Looking for someone that can repair my Frigidaire Custom Imperial washer

First off, congrats on recently coming across a 1966 Custom Imperial set. These don't pop up, often.

Bummer though to hear that you're having issues with it. By chance did you try to run it through spin before hooking it up to water? Did it get up to speed at all?

If the washer had sat for any major length after running fine it sadly isn't surprising you're running into issues. Out of all of the solid tub Frigidaire washers the 1965 - 1966 Rapid Dry Impact Clutch Rollermatic mechanism is one of the more complicated Frigidaire designs and is not for the faint of heart or at least should be looked at by someone who is comfortable working on all things mechanical.

Some thoughts and questions -----

If the washer just suddenly stopped working, did it blow the breaker in the home panel? If not that is a good sign that a dead short did not occur out of thin air.

If not, did the motor protector pop out? If you had the fluorescent light on, did that also turn off?

Could you smell anything electrical burning at all?

Did you see any water leaking at all?

Unless there was some serious arching in the timer I doubt that it has gone bad. More than likely the culprit is one of two things, or a combination.

Number 1:
The original start capacitor on all of these 1960's Frigidaire washers are pushing 50-60 years old, and if this was the first time it had gone into spin in decades with a full tub of water and the capacitor was already going weak before hand, the cap may be done. Inside the original cap for this washer is a dual capacitor with two sections: one is an 80-100 MFD cap (red wire) and the other is a 124-149 MFD (orange wire). The 80-100 side is used for the low speed with the speed solenoid energized, and the 124-149 side is used for the high speed with the solenoid released. Tell tales that the cap is going bad is white powder inside the cap where the terminals are located. Even if it appears good it is time to replace the single Delco cap with two separate capacitors wired to the switch, respectively as mentioned to the colors above.

Number 2:
The next culprit on these is the motors. If the motor has seen a lot of abuse and/or run for quite some time with a weak or bad capacitor, it is possible that the windings have started to go bad and may even have blown open during the attempt to spin. These Impact Clutch Rollermatics need to have good capacitor if that motor is going to have any chance at surviving. If you're handy with a multimeter it is possible to test the health of the motor windings with the mechanism installed (see the chart below). The tab on top of the motor start switch may be tricky to get to for the last reading.

If everything checks out, try to rotate the motor by driving the agitate wheel in either direction with your hand. If you hear any funny noises coming from inside the motor it is possible the weights on the centrifugal motor switch governor have flipped around, which can cause a furry of issues. To fix this it would require completely dismantling the washer to remove the mechanism, and then taking the mechanism support off the mechanism, and popping the top cover off the motor. Take great care to label each wire on the start switch as you remove it with the corresponding number stamped on the bottom of the start switch. One issue that can pop up regarding the governor weights is it can knock the lever arm of the start switch and destroy the switch. Hopefully this hasn't happened. Frigidaire also recommends taking the time to ensure the all the wires are free from the rotor when the switch is replaced and suggests using a small instrument like a dental pick to help move them to a safe location.

Unfortunately it isn't as easy as finding a replacement motor and swapping it for the original. The motor on all 1964 - 1969 Rollermatic mechanisms is integral to the whole assembly and if the full motor assembly is to be replaced the whole mechanism will need to be torn apart, which begins with pulling the pump and getting the pump impeller off the motor shaft. And each mechanism type uses a specific motor, and for your application the C-2464 is specific to the 65/66 Impact Clutch Rapid Dry mechanism due to different mounting reliefs on the bottom side of the motor for the rollers compared to the non Rapid Dry Impact Clutch and Sure Spin Clutch versions.

Keep us posted on what you find,

Ben

Photos... < > Photo 1 of 3 View Full Size


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Post# 1133787 11/17/2021 at 14:59 (883 days old) by Denny (Gloversville, New York)
Checkrate/Likes I just bought a 1966 Frigidaire custom Imperial washer. It worked for half a wash cycle...went into spin and the washer just shut off. I called a repair guy. He found it to be the timer and the motor seized up or burnt out one or the other but said the motor was no good. I found a place in Canada to repair the timer. I know there are places out there that can rebuild a motor. He didn't know how to get the timer out or the motor out. I don't have any repair guys around my area that know how to service an old washer. In fact the guy never saw a Frigidaire washer before. Is there anyone out there that can fix this washer? I can ship it to who ever can.

