Worth saving?

Hello John,

In answer to your question, Absolutely!!

You have a beautiful dishwasher there! You will probably have to do little to do to "bring it to life."

GE's dishwashers have amassed outstanding reviews in performance and reliability from Consumer Reports and as attested to by members of this site. My family's first GE dishwasher was in 1973, and I have had them continually from then to present.

Once they went from the vinyl coated steel tubs to the "Permatuff" polymer tubs in the mid-seventied they did away with their Achilles Heel of tub rust. GE's polymer tubs are very highly resistant to staining, unlike some other brands.

It will run forever with little maintenance. The first thing I would recommend is to, if you are good with a screwdriver, is to take off the lower access panels. (Make sure door latch is open or power is off for safety.)

Their ultra reliable pump/motor assembly with have a partially exposed fan. See if you can rotate the fan with your fingers. Odds are you can. If it has been sitting for years without use, it might be a little stiff. If it is a bit stiff turn it until it frees up. On the rare chance it doesn't turn contact me and I'll guide you through the proper steps to resolve the issue.

In the tub, you will see a plastic cylinder like device in the corner, which is the float that prevents overfilling. Directly below it, on the underside of the tub, you will feel the bottom of the float mechanism touching a switch. Make sure it is free and moves up and down when you push on it.

Next take a bucket and pour in about a gallon or half of very hot water and let it set overnight and swell the seals.

Turn it on and let it flush itself out by running a cycle without dishes.

Odd are it is fine and will work flawlessly. The only time I ever saw a leak in a GE was in my parent's builder grade Hotpoint because my dad insisted on using a cheap chlorine based detergent which is not good for the polymeric couplers and seals.

Enjoy! You will love your GE. A wonderful vintage find! Don't hesitate to contact me, using this site message service, if you encounter any issues. On the rare chance any of the seals/coupler/sump have cracked from age or disuse, they are easy to replace and I'll guide you through it.

This post was last edited 08/25/2023 at 08:30


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Post# 1188383 8/24/2023 at 10:24 (253 days old) by johninpeekskill (Peekskill, NY)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Hi there! I've got buyers a couple of weeks away from closing on a great old home here in Peekskill. There's a GE dishwasher in the kitchen and we don't know the last time it was used. We didn't fuss with it during the inspection. I realize this isn't the best photo. Does anyone recognize the model and would you try to bring it back to life? Thanks much! :) View Full Size

Post# 1188385 , Reply# 1 8/24/2023 at 11:04 (253 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *GE dishwasher* I believe that�s the top of the line late 70s early 80 all plastic tub GE dishwasher with dual wash arms. It was sort of an experimental thing almost that GE rushed to market. They had quite a few problems. We have the next model down at the museum that has a timer, knob exposed, if this one goes up for grabs, and there�s an easy way to get it, I would put this better model in the museum. It uses the standard pump and motor but about everything else is different, they had a lot of problems with leaks and electrical problems. They sure installed that gas wall oven up high in that kitchen, I assume the buyers are going to rip that kitchen out. John

Post# 1188387 , Reply# 2 8/24/2023 at 11:15 (253 days old) by johninpeekskill (Peekskill, NY)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Next steps!* Thanks for the insight, John. I'm not sure what my buyers are planning to do with the kitchen. I believe their budget will keep it in place for the short term. Yes, the wall oven is oddly high up. You can see the gap in the cabinet below where the old one must have rested. Poor choice/installation on that replacement. The house is a time capsule. It's been in the same family for almost 70 years. The current resident is going to assisted living and the buyers will take the house with all of the "stuff" in place. I'm sure there are going to be treasures!

Post# 1188400 , Reply# 3 8/24/2023 at 13:40 (253 days old) by JustJunque (Western MA)
Checkrate/Likes I'm not able to comment on the dishwasher. But...what a beautiful kitchen! If we ever buy another house, I'd love to find a "time capsule"! They seem to be going more extinct by the minute though.

Post# 1188403 , Reply# 4 8/24/2023 at 14:37 (253 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay)
Checkrate/Likes 1 For me, that busy flooring would be first to go, even if nothing else did right away. Dave and I had it in the first rental we shared. Landlords' special since it was practically indestructible and hid dirt and damage, and of course they had zero concern about how hideous it was.

Post# 1188472 , Reply# 5 8/25/2023 at 07:26 (252 days old) by reactor (Oak Ridge, Tennessee-- )
Checkrate/Likes *beautiful machine* Hello John, In answer to your question, Absolutely!! You have a beautiful dishwasher there! You will probably have to do little to do to "bring it to life." GE's dishwashers have amassed outstanding reviews in performance and reliability from Consumer Reports and as attested to by members of this site. My family's first GE dishwasher was in 1973, and I have had them continually from then to present. Once they went from the vinyl coated steel tubs to the "Permatuff" polymer tubs in the mid-seventied they did away with their Achilles Heel of tub rust. GE's polymer tubs are very highly resistant to staining, unlike some other brands. It will run forever with little maintenance. The first thing I would recommend is to, if you are good with a screwdriver, is to take off the lower access panels. (Make sure door latch is open or power is off for safety.) Their ultra reliable pump/motor assembly with have a partially exposed fan. See if you can rotate the fan with your fingers. Odds are you can. If it has been sitting for years without use, it might be a little stiff. If it is a bit stiff turn it until it frees up. On the rare chance it doesn't turn contact me and I'll guide you through the proper steps to resolve the issue. In the tub, you will see a plastic cylinder like device in the corner, which is the float that prevents overfilling. Directly below it, on the underside of the tub, you will feel the bottom of the float mechanism touching a switch. Make sure it is free and moves up and down when you push on it. Next take a bucket and pour in about a gallon or half of very hot water and let it set overnight and swell the seals. Turn it on and let it flush itself out by running a cycle without dishes. Odd are it is fine and will work flawlessly. The only time I ever saw a leak in a GE was in my parent's builder grade Hotpoint because my dad insisted on using a cheap chlorine based detergent which is not good for the polymeric couplers and seals. Enjoy! You will love your GE. A wonderful vintage find! Don't hesitate to contact me, using this site message service, if you encounter any issues. On the rare chance any of the seals/coupler/sump have cracked from age or disuse, they are easy to replace and I'll guide you through it. This post was last edited 08/25/2023 at 08:30

Post# 1188478 , Reply# 6 8/25/2023 at 09:50 (252 days old) by johninpeekskill (Peekskill, NY)
Checkrate/Likes *Thank you!* I appreciate the insight! I'll pass this along to the new homeowners!

Post# 1188480 , Reply# 7 8/25/2023 at 10:32 (252 days old) by reactor (Oak Ridge, Tennessee-- )
Checkrate/Likes *new dishwasher owners* My apologies, John, when I saw the beautiful GE vintage dishwasher I was excited and didn't, read your text carefully. I thought you were the buyer of the home. Yes. Please do pass on the information to the new owners and tell them that GE dishwasher will be faster and more reliable than most new machines on the market now, and it has exemplary washing abilities, as well. Too bad you don't know if it has been used recently. If it has, the new owners could just load it, touch a button and be off to the races . But the above steps are the safest just in case it may have sat for several years without use. This post was last edited 08/25/2023 at 11:12