did anyway. That "lint ring" is mounted on the bottom of the spin basket. The lint is already out of the spin basket by the time it is "caught" in the "lint ring" A poor excuse for a lint filter, and it makes for a smelly mess in the wash tub too. Too bad manufactures discovered all the ways to cut corners in products. I think it was a trend that started way before the 1980's too. Perhaps General Motors would be doing better right now if the company had not been so careless with the products they manufactured for their customer base. (another subject for the "Custom" section)

So the machine does not have a lint filter system at all now. If I had anything some parts from the 1960's I could have refitted the Whirlpool with those, however I do not. Amanda dries everything in the dryer anyway, so any lint is caught in the dryer filter.
The machines really did not need the belts. I only installed them because the originals were 22 years old. This set was seldom used, so they are in fantasic shape. Amanda just LOVES them, and she hopes to use them for 20 years! She said the dryer dries the clothes faster than any dryer she has ever used. She will take some photos of the set in use at some point. Their utility room is very small. Hope there is room for the camera angles.

Costs:
Washer and Dryer $00.00
CLR (2) $8.00
Washer belt $13.75
Dryer belt $10.15
Replacement dryer cord with new style four prong plug. $15.00

Grand Total $46.90 What a bargain for this set!

Amanda had been spending about $40.00 per week at the laundry mat.



Post# 146670 , Reply# 28   8/2/2006 at 22:49 (6,447 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
Wow, that Whirlpool looks fantastic, Rick. I hope Amanda appreciates all the work you went through. What a guy! I had a WP back in '84 or '85 with a winged Surgilator (it replaced my Mom's 1960 Kemore Model 80) and I really liked that machine. Turnover was great and I liked the quiet swish-swish of the Surgilator after the ha-RUNK, ha-RUNK of the preggers Roto-Swirl on the KM.



Post# 146671 , Reply# 29   8/2/2006 at 22:50 (6,447 days old) by sactoteddybear ()        
Re: Rick, I totally agree:

I couldn't believe seeing all that "YUKKY" stuff on what was supposed to be a Self-Cleaning Lint Filter, what a joke... It would sure be fun if you did have the Parts to have installed a Manual Recirculating Lint Filter, especially with the Ovalish Brush Filter Assembly, that Whirlpool had in their early Model Washers.

That was sure a bargin for not only you, but for Amanda and Dan as well.

I would have also replaced the Belts "Better Safe, Than Sorry" as you mentioned especially since you would have had to work in a small Laundry Room, instead of on your Driveway or in a Garage.

Did their Laundry Room already have the Wiring for a 4-Prong Cord, or did it have to be Re-Wired? My house was built in 1953 to 1954 with the 3-Wire 220-Volt for both Dryer and Stove. Although I've not used an Electric Dryer at this house very much, since I Inherited it in June 1995, I would no doubt keep with the 3-Wire Cord{s} for an Electric Dryer.

I had the Gas Plumbing Installed, when I had all of the Hot/Cold Water Pipes replaced with Copper and I also had a Water-Line Installed for an Ice Maker.

Peace, Wonderful Friends and Fun Whirlpool Washing, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...


Post# 146681 , Reply# 30   8/3/2006 at 00:18 (6,447 days old) by rinso (Meridian Idaho)        

Beautiful job of restoration, Rick. I can almost hear the buzz, click, snap of the wig-wag and cam engaging the spin clutch.

Don't worry about tossing the placebo passive lint filter. Had one in my 1987 TOL WP. Didn't catch anything but grunge.


Post# 146715 , Reply# 31   8/3/2006 at 08:11 (6,447 days old) by brettsomers ()        

very nice. ive really enjoyed this thread. love the all white interior. im a Whirlpool virgin. i see that massive agitator and imagine the transmission must be quite strong, to move such a heavy load as this surgilator would place on it?

Post# 146719 , Reply# 32   8/3/2006 at 08:36 (6,447 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN)        
YAY!

Another WP saved! Great work! Looks like a brand new machine.

Post# 146784 , Reply# 33   8/3/2006 at 15:23 (6,446 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
The tranny is "standard" Whirlpool belt-drive issue.

Post# 146803 , Reply# 34   8/3/2006 at 17:48 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.)        

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Steve,the house is a newer home, so the dryer outlet requires the newer style four prong dryer plug. The four prong plug adds an additional ground source to the appliance.

David, the transmition in this WP is the same type transmition that was used in all the belt drive WP/KM from the 1950's until 1986, when the belt drive system was replaced with the direct drive design. The belt drive design transmition has beefy steel gears, case iron lower case, and cast aluminium upper case. They make for a very heavy,but sturdy and durable transmition.


