Back during the age of lockdowns and border closures, I still managed to find some interesting vintage appliances... like this what I guess to be early 60s Waste King dishwasher.

Long story short, it was found, shipped to a friend's place in Ohio, then I finally picked it up last fall.  Today, I finally got around to inspecting and trying it.  I move a LOT slower than I used to (arthritis sucks...)

But the good news is the dishwasher started right up!!

Timer advances, pump motor started up and runs surprisingly quietly and the fill and drain solenoids seem to still work!

The lighted Waste king Universal badge is very cool!

Does anyone have a service manual or parts list for this model?

Someone did some electrical jiggery-pokery at some point, disconnecting the heater unit and jumpering the wires that would have gone to the thermostat.   My theory is that the machine was intended to run the main wash cycle for as long as it took to get the wash water to a specific temperature.  The thermostat tested open, so I guess the dishwasher had an infinite wash with near-boiling water.   But why the heater unit was disconnected is a mystery.  My best guess is that someone was very energy-concious and wanted to air-dry at all times.

Any suggestions about a replacement thermostat are welcome.

Paul, I am so excited to see you working on this one.  I can't wait to see it in action.  

I found a copy of a users manual for this dishwasher (a scan from a fellow collector) and was hoping to find out a little more about the cycling operation of this machine.   The question in my head was how the heater unit was powered with a jumpered connection to the thermostat. 

I used a C9 light socket hooked up to the heater circuit and observed that the circuit was being cycled by the timer.  During the wash period and during a pause in the 2nd rinse, I observed that power was feeding to the heater connections.  There was a brief pause in the 2nd rinse where the heater circuit was 'on' - this is where I figure the thermostat took over and kept the timer paused until the desired water temperature had been reached. 

During the dry phase of the cycle, I had read in the manual that the drying temperature was 'controlled'.  What I observed was that the timer was cycling current on and off to the heater.  And I had the crap scared out of me when the drain solenoid snapped open with a savage clunk.... LOL   The pump kicked in a moment later, no doubt to drain out any accumulated drips from the drying operation à la Frigidaire Spin-Tube.  

Just based on these observations, I would imagine that just reconnecting the heater will not be an issue... UNLESS there are timer contact problems but my logic is that if the light bulb worked, then the heater should also work. 

I'm still curious about the thermostat and what the specs are for it.  The user guide mentions heating water to 155 degrees which sounds like what the D&M/Kenmore machines in my stable do...  I'll do some more digging and I will be testing the tank and pump for leaks soon. 

Whee!!! 

Bob, I guess I have too much "GE History" where after the last rinse drain the pump stayed off.   I got surprised by the 62 KDS54 when I thought I could disconnect and store the hoses after the last rinse drain.  Nope.... LOL 

The current daily driver at the "city" house is that 66 Frigidaire Custom Imperial and, like the 63 Whirlpool that was installed before, there's a pump-out at the very end of the dry cycle.  I'm getting used to that now... LOL 

Today's test: reconnect the heater and see what happens...

As I suspected, the heating unit came on during the main wash. It got hot and a bit smoky due to accumulated shmutz on the heater coil.  

Next up:  water testing!  It'll be a chance to flush out the dirt and dust from the tub.

I completed several successful water tests this weekend, minus the thermostat.  As expected, the heater was on during the main wash and there was a brief pause in the second rinse to boost the hot water temperature.   I still have to remove and test that thermostat, but I couldn't resist taking apart the control panel to give a thorough cleaning.   It made a huge difference!  I also washed down the wood front panel with a wood soap, then buffed it up with some lemon oil.  Again, huge difference.  

You da man!!!

lawrence

The bottom rack looks like the kind of racks used in Pull-out dishwashers. Why is the bottom rack hanging on the top rack runners?

Also, how are those wood panels secured to the door? I like that there's no visible metal trim, but usually that's necessary.

Could you post some close-up pics of those dispensers, they look unusual. I remember with my Aunt Sona's Waster King dishwasher which was of a similar vintage (but it was a BOL) the detergent dispenser was just a cup with no cover; I guess it was just for measuring. The control dial looked like yours; no buttons. Also, I remember that she had difficulty in closing the door; either it was very heavy or maybe one of the springs had broken and they didn't realize it. Aunt Sona had a hard life so a dishwasher that was hard to close was the least of her daily challenges.

Ken, here's a picture of the detergent dispenser on the Waste King Universal dishwasher.  There are 3 sections - an 'open' section below a dual divided and covered cup.  The open section is shown in the first picture - this was intended for use during the pre-wash for heavy food soils.   The dispenser is divided into 2 sections, each holding about 1 1/2 tablespoons of detergent per the user booklet (2nd picture).  The cover of the closed cup will fully open in the main wash part of the cycle and dispense both doses of detergent.  I'm guessing the double dose was intended for heavy soil or very hard water (which this machine seems to have been exposed to).   

I didn't attempt to remove the wood panel from the main door, but I'd have to guess that it is attached to the door liner by the screws seen on the outer edges of the inner door.  Fearing that I may loosen the wood, I left it alone!  Although the lower panel has metal brackets that were notched into the wood to attach to the dishwasher frame.