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Thread Number: 7838
RIck's Unimatic |
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| Post# 151426 8/29/2006 at 21:33 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151429 , Reply# 1 8/29/2006 at 21:35 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Post# 151430 , Reply# 2 8/29/2006 at 21:35 (6,446 days old) by unimatic1140  (Minneapolis) |
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| Post# 151433 , Reply# 3 8/29/2006 at 21:46 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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It also had a big dent in the front, but I was able to fix it, and the dent can no longer be noticed. Also found two penny coins lodged in the hose from the tub to pump, which blocked the flow off. As I water tested the machine I wondered why there was not much water coming out. After spinning out a few tub fulls, I had the first 1957 Unimatic Sud-saver!! NOT!! I thought at first the pump might be defective, however as after removing the hoses, I found the blocked port. (and lots of water!) I was told that if these machines work, one is not to do anything much else to them. So other than hose replacements,a new three wire cord, cleaning/polishing and putting the machine back together, that is about all I have done to it. This machine runs very quiet, and sounds fine. So I must have lucked out with this baby. 
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| Post# 151434 , Reply# 4 8/29/2006 at 21:49 (6,446 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
What a find!!! | ||
| Post# 151435 , Reply# 5 8/29/2006 at 21:50 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151436 , Reply# 6 8/29/2006 at 21:51 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Post# 151437 , Reply# 7 8/29/2006 at 21:52 (6,446 days old) by peteski50 (New York) |
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Unimatic | ||
| Post# 151438 , Reply# 8 8/29/2006 at 21:53 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151440 , Reply# 9 8/29/2006 at 21:54 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151441 , Reply# 10 8/29/2006 at 21:55 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151442 , Reply# 11 8/29/2006 at 21:56 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151443 , Reply# 12 8/29/2006 at 21:58 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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1140 in my basement!! | ||
| Post# 151444 , Reply# 13 8/29/2006 at 22:00 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151445 , Reply# 14 8/29/2006 at 22:02 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151446 , Reply# 15 8/29/2006 at 22:05 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Post# 151447 , Reply# 16 8/29/2006 at 22:06 (6,446 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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Its Just Beautiful, I'm so happy for you! | ||
| Post# 151448 , Reply# 17 8/29/2006 at 22:06 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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| Post# 151450 , Reply# 18 8/29/2006 at 22:11 (6,446 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Post# 151463 , Reply# 19 8/29/2006 at 22:32 (6,446 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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Post# 151474 , Reply# 20 8/29/2006 at 23:34 (6,446 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 151476 , Reply# 21 8/30/2006 at 00:04 (6,446 days old) by dalangdon (Seattle, WA) |
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What a beautiful machine! I am much more of a range man myself, but if I were to have a vintage washer, it would be one of these machines. Quite apart from the mechanism, there is just something so elegant about them. They're the Audrey Hepburn of washing machines :-) | ||
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Post# 151478 , Reply# 22 8/30/2006 at 00:12 (6,446 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon) |
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Absolutely Fabulous! | ||
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Post# 151485 , Reply# 23 8/30/2006 at 02:16 (6,446 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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| Post# 151492 , Reply# 24 8/30/2006 at 04:37 (6,446 days old) by sheerlookhomes (U.K.) | ||
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Beautiful! Hi there Rick, thanks for sharing the really great photos of your beautiful machine and lovely shining collection too! Thanks, Denis | ||
| Post# 151497 , Reply# 25 8/30/2006 at 05:35 (6,446 days old) by drmitch () | ||
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Wow! great find buddy! | ||
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Post# 151501 , Reply# 26 8/30/2006 at 06:33 (6,446 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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| Post# 151505 , Reply# 27 8/30/2006 at 07:24 (6,445 days old) by hoover1060 () | ||
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OOOOOHHH!! I love unimatics, they are one of my favorites! | ||
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Post# 151506 , Reply# 28 8/30/2006 at 07:28 (6,445 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Post# 151509 , Reply# 29 8/30/2006 at 07:36 (6,445 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
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Congratulations, Rick! Were you sort of surprised by the way the water valves mix warm water? Beautimous machine. Tom | ||
| Post# 151510 , Reply# 30 8/30/2006 at 07:44 (6,445 days old) by westyslantfront () | ||
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Hi Rick. Great looking machine. I enjoyed all the pictures. Ross | ||
