Thread Number: 78556  /  Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
I couldn't say no to these black KMs
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Post# 1025635   2/25/2019 at 19:54 (1,880 days old) by Kafooty06 (washington )        

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I was thumbing through offer up last Sunday and ran across these bad boys guy wanted 200 but I got him down to 175 . I fired them up and they work great !

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Post# 1025639 , Reply# 1   2/25/2019 at 21:07 (1,880 days old) by Washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)        

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Nice find! Very “Darth-Vaderish!” What year? Is the washer a belt-drive?

Post# 1025645 , Reply# 2   2/25/2019 at 21:41 (1,880 days old) by washdaddy (Baltimore)        

that's a great set to own. TOL machines and the washer is a direct drive not a belt drive.

I was fortunate enough to own that washer but in white. That machine is the most versatile machine that you could possibly ask for. Between all the options and variables that the machine offers there isn't anything that you can't get it to do.

Best of luck with your new toys.


Post# 1025674 , Reply# 3   2/26/2019 at 01:45 (1,879 days old) by MattL (Flushing, MI)        

Yeah, good machines.  I've got the Bisque colored set, if I recall bought them in '95 - wow 24 years ago at this point...


Post# 1025675 , Reply# 4   2/26/2019 at 04:40 (1,879 days old) by Kafooty06 (washington )        

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They maybe from the Early 1990s . I had to clean them up they were dirty and of course with black paint they had scuffs and dreaded scratches but they did clean up good I have to admit like these a little better than my belt drive washers

Post# 1025684 , Reply# 5   2/26/2019 at 07:15 (1,879 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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Kafooty06:  They maybe from the Early 1990s .
The serial numbers will reveal the manufacture date, coded for the week and year of production.


Post# 1025692 , Reply# 6   2/26/2019 at 08:37 (1,879 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)        

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the last of the 'Limited' series.....close to if not exact, 1999....as I have a set of these...

preference would go to the 1995 models.....


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Post# 1025705 , Reply# 7   2/26/2019 at 10:53 (1,879 days old) by Kafooty06 (washington )        
Nice

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Mine are identical to yours @yogitunes , I gotine from an appliance repair guy his backyard was full of washers I told him to keep me in the loop if he finds vintage washers as he said he doesn't want belt drives .

Post# 1025746 , Reply# 8   2/26/2019 at 17:43 (1,879 days old) by fan-of-fans (Florida)        

They have the "swoosh" logos on them so have to be late 90s era.

I think I would have trouble passing these up too, especially for $175.


Post# 1025763 , Reply# 9   2/26/2019 at 19:37 (1,879 days old) by Kafooty06 (washington )        
A bargain

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I hear ya fan of fans . I was looking around for something more modern we finally settled for 175 for the set . The black paint was scratched up but I used some cutting compound and buffed them. I did a full load of laundry and they worked perfectly

Post# 1025792 , Reply# 10   2/27/2019 at 01:22 (1,879 days old) by MattL (Flushing, MI)        

My model number is : 110.2695690 serial CG4003522

 

According to appliance 411 it's from September of '97.  Guess I was off a couple of years.



CLICK HERE TO GO TO MattL's LINK

Post# 1025928 , Reply# 11   2/28/2019 at 21:44 (1,877 days old) by Washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)        

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But do these machines allow for much cycle flexibility? I mean, do they hold you hostage with set times and cycles?

Post# 1025932 , Reply# 12   3/1/2019 at 00:39 (1,877 days old) by MattL (Flushing, MI)        

No, you can modify time down, not up, and modify cycles in terms of temp and extra rinse.  I consider the machines very flexible.


Post# 1025943 , Reply# 13   3/1/2019 at 06:01 (1,876 days old) by Kafooty06 (washington )        
Flexible

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Yes the washer and dryer are pretty flexible easier to use than my 1978KM electronic control board Solid state washer that one is limited on the options due to it's age and the way it was made still a good washer.They sure don't make them like these no more sturdy and with a cool Retro look !

