Kirby Heritage II - Bearing Change

Hi all,

I recently acquired a new in box Kirby Heritage II, which I had some concerns about the condition of it's bearings prior to receiving it. When I first got it out of the box, the motor shaft did not spin very freely at all. Now having about 10 hours on the motor, the bearings have started to emit a bit of a whine. I also don't feel like the motor is spinning as freely as it should.

I had hoped I would not have to resort to a bearing change, but I want to make sure the machine is in perfect running order. I placed an order today for the below parts. While I am at it, I'm also going to change out the brushroll to the new version with ball bearing ends, saving the original one along with the original belt from 1986!

I'm going to photograph and create a pretty straight forward guide, complete with excerpts from the Kirby Heritage II Service Manual, and will share it as a word document with the group.

In the video at about 3:15 you can hear the bearings are starting to emit a whine, which has gotten worse. New bearings are in order :)

Order Invoice:

Kirby Front Bearing fits Classic Omega To New Sentria $6.00
Kirby Rear Motor Bearing fits Classic Omega / SE $6.00
Kirby Mylar Front Bearing Seal and Retainer $2.50
T130 Fan Locking Tool for use on 1CB through LII $2.25
Kirby 4 Row Brush Roll 16" w/ magnet and Ball Bearings $19.76

Parts order courtesy of Kent Oyler cleaner48 on eBay where I get all of my Kirby parts from. Highly recommend him! http://myworld.ebay.com/cleaner48/...

I already have a Kirby rear bearing puller in my stash, as well as fan case sealant.

Andrew


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Post# 125690 2/21/2011 at 23:48 (4,802 days old) by vacfanatic (Omaha, NE)
Checkrate/Likes Hi all, I recently acquired a new in box Kirby Heritage II, which I had some concerns about the condition of it's bearings prior to receiving it. When I first got it out of the box, the motor shaft did not spin very freely at all. Now having about 10 hours on the motor, the bearings have started to emit a bit of a whine. I also don't feel like the motor is spinning as freely as it should. I had hoped I would not have to resort to a bearing change, but I want to make sure the machine is in perfect running order. I placed an order today for the below parts. While I am at it, I'm also going to change out the brushroll to the new version with ball bearing ends, saving the original one along with the original belt from 1986! I'm going to photograph and create a pretty straight forward guide, complete with excerpts from the Kirby Heritage II Service Manual, and will share it as a word document with the group. In the video at about 3:15 you can hear the bearings are starting to emit a whine, which has gotten worse. New bearings are in order :) Order Invoice: Kirby Front Bearing fits Classic Omega To New Sentria $6.00 Kirby Rear Motor Bearing fits Classic Omega / SE $6.00 Kirby Mylar Front Bearing Seal and Retainer $2.50 T130 Fan Locking Tool for use on 1CB through LII $2.25 Kirby 4 Row Brush Roll 16" w/ magnet and Ball Bearings $19.76 Parts order courtesy of Kent Oyler cleaner48 on eBay where I get all of my Kirby parts from. Highly recommend him! http://myworld.ebay.com/cleaner48/... I already have a Kirby rear bearing puller in my stash, as well as fan case sealant. Andrew

Post# 125699 , Reply# 1 2/22/2011 at 04:19 (4,802 days old) by twocvbloke ()
Checkrate/Likes Listening to it in detail, I would say that it was the motor brushes still seating rather than the bearings going, dry or worn brearings make them sound like a jet engine, a very loud roar with grinding thrown in, that HII hasn't got that sound, just a new carbon brush sound... :) Still, preventative measures to make sure the new-but-old bearings don't fail I would say is okay, especially a new brushroll with ball bearings, cos after all, the bronze sleeve bearings in the BR can be a bit of a faff to maintain, but with good maintenance the ol' sleeve bearing can last a lot longer than a ball bearing... :)

Post# 125701 , Reply# 2 2/22/2011 at 05:30 (4,802 days old) by vacfanatic (Omaha, NE)
Checkrate/Likes David, Problem is with the carbon brush theory it's getting louder and worse with use. I've put another 5 hours or so on the machine and it's getting worse so I'm sure the bearings are dry. Also the motor is stiff to turn after it's been shut off for several hours after being used, just like it was when I took it out of the box. The grease inside the ball bearings must have lost some of it's properties after sitting all those years. Easy fix for me and inexpensive as well considering Kirby parts are very affordable. Andrew

Post# 125710 , Reply# 3 2/22/2011 at 08:38 (4,802 days old) by kirbykid63 (Wilmington Delaware)
Checkrate/Likes *I love rebuilding the heritage's* I have been rebuilding Kirby motors for about 12 years now,I think they are one of the best machines because they are fixable. Most of the newer plastic vacuums are like trying to fix a bic disposable lighter.Your rebuilt motor should run for many years. Richard Groski new2youvacuums on eBay

Post# 125723 , Reply# 4 2/22/2011 at 11:03 (4,802 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)
Checkrate/Likes *I'll bet . . .* it is a bearing problem. The motor brushes would have been seated at the factory. However, it won't surprise me that you'll find the grease has oozed out of the front bearing.

Post# 330716 , Reply# 5 8/1/2015 at 15:00 (3,181 days old) by blknblu (CT)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I would suggest you get the 2RS style bearing (double seal) for longevity. This is a sealed beared vs shielded. A sealed bearing will hold up better in a dirty environment. I noticed some of the Kirby bearings on ebay imply they are ZZ bearings, those are shielded bearings. A common size is the 608 bearing which is 8mm Bore, 22mm OD, and 7mm Width So 608 2RS is sealed, and 608 ZZ is shielded. View Full Size

Post# 340728 , Reply# 6 1/5/2016 at 14:40 (3,024 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)
Checkrate/Likes *My 1977 Kirby Classic III - Before and After* While we're on the subject of bearing replacement, please allow me to show you the progress of my 1977 Kirby Classic III, before and after: Old bearings (2014): Old bearings (2015): New bearings (2016): ~Ben