Thread Number: 64785  /  Tag: Vintage Dishwashers
Frigidaire Custom Imperial DW-CITP Wont Advance
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Post# 874369   3/25/2016 at 11:29 (2,925 days old) by mepis ()        

Hi all!

I'm glad I found this community. I was hoping to get some opinions. I picked up a 68-89 Frigidaire Custom Imperial top loading dishwasher on Craigslist for free. It works except for one caveat, it doesn't advance through the cycles.

The dishwasher drains, fills and runs just fine but I have to manually advance it with a screwdriver.

If I keep the metal box that holds the timers and everything where it is, it stays on the drain setting when I turn it on. If I turn that box to the side, it starts on the fill cycle and stays there.

I know nothing about these things so I was hoping to get pointed in a direction to fix it possibly? I thank everyone for there help in advance!


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Post# 874424 , Reply# 1   3/25/2016 at 19:02 (2,924 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Cool DW

combo52's profile picture

You should just send it to us, LOL

 

Actually you need a new timer motor, this is a very common problem on Kingston timers, MT and Frigidaire used a lot of this timers back in the day.


Post# 874428 , Reply# 2   3/25/2016 at 19:31 (2,924 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        

rp2813's profile picture

This looks like a fairly clean, low-mileage machine. 

 

What's the spray tower like on this model, Nate?  A "Space Needle" variant?

 

John, could the timer motor just be stuck from prolonged non-operation?  Maybe heating it with a blow dryer and/or giving it a light rap would get it moving?


Post# 874429 , Reply# 3   3/25/2016 at 19:34 (2,924 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Cool DW

combo52's profile picture

You should just send it to us, LOL

 

Actually you need a new timer motor, this is a very common problem on Kingston timers, MT and Frigidaire used a lot of this timers back in the day.


Post# 874431 , Reply# 4   3/25/2016 at 19:50 (2,924 days old) by mepis ()        

If I get frustrated with this thing and give up on it, I'll post it up one here. I'd rather it go to someone that will love it rather then back on Craig's List for free.

Honestly, I'm not much of antique person. Other than some record players, nothing has ever caught my interest. I've been looking for an affordable portable dishwasher for a while and this thing caught my eye. I've never seen anything like it and kind of feel in love with it right away.

I grew up in the digital age so I've never tried to troubleshoot and fix something this mechanical besides a car. I'm in a bit over my head here, especially with the symptoms. It confuses me.

According to the wiring diagram, I'm pretty sure it's the rear timer from the servicing position (the larger black box all the wires plug in to). What's weird is everything appears to work. If I manually advance it to the rinse or wash cycles, everything functions but it doesn't advanced past those functions. If I click the cancel button it cycles through all cycles back to the stationary position. If I click wash / rinse / pots & pans, it cycles to the appropriate drain cycle, but never advances.

With that said, it washes like a dream. I ran a load of dishes through it manually advancing it with a screw driver from the pole that comes out of the large, black box through the metal bracket that holds all the mechanics (facing the front of the machine but with the front panel off.

The machine is in otherwise really good condition. I was incredibly surprised how good everything looked for the age of the machine. The owner said it was hardly ever used. I'm assuming it belonged to an elderly person that recently passed away. It was probably the original owner. The person giving it away seemed to know the history pretty well. It came from a house that was being emptied and auctioned off though. A lot of the stuff was older or antique.

I'm guessing the timing mechanism is frozen or something from sitting. Maybe it needs greased? I'll try heating it with a hair dryer tomorrow and also tap on it while it's running. I tapped on the metal bracket earlier today to see if it would advance or show any signs like it wanted too, but I'm guessing it's more like a car starter where it needs direct impact.

I'm not sure what kind of spray tower is in this thing? I'm very new to these older machines. When the top lift opens, the bottom rack lifts the tube part of the sprayer away from a gasket, up with the bracket. There's a jet at the top that shoots water to a rotating spindle fastened to the lid. The bottom of the sprayer has a normal spray arm, but one side of the sprayer arm has an additional rotating metal sprayer. The best was I could describe is like a tea cup amusement park ride.

Anyway, thanks for the help so far! If you want/need any more pictures, let me know. Any more advice is really welcomed. I'd hate to give up on this thing. It's just too cool!


Post# 874475 , Reply# 5   3/26/2016 at 05:01 (2,924 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
Very cool dishwasher...

chachp's profile picture

I hope you get it going.  The folks here know there stuff and if parts are available I bet you'll get it going.

 

We'd love to see pictures of the inside of the machine, the sprayer mechanism at the bottom if you have time to take some.

 

If I'm not mistaken this may be the Portable/Top Load version of the Frigidaire Built-In that Samantha Stevens (Bewitched) had in her kitchen.  So there's a little history for you on this machine.

 

BTW, did that machine by any chance come from Craigslist in Youngstown, Ohio?


Post# 874487 , Reply# 6   3/26/2016 at 09:44 (2,924 days old) by mepis ()        

Well, after playing around with it this morning I figured out what it was. It is the timer, though what I thought was the timer isn't one. It's the round metal thing in the pictures.

I broke out my multimeter this morning and started up the dishwasher and measured things. I noticed the gear that raises and lowers the plastic pin in the middle of the black electrical box wasn't moving.

I took everything apart and powered up the timer, and, sure enough, it wasn't spinning though it was getting power. I could feel the magnetic part of the motor spinning.

