On Dec 17, 11:45 am, utilitarian wrote:
Anyone know about these old GE Disposalls ?? The model number must
have fallen off. No number on it. The thing is broken.
The motor runs but the blades don't turn.

It looke to me like there was once a bolt head right in the center of
the thing, as you look down the into the hole. Looks like the bolt
head has snapped off because the shaft of the bolt spins as the motor
runs, but the shaft isn't connected to anything (anymore).

The head of the bolt must be down in the trap now, or maybe just
snugly off in a corner somewhere.

The motor spins at the usual speed, but it doesn't turn anything
except the shaft.

The "cutting assembly" moves freely, by hand, around the shaft, and
even moves up and down, off the shaft, so nothing is stuck.

In a perfect world, it seems I could just take the old Disposall
out, take it to a machine shop where they could extract the headless
bolt, then just buy a new bolt, reassemble the thing, replace it in
the sink and then have a cold beer and relish a job well done.

I'm trying to avoid spending a fortune having a plumber come in and
fix / replace it.

Am I right about the bolt?

I called the GE answer center 800 number and the guy was pleasant but
said he couldn't help me without a model number !! (even though I told
him it was probably a 1985 or 1986 )

I might end up buying a new insinkerator, but I still want to know if
I'm right about the bolt theory.

Thanks

If you have the skills to remove it, you have the skills to replace
it. If might be as easy as you say to "take it to a machine shop",
but even if you had a friend in the business, it's a lot of effort to
try to fix it, and you are saying that it is 22 years old, which is
probably well beyond the average service life of a disposal.

JK