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Thread Number: 84415
/ Tag: Vintage Dishwashers
1962 PINK GE SD402 |
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Post# 1088047 9/5/2020 at 16:58 (1,329 days old) by spacepig  (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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I ended up getting another vintage dishwasher this week--this time a pink one, and this is the one that I would prefer to have in the house. However, it looks like the bottom was cut, and judging from a picture from the owner's manual, I'm missing a water supply valve and it doesn't have a traditional power cord. Any ideas on what to do about this?
As for the pictures, I have some before and afters, and shots from underneath. It had a little plastic bag with some stuff inside that I was told was for the dw, but the bag has "range hood" written on it, so that might have been put in the dw by mistake. There are two metal pieces and several screw looking items. Does anyone recognize those items? | ||
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Post# 1088049 , Reply# 1 9/5/2020 at 17:05 (1,329 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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| Post# 1088055 , Reply# 2 9/5/2020 at 17:44 (1,329 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas) | ||
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Post# 1088061 , Reply# 3 9/5/2020 at 18:25 (1,329 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL) |
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Post# 1088078 , Reply# 4 9/5/2020 at 21:21 (1,329 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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1962 GE Drop Door DW Wow this is the first of its kind for GE.
It hooks up like any other US DW, you can attach a power cord if you like but it is always better [ safer and more reliable] to wire in appliances that draw lots of power directly to your homes power supply.
While a very cool DW I dough it would make a great daily driver, first of all these were pretty lousy performing DWs, 2nd parts are long gone and these DWs had fairly short life spans which is why in spite of GE being one of the largest builders of DWs in the 60s that so few of these DWs have survived.
John L. | ||
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Post# 1088152 , Reply# 5 9/6/2020 at 15:00 (1,328 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut) |
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Aferim! Very nice! Still has the solenoid-controlled Rinse Agent dispenser which wouldn't be used again for many years. I remember seeing this model at Bombaci's Gas Station/Appliance Store in Centerbrook CT and noticing those lenticular buttons. We, of course, bought the BOL model because my Mother had decided that she would never spend money on a dishwasher with more than one cycle again. Looks like the originals owners of this machine got a replacement upper rack, likely provided by their old-fashioned neighborhood GE appliance dealer who wanted to keep them as good customers.
Can't speak to how good a cleaner it was because Momma hand-washed everything that went into a dishwasher. Wasn't as loud as the later machines with the clown-shoe wash arm.
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This post was last edited 09/06/2020 at 15:21 | ||
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Post# 1088158 , Reply# 6 9/6/2020 at 15:58 (1,328 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR) |
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That machine is stunning! | ||
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Post# 1088296 , Reply# 7 9/7/2020 at 13:09 (1,327 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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Thanks guys for all the positive comments. I'm a bit bummed to learn that I may have bought a dud of a dishwasher model. John does bring up a good point as to why it's hard to find DWs of this timeframe, but oh well, I'm kind of stuck with it now. I am disappointed in the size of the interior as it is even smaller than the '70's Whirlpool I had, so I guess there were improvements made 10 years later.
Ken, right now I have a newer dishwasher, and I pretty much have to rinse off everything that goes in it, as it just doesn't clean otherwise. And I'm not talking stuff that is caked on or sat for a while. So, I'm already in the habit of that if that's how it needs to be. Thanks also for the sketch--that is exactly what it looks like! Ralph, I laughed at your comment--I think it will look fabulous, too. My cabinets are white and other appliances are turquoise, but I do think I"m going to keep the pink for a while vs. painting it. Jeannine | ||
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Post# 1088448 , Reply# 8 9/8/2020 at 10:04 (1,326 days old) by turquoisedude (.) |
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 Congratulations on this latest find, Jeannine! Dumb question - do you have the 3rd-level 'power shower' on this one? I've got a less-fancy SD203 (a late-run 1963 model) which does not have it.