Post# 1133816 , Reply# 1 11/17/2021 at 18:12 (883 days old) by cfz2882 (Belle Fourche,SD)
Checkrate/Likes hard to say what is actually wrong with the washer without checking each component in the circuit.The symptom of the motor stopping at beginning of spin cycle might be a bad motor overload protector.Waiting for Rollermatic specialists to chme in :)

Post# 1133831 , Reply# 2 11/17/2021 at 19:52 (883 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Finding someone competent to fix something this old is going to be a challenge. It's difficult just finding someone competent to fix the new crap they sell. You may have to get used to the idea that it's a decorative furniture piece. Which is fine. View Full Size

Post# 1133834 , Reply# 3 11/17/2021 at 20:32 (883 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)
Checkrate/Likes 4 *Rollermatic Woes* First off, congrats on recently coming across a 1966 Custom Imperial set. These don't pop up, often. Bummer though to hear that you're having issues with it. By chance did you try to run it through spin before hooking it up to water? Did it get up to speed at all? If the washer had sat for any major length after running fine it sadly isn't surprising you're running into issues. Out of all of the solid tub Frigidaire washers the 1965 - 1966 Rapid Dry Impact Clutch Rollermatic mechanism is one of the more complicated Frigidaire designs and is not for the faint of heart or at least should be looked at by someone who is comfortable working on all things mechanical. Some thoughts and questions ----- If the washer just suddenly stopped working, did it blow the breaker in the home panel? If not that is a good sign that a dead short did not occur out of thin air. If not, did the motor protector pop out? If you had the fluorescent light on, did that also turn off? Could you smell anything electrical burning at all? Did you see any water leaking at all? Unless there was some serious arching in the timer I doubt that it has gone bad. More than likely the culprit is one of two things, or a combination. Number 1: The original start capacitor on all of these 1960's Frigidaire washers are pushing 50-60 years old, and if this was the first time it had gone into spin in decades with a full tub of water and the capacitor was already going weak before hand, the cap may be done. Inside the original cap for this washer is a dual capacitor with two sections: one is an 80-100 MFD cap (red wire) and the other is a 124-149 MFD (orange wire). The 80-100 side is used for the low speed with the speed solenoid energized, and the 124-149 side is used for the high speed with the solenoid released. Tell tales that the cap is going bad is white powder inside the cap where the terminals are located. Even if it appears good it is time to replace the single Delco cap with two separate capacitors wired to the switch, respectively as mentioned to the colors above. Number 2: The next culprit on these is the motors. If the motor has seen a lot of abuse and/or run for quite some time with a weak or bad capacitor, it is possible that the windings have started to go bad and may even have blown open during the attempt to spin. These Impact Clutch Rollermatics need to have good capacitor if that motor is going to have any chance at surviving. If you're handy with a multimeter it is possible to test the health of the motor windings with the mechanism installed (see the chart below). The tab on top of the motor start switch may be tricky to get to for the last reading. If everything checks out, try to rotate the motor by driving the agitate wheel in either direction with your hand. If you hear any funny noises coming from inside the motor it is possible the weights on the centrifugal motor switch governor have flipped around, which can cause a furry of issues. To fix this it would require completely dismantling the washer to remove the mechanism, and then taking the mechanism support off the mechanism, and popping the top cover off the motor. Take great care to label each wire on the start switch as you remove it with the corresponding number stamped on the bottom of the start switch. One issue that can pop up regarding the governor weights is it can knock the lever arm of the start switch and destroy the switch. Hopefully this hasn't happened. Frigidaire also recommends taking the time to ensure the all the wires are free from the rotor when the switch is replaced and suggests using a small instrument like a dental pick to help move them to a safe location. Unfortunately it isn't as easy as finding a replacement motor and swapping it for the original. The motor on all 1964 - 1969 Rollermatic mechanisms is integral to the whole assembly and if the full motor assembly is to be replaced the whole mechanism will need to be torn apart, which begins with pulling the pump and getting the pump impeller off the motor shaft. And each mechanism type uses a specific motor, and for your application the C-2464 is specific to the 65/66 Impact Clutch Rapid Dry mechanism due to different mounting reliefs on the bottom side of the motor for the rollers compared to the non Rapid Dry Impact Clutch and Sure Spin Clutch versions. Keep us posted on what you find, Ben Photos... < > Photo 1 of 3 View Full Size This post was last edited 11/17/2021 at 21:50