| Post# 151517 , Reply# 31 8/30/2006 at 08:07 (6,445 days old) by dick_s. () | ||
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Congratulations Rick on your fabulous find. It's not only stunning-it's a knockout! Dick | ||
| Post# 151526 , Reply# 32 8/30/2006 at 09:14 (6,445 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Thanks you guys!! One of my local friends said that this machine reminds him of "The Jetsons" cartoons of the early 1960's. Another friend said it looked like a dishwasher, because of the front panel that sticks out about an inch on the 57 Control Tower models. I explained "The Shear look" to them but I don't think they got the concept very well, as I got that sort of blank look from both of the friends. One was interested enough in the machine that the next times he came over he brought a load of dirty towels with him though. <: | ||
| Post# 151530 , Reply# 33 8/30/2006 at 09:23 (6,445 days old) by filterflo (Chicago Area) | ||
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Wonderful looking washer Rick, you did a great job on it. The most facinating design from the 50's.........I have a mint matching Filtrator dryer and am hoping to find a washer someday......... | ||
| Post# 151546 , Reply# 34 8/30/2006 at 10:08 (6,445 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
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| Post# 151553 , Reply# 35 8/30/2006 at 11:09 (6,445 days old) by veg-o-matic (Baltimore, Hon!) | ||
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| Post# 151562 , Reply# 36 8/30/2006 at 12:00 (6,445 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Thanks! Ok, now for the questions... 1)This is the first timed fill machine that I have had. The machine fills and the water still runs in for a few minutes before the motor starts. The excess water drains into the outer tub. Do not have a problem with that, however.... It leaks slightly down the outside of the outer tub, from the fill flume area. Just dribbles. I should add the fact that the top of this machine was not attached when I got it. The machine rode halfway across the country with the top loose. The fill flume "channel" was brokenin half because of this. I did repair it with epoxy glue, then reinforced it with sheet metal. It looks ok, and is stronger than original. Could this still be the reason for the dribbling water down the back? If I shut the water flow somewhat, the dribble down the back of the machine does stop. 2) Speaking of the back of the machine, and outer tub.... There is a brace missing from the back, which attaches to the outer tub. It would be hard to reproduce this brace. Does anyone have an extra they want to sell me, and/or is the brace really needed anyway? 3) The timer housing is slightly loose at the top of the post. It shakes some during the spin cycle, which cannot be good for the timer/bulbs. I took the back off and looked, tried to tighten it by turning a screw, however am afraid I may tighten the wrong thing,and break the glass dial. Any ideas on this one? 4) Is the pump/motor assembly to attach to the bottom brace, or just "float" on the brace? I can slide the unit across the brace, and wonder if this is correct, or if a fastener of some type may be missing. It sounds metal to metal as I slide the unit back and forth, and does not seem right to me. Also the inner tub seems to go off centre slightly after the spin cycle has finished. Thanks for your answers in advance guys! Warning: I may think of more questions... lol!! | ||
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Post# 151574 , Reply# 37 8/30/2006 at 12:50 (6,445 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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Rick, it sounds like the tub is over-filling. Did you do anything with the water valve when you were restoring this machine? You may have to put a small ball-valve in the hose line to the fill flume to slow the pressure down. The tub should just fill to about an inch below the rim and then start to agitate. This could also be the cause of your dribbling down the back, the fill flume is designed to take only so much pressure and excess can spill out the back of the flume and down the back of the machine. The back cover was missing on my WI-57 too, it might provide a bit more stability for the machine, but mine ran just fine without it. The timer "box" being loose is a common problem. There are a couple of screws on the underside of the box you can try to tighten and then the front frame that holds the glass is attached from the inside. You may have to remove the timer and glass to shim these parts a little - just remember to remove the timer pointer/dial first! The bottom of the pump has a shiny metal plate or cover that acts as part of the snubber assembly. If you tip the machine on it's left side (so oil won't run out) and support the mechanism with a 1 gallon paint can, you can remove the crossbrace from the machine, clean the pump cover-plate and also the snubber cup that you will find mounted on a spring on the crossbrace itself. These parts should be clean and dry to allow the tub to move as it's starting to spin. Rough, shaky and/or excessive vibration can all eminate from these parts being dirty and gummed up with grease/oil, etc. Use fine steel wool or very fine emery paper to clean the plate with - rubbing in a figure eight pattern until it's smooth and clean again. Hope this helps! | ||