This one seems to be in really good shape - I'd be tempted to install it and at least test-drive it for a while (says the person who HAS one and still hasn't installed it... LOL)
Parts may indeed be an issue, but I culled a few NOS parts from Hans at Appliances Unlimited over the years in case you do ever need something.
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Post# 1088530 , Reply# 9 9/8/2020 at 20:58 (1,326 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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Paul,
I'm not sure what you mean by 3rd level. I've attached a snippet from the brochure--is that what you are referring to?
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Post# 1088550 , Reply# 10 9/8/2020 at 22:58 (1,325 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Power Shower Washing Down | ||
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Post# 1109989 , Reply# 11 3/2/2021 at 07:33 (1,151 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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Well, we finally got the dishwasher tested and it worked perfectly--no leaks!! However, we installed it this weekend and of course it started to leak where the drain hose connects to the front (I'm guessing the proper term is "pump outlet" per the picture. We thought it might have been the hose, so we replaced it with another but still leaking. We tried an third time and leaks continued so we gave up and put the crappy newer one back in. We think it may be leaking from inside where the pump outlet joins and that we may have moved it around too much when attaching the hose so broke the seal. Very disappointed as it was going to look so nice :(
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Post# 1109990 , Reply# 12 3/2/2021 at 07:55 (1,151 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL) |
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Jeannine | ||
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Post# 1109992 , Reply# 13 3/2/2021 at 08:35 (1,151 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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Lawrence, | ||
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Post# 1109996 , Reply# 14 3/2/2021 at 09:35 (1,151 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Leaking 1962 GE DW If the SS drain tube is slightly loose it is broken loose from the drain pump housing, it is a very involved repair.
GE only made this style DW with this motor and pump from around1962-1965, they were terrable performing DWs.
The turquoise model that Lawrence posted is the next generation GE DW and is completely different machine, the good news the newer one is a better performer and is more repairable, but it still not a great choice for everyday use at 50 years or age.
John L. | ||
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Post# 1110306 , Reply# 15 3/5/2021 at 17:42 (1,148 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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John, | ||
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Post# 1110355 , Reply# 16 3/6/2021 at 02:13 (1,147 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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beautiful Candy Pink If it were me I'd harvest the door (minus the protruding hinges if there is any) and the access panel, screw the two together permanently (properly spaced) and hang the pair as art.
Maybe even use them as a front for a base cabinet door or even a decent newer dishwasher.
Ditch the rest of the useless carcass in the scrap metal bin where it belongs. Why clutter up one's home with the bulk?
It would be cool if the panel lit up some how. Just a nice glow.
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Post# 1110356 , Reply# 17 3/6/2021 at 02:19 (1,147 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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You can't beat how quiet and efficient this is but pretty it is not.
It looks like a friggin chalk board before class begins.
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Post# 1110357 , Reply# 18 3/6/2021 at 02:20 (1,147 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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Pop this on the front and with the Bosch controls on the top of the door, it's quite easy.
A couple of screws to hold it in place. done. Maybe need to adjust the springs or get rid of useless metal weight on either door.
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Post# 1110367 , Reply# 19 3/6/2021 at 07:29 (1,147 days old) by reactor (Oak Ridge, Tennessee-- ) |
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don't give up...
If you have now pulled the dishwasher out, I would run it in the garage or other open space area where you can get a 360 degree view and ascertain where the actual leak is emanating.
If it is the stainless drain tube that has loosed from the pump house, you might find that sometimes the simplest repair methods are the best. I would try a strong epoxy, such J-B Weld epoxy. It's waterproof, steel reinforced, and will give you a stronger joint that the original factory joint. Trust me, with JB Weld, that joint will never flex again. Is it only leaking during the drain portion of the cycle? That is such a nice machine, I hate for you not to enjoy it. My Aunt in Boca Raton, FL had that exact same unit (only not pink, but white) that was new to her house when it was built in 1962. I visited her in 1977 and her GE dishwasher was going strong and doing a nice job. She finally replaced it, around the early eighties when a hole rusted through the bottom of the tub. So it lasted for nearly twenty years. I loaded it once when I was down there and everything came out nice and clean. | ||
| Post# 1110390 , Reply# 20 3/6/2021 at 11:56 (1,147 days old) by sprog (Boston) | ||
Don't give up (2) | ||
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Post# 1110524 , Reply# 21 3/7/2021 at 18:46 (1,146 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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Thanks guys,
That makes me feel a little better. Fingers crossed that the tube would just need to be stabilized. I think it was just more disappointing since it passed the test run outside with flying colors so I wasn't expecting any problems.