I took apart the timer and it looks like the entire middle gear disintegrated. I dumped some stuff out of the gears that looked like old, crusty grease before I realized there was supposed to be another gear on the motor shaft. I'm pretty sure what I dumped out was the old motor gear.

I ordered one of those brass ones from Dave's repair. I couldn't find a timer on Ebay that I was sure was the right timer. I figured this was a good route to go for right now.

If this fixes it, and when I get it back together, I'll try and get a good picture of it.


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Post# 874488 , Reply# 7   3/26/2016 at 09:47 (2,924 days old) by miele_ge (Danbury, Connecticut)        
OMG. That is the same model of our very first Dishwasher

miele_ge's profile picture

Does it have the "slant top" with butcher block surface?  Loved the sound it made when you pressed the cancel/drain button.  Can you please post a photo of the control panel and inside of the unit?  Also, I remember racks being attached to top of the lid for glasses, etc.  Do you still have those?

 

Thanks and I really hope you get it running.

 

Alan

 


Post# 874506 , Reply# 8   3/26/2016 at 12:53 (2,924 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)        

philr's profile picture

Lucky you are, it's the first time I see the portable version with the rapid-advance timer. In Canada, the only model available was the Imperial which my friend Paul bought me as a gift! It also has the wood top but it lacks the rapid advance timer and the auxiliary spray arm. 

 

I do have the DW-JMP front-loading version which used to be a mobile dishwasher but it's now an undercounter model. 

 

It was working when I got it but I also had to replace the Kingston timer motor. In fact, I got a NOS timer for it but I reused the defective timer with a brass gear from Dave's repair and installed it in a '67 Rollermatic washer. 

 

www.davesrepair.com/Parts/9956650...


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Post# 874509 , Reply# 9   3/26/2016 at 13:06 (2,924 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        

rp2813's profile picture

Yes, the round thing is the timer motor, which is what John and I felt was the culprit.  It sounds like you've got the upper hand now, and that this machine will be fully operational before too long.  Nice work!

 

The tower is what I suspected -- a "Space Needle" with a hole in the top to operate the spinner in the lid.

 

Re:  the slant top question above, per picture #2 in the OP, the top of the tub is slanted, so the lid may be as well.  The first dishwasher my parents ever owned was the absolutely, positively bottom of the bottom of the line 1970 Montgomery Wards Signature version of this machine -- not even as nice as the one pictured below.  It was loud.  I suspect the sound insulation on a deluxe machine would be somewhat better, but these were by no means quiet during operation.

 

Where's Nate?  Somebody pass him the smelling salts!


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Post# 874701 , Reply# 10   3/28/2016 at 10:58 (2,922 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)        
Somebody pass him the smelling salts!

roto204's profile picture

That is fabulous!  I loved our Custom Imperial wash-arm machine from the late seventies.  Well, in looks, at least.  I never could get it to perform well with non-softened water, no matter how much I dinked around with it and tried different detergents.  Its washing ability was always just about at the level of a BOL GE.

 

The idea of making the innards more accessible is a worthy design quest, and leave it to Frigidaire to come up with something brilliantly unorthodox.  I love that the little spinning-disc constant rinse is still there on the top. 

 

The space-needle tower in that configuration provided the *best* washing I ever had.  The little '69 that Andy found us was the best Super Surge we had; it washed beautifully, and the embossed panel was a looker, too.

 

Congratulations on a gorgeous find, and I'll be keen to hear if Dave's machined brass timer gear gets you back in business!  I just bought one of those myself, to get the 1-18 back to good with its original timer motor.


Post# 874860 , Reply# 11   3/29/2016 at 17:01 (2,920 days old) by mepis ()        

Well, I did it! I got the replacement gear for the timer motor today. I put it all back together and ran it through the rinse cycle. Everything worked perfectly. I have it running through the wash cycle now. It's about half way through and working perfectly. I gave it a good wipe down and am making room for it in the kitchen now. We have a very tiny kitchen.

Here are the pictures of it put back together and wiped down a bit. Ignore the kitchen. It's a complete mess with how busy we've been this past week.


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Post# 874863 , Reply# 12   3/29/2016 at 17:18 (2,920 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        
CONGRATULATIONS!

rp2813's profile picture

You've got yourself a rare and beautiful machine, ready to provide sparkling dishes for years to come.

 

And for FREE!  You should be very proud of yourself!


Post# 874874 , Reply# 13   3/29/2016 at 18:22 (2,920 days old) by mepis ()        

Well, I can't say it was free. It cost something like $27 some odd dollars for the gear. Maybe $22? I don't remember. The price from Dave's repair seemed reasonable so I bought the gear.

Anyone know more of the history on this thing? I'm having a hard time finding any more information about it.


Post# 874905 , Reply# 14   3/29/2016 at 21:24 (2,920 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)        

philr's profile picture

It's from 1968-69 (1969 model). Top-of-the-line model top-loading model from Frigidaire. A rare machine!  


Post# 874909 , Reply# 15   3/29/2016 at 22:07 (2,920 days old) by miele_ge (Danbury, Connecticut)        
I am so happy you got it running!

miele_ge's profile picture

That was our first dishwasher (ours was white).  We bought it used from a friend who didn't want to wheel it around - Dad ran plumbing and made it a permanent install and we used it till we redid the kitchen in 1973 or 1974.  

 

I thought it was the neatest machine... if you ever get tired of it, please let us know.  Not sure I could convince my SO of the wisdom of acquiring it, but there are others who would give it a loving home.

 

Happy washing to you!

 

 



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