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Post# 151575 , Reply# 38 8/30/2006 at 13:23 (6,445 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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Hi Rick, #1 I agree with Greg, it sounds like the problem is the water flow restrictor inside the water valve is bad and is allowing too much water pressure spray into fill into the flume. Its probably backing up as it is not meant to take that much pressure. Did you change the water valve to a new one? Solid basket washers need flow resistors inside the valves to compensate for different house water pressures. The Frigidaire valve is supposed to be set to add 2.5 gallons of water to the wash tub per minute of fill. The proper fill is for the wash is for the tub to fill completely up to rim and overflow for 10 to 15 seconds before wash begins and just about an inch below the rim for the rinse fill. As Greg stated you might have to add a flow restrictor on the small hose that goes from the water valve to the fill flume. #2 Rick are you referring the lower back panel of the machine, or are you referring to one of the four braces that attaches from the very bottom of the outer tub to the side of the washer cabinet? For best stability you need all the braces and the back panel installed, but you can run it without. You can make a back panel out of sheet metal if necessary. #3 The bottom of the pump/motor/tranny assembly (called the Unimatic mechanism) is just floating on a spring loaded snubber plate. As Greg suggested lay the machine on its left side, remove the cross brace and clean both the snubber plate and bottom pump plate with a good strong grease remover. Then I like to use sandpaper and rough up both surfaces and then clean once again with the grease remover. | ||
| Post# 151618 , Reply# 40 8/30/2006 at 16:30 (6,445 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Thanks guys!! Since this coming weekend is a long one anyway, I should have a chance to try these Unimatic Tech Tips. Did not try to rebuild the water valve on this machine, although I always replaced the rubber disks on the Tag, and "Pools" that I have restored. The bracket to the cabinet and water valve was loose, so someone was in there. So perhaps they lost one of the parts. Does the ball valve to restrict water flow fit after the valve then? And where do I find one of these? The brace is missing on the rear of the machine, at about the centre. It braces the cabinet to the back of the outer tub. Will try the tips to tighten the control panel also. May wait until I move this machine for the snubber issue. This machine does not belong at Kenmore Korner. It is only a temporary spot for now. Should be able to do the snubber repair within a month or so. Can't wait to show you guys what really belongs in this spot. (if the cabinet ever gets painted) lol!! | ||
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Post# 151642 , Reply# 41 8/30/2006 at 20:25 (6,445 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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| Post# 151646 , Reply# 42 8/30/2006 at 20:48 (6,445 days old) by cybrvanr () | ||
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What a great machine there! I love the control tower machines...so cool looking. I want to start my washer collection by finding a good deal on one that needs restoring...it does sort of look like a dishwasher with the chrome edge around the front panel | ||
| Post# 151652 , Reply# 43 8/30/2006 at 21:17 (6,445 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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*blush* awe shucks Bob... Thank you! <: BTW: You really do need to find one of these Unimatics for your Texas sized Bobloads. Towels seem to be it's specialty..... One can pack this sucker full of a weeks supply of dirty towels and washcloths and this baby just "goes to town" And spins the towels so dry, it takes about 15 minutes to dry the whole load. ( in the Whirlpool h.o. dryer) When using my other washing machines it will take 25-30 minutes to dry the same amount of towels in the WP dryer. | ||
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Post# 151660 , Reply# 44 8/30/2006 at 22:13 (6,445 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Rick, that sure would be a dream come true for me. My Godfather's wife had a Wo65-2, a WCI65, and a 1/18 of some age. I remember doing white loads in the first two when I was anywhere form 8-12 years old. They were always full (cuz of the lady of the house), so I was trained well in Unimatic and Rollermatic proper loading.
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| Post# 152209 , Reply# 45 9/3/2006 at 23:17 (6,441 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Unimatic update
Just to let you guys know, I followed the instructions and got the timer box tightened Friday night. Tonight I had some extra time, so I went ahead and pulled the machine into the basement rec room, and removed the crossmember and snubber. Cleaned all parts up, sanded and cleaned again, per Robert and Gregs instructions and put back together. Also found that some of the screws that fasten the outer tub brackets to the cabinet,and to the tub were slightly loose. WOW!! What a change this all made! The machine is now so vibration free on spin, it could have glass of water on the top without any ripples. I did some dirty rags and old towels after I had finished, the machine works so much better now. I just LOVE it! I have to find the flow restrictor for the fill flume yet, so I just turn the water valves down before starting the machine. Thanks for the Unimatic Tech Tips guys! | ||
| Post# 152218 , Reply# 46 9/4/2006 at 00:05 (6,441 days old) by alr2903 (TN) | ||
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rickr I always speak well of your posts, you do very NICE restoration work. arthur. | ||
| Post# 152665 , Reply# 47 9/5/2006 at 20:33 (6,439 days old) by bethann (Indianapolis) | ||
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Wow Rick! She looks lovely, can't wait to get up there and take her for a spin! | ||
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