Post# 146841 , Reply# 35   8/3/2006 at 21:13 (6,446 days old) by imperial70 (MA USA)        

I love that machine. That is the spiting image of the one I bought in 86, complete with Winged Super Surgilator. Great machine. Workhorse. They are going to love it

Post# 1171119 , Reply# 36   2/3/2023 at 19:49 (418 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)        
belt drive vs. direct drive steel gears

Sorry it's late, but how beefy are the steel gears in a direct drive compared to the older belt drive models? This question plagues me. I've always thought the direct drives were cheaper built.

Post# 1171126 , Reply# 37   2/3/2023 at 21:02 (418 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)        
Reply #36

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There’s no real comparison, the belt drive has all cast iron gears and the direct drive has a mixture of metal and plastic gears. The neutral drain pack has a tendency of going out, belt drives never had issues with the neutral drain unless the solenoid plunger for the spin got busted causing the tub to spin while agitating.

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Post# 1171202 , Reply# 38   2/4/2023 at 14:09 (417 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)        
direct and belt drive gears

What was Whirlpool's reason for using plastic in their direct drives? Why couldn't they use all steel? How thick is the plastic gear as opposed to the gears in the direct and belt drives? I hope all the gears including the plastic spin gear holds up very well and comparable to the thickness and weight to the belt drive gears in the direct drives.

Post# 1171277 , Reply# 39   2/5/2023 at 10:31 (417 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Whirlpool top load, washer, transmission gears

combo52's profile picture
Both belt drive and direct drive transmissions used to machined, steel pinion gear, the other metal gears were cast iron.

Neither design ever had any trouble with gears except the pre-1964 transmissions as pictured and reply number 36 the pinion gear used to tear the teeth off the first reduction cast gear whirlpool, beefed it up in 1964 and we never saw problem after that.

Plastic gears are usually stronger and last longer than cast-iron gears, that’s why Maytag used nylon for the pinion gear in their automatic washer transmissions, which never failed in normal use of the machine.

John


Post# 1171376 , Reply# 40   2/6/2023 at 09:52 (416 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)        
gear thickness

So how thick were Whirlpool's gears? How many parts do the direct drives have compared to the older belt drives as far as their transmissions go? You would think that the gears would tolerate that much torque.

Post# 1182839 , Reply# 41   6/17/2023 at 22:35 (284 days old) by kg2280 (Dallas, TX)        

Looks great Rick. I recently acquired almost the same machine.
Needless to say, I'm pretty excited. After cleaning and soaking the outer tub in CLR, I've got 99.9% of the buildup off, so now it's time to tackle the rust. I've attached a picture for reference.
I'm thinking I should do as you did and use POR 15 on the bottom of the entire tub and the short center post and a couple other areas along the rim.
I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions...
1. How did you prep the tub before painting? Did you use those 2 products in the kit, or did you just go right to painting after you cleaned it with CLR?
2. Did you paint over the 4 bolts and rubber things or just paint around them as close as possible.
3. How's the machine holding up?

Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.


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Post# 1182844 , Reply# 42   6/18/2023 at 06:48 (284 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)        

goatfarmer's profile picture

Sad to say, Rick is no longer with us.


Post# 1182850 , Reply# 43   6/18/2023 at 10:51 (284 days old) by thatwasherguy (Kentucky)        
First off, welcome to the forum!

thatwasherguy's profile picture
Second, congrats on the machine! Considering it’s age, the tub looks to be in excellent condition. I have used POR15 in the past on a Maytag outer tub with very similar rust to the one in your Whirlpool. I used the two products in the kit to prepare the surface on my machine. I didn’t have bolts in the bottom of my tub, but I can’t imagine it causing problems to paint them. I am unsure as to have a it will last, as I have only used the machine about 30 times since I rebuilt it. I imagine that it will hold up quite well, though, as the coating feels quite strong to the touch.
Hope this helps,
Thatwasherguy.


Post# 1182853 , Reply# 44   6/18/2023 at 11:13 (284 days old) by rinso (Meridian Idaho)        

"Tragic Lint Filter" is indeed a correct reference to the under-the-tub passive lint filter. After 8 years of service, I gave my TOL direct drive a thorough cleaning, removing the tub because I thought the lint filter might need attention. I was so wrong! There wasn't a speck of lint in it after all that time. I agree that it probably doesn't do much to catch lint.


Post# 1182921 , Reply# 45   6/19/2023 at 09:31 (283 days old) by Helicaldrive (St. Louis)        
What?

What happened to Rick?

Post# 1182927 , Reply# 46   6/19/2023 at 10:27 (283 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
 
He died on 10/10/2022.  It was announced in the green section As the Tub Turns on 10/25/2022.  No details there on the cause of death and I don't recall anyone otherwise shared that information.


Post# 1183016 , Reply# 47   6/20/2023 at 07:57 (282 days old) by Helicaldrive (St. Louis)        
OMG

Thank you.




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