Thread Number: 7226
Update on the 1947 GE
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Post# 142371   7/14/2006 at 15:33 (6,466 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Well as few of you heard through the grapevine, Roger in Tucson had recently found a 1950 model AW6 GE washer. He offered it to me as a parts machine and it arrived the other day. By 1950 GE had cheapened the AW6 line, removing the recirculation and filtering system as well as the soak cycle and other features, but there was still good parts that I could use to restore the very rare, full-featured 1947 machine. The entire transmission is dead in this parts machine, so something serious is going on inside this drive unit. But most importantly the top is in much better shape so I will be able to use the top and lid to replace the badly rusted top and lid on my ’47 machine.

Here is what I’ve done on the ’47 recently:

#1 Took the controls apart and cleaned them and reinstalled them.
#2 Took both electric pumps out, one was able to be taken apart and saved, the other is rusted through.
#3 Part of the rubber recirculation flume had cracked on the outside of the outer tub, so I cut that section off and replaced it with braided PVC hose
#4 The parts machine doesn’t have a recirculation system, so it only has one electric drain pump, so I took that pump and installed it to replace the rusted through recirculation pump in the ’47.
#5 Took the top and sub-top off of the parts-machine and bolted the white sub-top from the 1947 to the 1950 machine top, its fits perfectly on the 1947 and looks exactly the same, yay!

I gave the machine its first full test, and here are the problems that I am currently addressing:

No spin. So I pulled the timer out and I see that spin contact is worn way down, so I took a contact out of the timer from the parts machine and replaced the spin contact in the ’47 GE and it now spins perfectly.

The electric pump from the parts machine (now the recirculation pump) was slow, loud and then started to smoke. As I suspected when I removed the ground wire from the washer the pump work just fine. This is a big deal. It turns out the electric pump that I took from the parts machine is grounded. That means that the insulation around the copper windings inside the pump motor has worn and is touching the case. This is a dangerous situation and the pump cannot be used like this. It appears that the stator case of the rusted old pump seems to be OK and a quick check of my meter shows that this unit is not grounded, just rusted through. So this weekend I’m going to take the old pump apart and switch the winding case between the grounded pump and the old pump. Hopefully this will solve the problem. I can always use a new electric pump, but I would really like to keep this machine as original as I possibly can.

After that it appears that the water temperature switch is off, it seems to be giving warm water on hot, hot water on medium and no water on warm. Something isn’t right and I need to investigate that as well.

Since I fixed the spin problem last night, I’m going to work on the pump problem tonight and the water temperature switch after that.

I can’t tell you all how much I’m looking forward to doing the premier wash load in this machine. After I determine that the machine is working perfectly, pictures and videos will be following the premier wash load for everyone to join in the fun.

Then I get to take the machine apart once again and get the poor dear painted!





Post# 142375 , Reply# 1   7/14/2006 at 15:36 (6,466 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Robert ... sounds like a busy, fun weekend for you!! Perfect for the "sauna" of a state we're living in right now. :-) Stay inside with the air conditioning going!!

Can't wait to see this machine completed!!


Post# 142378 , Reply# 2   7/14/2006 at 15:42 (6,466 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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Good luck Robert finishing the restoration. It will be great fun to watch that machine run. I'm looking forward to it.

Post# 142383 , Reply# 3   7/14/2006 at 16:08 (6,466 days old) by askomiele (Belgium Ghent)        

Me to, I hope everything will work just fine now.

Post# 142393 , Reply# 4   7/14/2006 at 16:31 (6,466 days old) by bobofhollywood ()        
remove your shorts

removing shorts is always fun along the way..

Neat report, Robert.

You da man.

Holla from Hollywood.

Bob


Post# 142400 , Reply# 5   7/14/2006 at 17:11 (6,466 days old) by hoover1060 ()        
wow I am tired just reading that

You make it all sound so easy Robert! Best of luck getting all that going this weekend.
I have stuff to scan, and a dial a matic to start rebuilding for our Veg!


Post# 142404 , Reply# 6   7/14/2006 at 18:58 (6,466 days old) by westytoploader ()        

Good luck Robert...the excitement is building! That pump situation certainly is strange; I never thought anything like that could happen!

It will also be interesting to open up the other mechanism and see how Rube Goldberg it is! Hopefully it's nothing major so you'll have a functional spare drive unit just in case!

Did the 1950 subtop still have the detergent dispenser?


Post# 142411 , Reply# 7   7/14/2006 at 20:34 (6,466 days old) by cadman (Cedar Falls, IA)        

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Robert, nice sleuthing on the grounded case! I don't think a lot of techs would have caught that until a dead short!

If the parts switcheroo doesn't pan out, have you had any luck with motor rewinders? Seems to me a few years ago I picked up a couple different types of small gauge wire at such shops. Prices seemed reasonable and the one shop had a dozen brass era electric fans up front they had rebuilt for customers. -Cory



Post# 142440 , Reply# 8   7/14/2006 at 22:23 (6,466 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
Did the 1950 subtop still have the detergent dispenser? Hi Austin, yes the 1950 did have the detergent dispenser, but it runs all incoming water through it and its blue speckled, not white like the '47.

Cory, I might consider having the pump motor rewound, but its not cheap. It cost me about $250 to have the Apex Dish-o-Matic motor rewound. It too was grounded.

Everyone, this is important: old motors that have developed a serious internal short (become grounded) are more common than you might think. Its very important the you ground these old machines properly, and its also important to notice whether the machine starts to get nosier or slows down once you have added a ground wire to the machine. This is not a good situation and can be dangerous. I have seen at least six or seven machines now with grounded motors of one sort or another. If you think you have a grounded motor, take the ground wire off and see if the machine runs properly. But do not touch the machine with the ground wire off, turn the power off at the breaker box, switch the machine on, then go back and apply power. Experiment carefully. If the machine only runs properly without the ground wire on, that's a bad sign.

Here are some pictures of the parts machine taken before it left Tucson...


Post# 142441 , Reply# 9   7/14/2006 at 22:23 (6,466 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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#2

Post# 142442 , Reply# 10   7/14/2006 at 22:24 (6,466 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
#3

Post# 142679 , Reply# 11   7/16/2006 at 00:11 (6,465 days old) by mistereric (New Jersey (Taylor Ham))        
saftey first!

mistereric's profile picture
Robert, those are great points! Electricity and water plus age can be a bad mix. Maybe its wise to put a small section permanently on the site with some safety ideas and good practices? (and a disclaimer!)

-Eric


Post# 142886 , Reply# 12   7/16/2006 at 19:50 (6,464 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
Hi Eric, yes actually that's not a bad idea, although a disclaimer unfortunately would be important as well. :(


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