It started leaking almost immediately. You could hear the water coming in and in just a few seconds it started to leak out of that area. The newer Whirlpool dw we got has the controls at the top as I didn't like the way any of the ones with the panel looked. If I were to add the GE front to it, it would block the heat vent, although I have no idea how much actually comes out of there. I've attached a pic of what the newer Whirlpool looks like, although that's not my actual dw.
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Post# 1110534 , Reply# 22 3/7/2021 at 20:55 (1,146 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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That WP looks beat up. Like someone moved it with a dolly and bent the front in.
But it wouldn't matter if one was going to put an old front on it. I think what I would do is remove that panel, remove the obnoxious handle, cut out the center of the panel( to make it easy to attach the other pieces and eliminate weight) leaving about 3 to 4" on all edges for rigidity. Then take only the old DW exterior panels and fasten them to this frame that way one's only adding about an inch in depth and not much in weight. I'm sure that vent hole can be maneuvered somehow. I think I would actually get the push button switches to do something. One to be a main power for the dw and the other to turn on the panel light. Nothing too difficult. Then re-install the panel.
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Post# 1110535 , Reply# 23 3/7/2021 at 20:57 (1,146 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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If people are actually doing this,
We can certainly spruce things up and make it actually nice.
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| Post# 1110909 , Reply# 24 3/10/2021 at 22:26 (1,142 days old) by rollermatic (cincinnati) | ||
beautiful machine
i just love those g.e. dishwashers that use the vertical pump. i have 4 top loaders, and one front loader, all in various forms of assembly. 3 of my top loaders i use frequently, they're not the best but i find them such fun to use. the front loader i have never used yet, pump and motor are being safely stored.
it would be such a shame to see yours get thrown out. i would think someone could use the motor or other parts if nothing else. if i was closer to you i would love to buy it. i did see a wash impeller on ebay last summer, i should have bought it. pump seals i have yet to find anymore, i bought one of the last one's about 10 years ago from larry in parma at modern parts. at least i was able to rebuild one of my machines. i was told that the machines using that metal pump housing were notorious for breaking at the hose port. i know some g.e's used a plastic pump housing, one or two of mine does. i would assume this was a later fix. there may be a pump housing around somewhere for your machine. if so, and if the pump seal is still good and you can get the wash impeller off without breaking it there is a chance your machine could run again. i search ebay a lot for vintage parts, i will keep my eyes open for it. all in all a classic 60's g.e. dishwasher that begs to be fixed! | ||
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Post# 1125655 , Reply# 25 8/12/2021 at 18:15 (988 days old) by spacepig (Floridas Emerald Coast) |
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The pink dw saga continues
As a refresher, the '62 pink GE dw was leaking around one of the stainless tubes shown in the pictures in previous comments above. We didn't feel comfortable taking it apart at all, so I found someone who was willing to look at it. He said it turns out that the tube looked "punched" in, so that it wasn't that secure to begin with. So, it was more unseated from where it was attached vs. broken off. He used some type of epoxy resin and put that around both of the tubes so they should now be very stable.
Now for the stupid questions: He began to fill the DW to test the gaskets/seal w/o the dw running. Water started to pour out from the bottom, not the motor area but more from the area closer to the door (I wasn't there, just saw a video). So, is this normal since the dw was not on so therefore it could not pump some of the water out? If so, theoretically, what would happen if the electricity went out while the dw was filling up? Or could this be due to a bad fill valve?? I don't think I can upload the video so I can try and take a screenshot if that would help. | ||
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