Post# 1026310 , Reply# 14   3/5/2019 at 12:12 (1,872 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)        

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there are a few things that the electronics do that a regular timer wont....

if set to HeavyDuty for example....wash speed will only be HIGH if the water level is set above half....lower levels default to lower agitation speeds for better fabric care...


neutral drain periods are matched to the size of load, smaller loads don't require the full 4 minutes for pumpout…

during the PermPress cycle, bleach dispenser is not activated, as thought that bleach would not be used during this cycle....I think they may have changed this as people would pour bleach in during one of these loads, it would not be dispensed, and then on the next load of a Cotton Sturdy cycle, it would...and people would complain that it poured bleach over a colored load....all the more reason to pay attention to the owners manual... as you know, people would not dare blame themselves...

top part of the console will lift to change the bulb or for more usage instructions...

one feature the 1988-89 dryers had was a 'toss to the front' option....it helped unload clothes from the rear of the drum...


Post# 1026330 , Reply# 15   3/5/2019 at 16:04 (1,872 days old) by Washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)        
Toss to the Front?

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I am curious to know how that worked..? I’ve never seen that before.

Post# 1026332 , Reply# 16   3/5/2019 at 16:14 (1,872 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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I'd forgotten about the toss to the front feature.  


Post# 1026333 , Reply# 17   3/5/2019 at 16:22 (1,872 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        
Toss to the front

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One of those little features that puts Kenmore a notch above the competition so they can tout to be the best.


Post# 1026344 , Reply# 18   3/5/2019 at 17:45 (1,872 days old) by Washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)        
Toss to the Front...

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But how does it work?

Post# 1026347 , Reply# 19   3/5/2019 at 18:21 (1,872 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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As I recall from previous discussion of the feature ... there's a (toggle?) switch on the console that runs the motor to rotate the drum.


Post# 1026358 , Reply# 20   3/5/2019 at 21:10 (1,872 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Toss To The Front

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I never knew this interesting feature had a name, As Martin mentioned it was only on this TOL KM dryer for about two years.

 

When you opened the hamper door there were two little buttons on the left and right sides of the recessed door area near the top of the opening, to use the feature you pushed both buttons at the same time using both hands, when you did this the motor started just till the centrifugal switch in the motor tripped then everything stopped.

 

The effect was that the load of clothing in the drum turned over about once, this helped you find one item in a load or if the drum had been 1/2 unloaded it helped bring the clothing toward the front of the drum.

 

The reason you had to use both hands to operate this feature was so you could not have one hand in the drum when it turned over, this feature automatically bypassed the door switch.

 

This was another great example the creative engineering at Whirlpools laundry development center, WP engineers would come up with new ideas and if Sears wanted to pay the development and engineering costs WP would offer it to Sears for a certain period of time. Sometimes Sears would not bite or WP just kept the idea for themselves like WPs Easy-Clean 100 dryers where the lint was separated out of the exhaust stream with out a restrictive lint filter screen to slow down air flow and allowed the used to dry up to 100 loads without emptying a lint filter.

 

John L.


Post# 1026360 , Reply# 21   3/5/2019 at 21:37 (1,872 days old) by Washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)        
Thank You John L!

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Never heard of such a feature before and now you’ve got me curious about WP Easy-Clean dryers! Never saw that, either. I think this should have gone to a new thread now that I’ve derailed the Black KM conversation..!

Post# 1026363 , Reply# 22   3/5/2019 at 21:49 (1,872 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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Oh, yeah ... the switch(es) were at the door, not on the console.

My (deceased) boss from a previous job and his wife have a WP dryer with the EasyClean 100 filter.  Only time I've seen one.  The latch on the cover is broken.  He mentioned "we clean it after every load" so they don't understand the concept.  I explained but don't know if they (she) changed the habit.



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