Thread Number: 28169  /  Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
Kirby Classic III parts and advice please. Already posted in Super Market 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 314884   2/8/2015 at 03:35 (3,356 days old) by SusieQ ()        

Hope this isn't against the rules....I also posted this in the supermarket area.

I was given a Kirby Classic III. When I turned it on dust blew everywhere. I took it to a repair shop to have it fixed and the repairman put in new bearings and cleaned(?) the bag and roller. When I picked it up I asked if the light worked and he said yes. I told him that I brought it in because it blew dust everywhere when I turned it on. He answered and said that he vacuumed the bag. I assumed that meant that he fixed the problem.. $99.95 later I get it home and today I tried to use it.... The light still doesn't work and dust STILL blows everywhere. I emptied out the bag and when I took it apart I found a gasket where the Sani Em-tor attaches to the body of the motor and the gasket is falling apart. The bottom of the red plastic at the bottom of the Sani Em-tor has what looks like a fuzzy gasket. It's compressed and it doesn't look like it's sealing. There is dirt and lint coming from the "seam" next to the "toe-touch"nozzle adjustment. (I'd call that a height adjustment switch.) Dust also blows out around the bottom of the bag.

I'm SO frustrated! I was so excited to finally get a Kirby and then the repairman didn't really fix it! I'm trying to find the gasket for the Sani Em-tor online and and haven't had any luck. I also have no idea how to stop dirt from coming out at the "seam" and around the bottom of the bag.

I did vacuum with it tonight in spite of the dust and it STILL works better than any other vacuum I've had. It picked up all the little threads and sock fuzzies and even brought up the nap on my very old carpet.

I really want to fix this vac. Does anyone have any suggestions? Does anyone have the parts I need or can you tell me where to buy them? Is this a do it myself job? I'm not particularly handy but am willing to try to fix it. Do you think I should I stop spending money on this vac cause it's a lost cause?

Thank you in advance for any help or advice you can give.

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Post# 314890 , Reply# 1   2/8/2015 at 06:58 (3,356 days old) by kirbykid63 (Wilmington Delaware)        
I rebuild kirby's

 I rebuild kirby vacuums and sell parts in my ebay store new2youvacuums.Looks like all you need to do is remove the fan housing and reseal it. It would not be cost affective to send your machine to me to fix it but check out kirby service vidios on utube. These vacuums are easy to fix yourself.

Richard
new2youvacuums on ebay.

Post# 314903 , Reply# 2   2/8/2015 at 09:11 (3,356 days old) by danielsand ()        

That's easy-peasy fix. Don't give up.

You can get the new bag from the web (search, vacsplusstore.com), that would fix the blowing around the base of the bag. It comes with the new gasket sewn in already. The gasket to seal the sani emtor to the fan housing, is an "O" ring, and it can be also found on the web from several sources. One could also find the suitable "O" ring from industrial suppliers (like Grainger).

To remove the fan housing is also VERY easy (four screws). Once removed, the mating surfaces need to be cleaned, and a clear silicone (the kind they use for sealing fish tanks) applied before reassembly.

The felt gasket on the red emtor tray is just that,.....felt. Scrape the old one off, clean the surface, and use the tray as a template, to cut a new gasket from a piece of felt (buy it in any fabrics store, like JoAnn's). Glue the felt to the tray, and you're good to go.

Basically,......tear the whole machine apart ("how to" videos available on Youtube), use the compressor to blow the motor clean. Wash the motor with a good contact cleaner (from the nearest auto store). There are several kinds of contact cleaners, and you need to get one that specifically says that it's good for DELICATE ELECTRONICS (no brake cleaners and such!!). Wash all aluminum parts, take the scratches out with wet sandpaper (going from low number to as high as 1500). Do the final polish with "000" steel wool, and "Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish" (also from the auto store).

Depending how deep are the scratches (and how close to "new" you want to be!), you have about 5-6 hours of work in front of you. To me,.....FUN work, and VERY rewarding. I just finished doing the same on FIVE Kirbys (you can see the pic of them in my avatar).

Once you put the machine back together, you will be so intimately acquainted with it, that you will be able to replace the bearings, armature, brushes, or anything else that might be wrong with it in the future.

The only tools you need for all this, is few different sizes of Phillips screwdrivers, scissors (to cut felt), flat blade screwdriver, exacto knife (or suitable razor blade), and few supplies (Mothers polish, sandpaper, steel wool, shop rags, etc).

Have fun, and if you get stuck (not knowing how to proceed) pop in here and ask!

Good luck.

Post# 315053 , Reply# 3   2/9/2015 at 20:42 (3,355 days old) by Jeschbac (Texas)        
Gasket for Sani-Emptor

 Susie, I would just add that the felt gaskets for the sani-emptor tray really are not hard to find, and very inexpensive. Check Kirby Needs on Ebay. If you don't find one easily, I have a nice stash and will send you one. I think that if you tried to cut your own to size, you risk a bit of unevenness which could cause more leaking problems down the road.


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