Miele Repair- S381


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Thread Number: 13947
Miele Repair- S381

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Post# 147620 8/18/2011 at 04:18 (4,634 days old) by rob_89 ()
Checkrate/Likes Hi all Following on from the recent Miele discussions, my red cylinder/canister model arrived yesterday (spares/repairs for Ł18 on ebay UK). The initial fault was that it would not run. I tracked this down to a bad solder connection on the thermal cut-out component on the motor PCB. Having resoldered this, it works...success! However, for a Miele it is very noisy. The cleaner has very few scratches/marks on it suggesting quite an easy life, but there was some plaster dust on the inside of the bag compartment and clogging the prefilter. I know; one of the best ways to kill a vacuum! The suction is still excellent. Does anyone have any suggestions for remedying this noise? This model was a BOL a few years back, but I believe it has the same motor fitted as the S4/S5 models from that time. Is it possible to service the motor or check the bearings at all on these? It is hard to describe, once shut off it seems to have a low 'rumble' sound for a few seconds as the motor winds down. Additionally, the telescopic extension tube has an annoying habit of collapsing. The ratchet to adjust the tube height works and locks in an upwards direction (e.g. pulling floorhead back), but put any pressure on the tube pushing forwards and it slides down. Would this be potentially repairable if I remove the plastic button and reassemble? So far it is not seeming such a bargain! Any help would be much appreciated! cheers Rob

Post# 147621 , Reply# 1 8/18/2011 at 04:23 (4,634 days old) by rob_89 ()
Checkrate/Likes *Motor housing* Was really fairly clean...

Post# 147622 , Reply# 2 8/18/2011 at 04:24 (4,634 days old) by rob_89 ()
Checkrate/Likes *PCB fault* Here you can see what prevented the vacuum from switching on. This is the leg of the thermal cut-out switch (from a quick Google search).

Post# 147623 , Reply# 3 8/18/2011 at 04:27 (4,634 days old) by rob_89 ()
Checkrate/Likes *Final pic* The faulty telescope tube. If anyone has worked on one of these previously, is there a knack to removing this button without gauging the plastic? I appreciate US models may well be different as the majority have power hoses. many thanks Rob

Post# 147625 , Reply# 4 8/18/2011 at 05:14 (4,634 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)
Checkrate/Likes Sounds like plaster dust got into the motor bearings-most likely you will have to replace the motor.The Meile collaspable wands are a PAIN to work on-there is a tiny "BB" metal ball that is under the button that releases the wand to expand or collapse it.The Meile dealer here had FITS when he tried to work on one-again try to get a replacement.Both of us were emitting various swear words in dealing with that wand.Don't know what Meiles secret to working these is-you need to be the fly on the wall in their factory to find out!The connection on the circuit board looked either overheated or cold soldered.

Post# 147642 , Reply# 5 8/18/2011 at 08:13 (4,634 days old) by rob_89 ()
Checkrate/Likes *poor Miele...* Hi tolivac Thought the motor is likely a sealed unit. Shame it is so loud...I've had motors in many other vacs look absolutely filthy with fine dust (and often brick dust in Numatic Henrys) yet still run quite smoothly and quietly. May just continue to use it roaring away until the day I can afford a new Miele, as I really like their performance and ease of use. Just a shame about the price of replacement parts! Thanks for the heads up on the wand! I may well break into it and see what I can do, as there is nothing to lose really. A new generic one will be around Ł10, but of course lacks the Miele tube locks at each end. Rob

Post# 147654 , Reply# 6 8/18/2011 at 10:33 (4,634 days old) by twocvbloke ()
Checkrate/Likes I guess my S316i (virtually identical, different motor though, the design based upon the Ametek-Lamb motors they used to use) was lucky, when I got it, the thing was in awful condition (see link to pics below), but the motor was fine, the whole thing just needed a damned good clean out and the motor-end of the hose fixing (well, not so much fixing than pulling the end out of the socket, cleaning off the mud, sanding away the rust and cleaning up the socket, then clipping the end back in place), I have a different extension tube though, and that's just stiff as an old rusty gate, but with a bit of "encouragement" it'll extend and retract... Still, I only paid Ł10 for it, and have only needed to buy bags, I just use it as a "shop vac" though, I have a Tristar CXL for proper cannister cleaning that the miele just can't do (especially as the Tristar has a PN)... :) CLICK HERE TO GO TO twocvbloke's LINK

Post# 147678 , Reply# 7 8/18/2011 at 13:58 (4,633 days old) by rob_89 ()
Checkrate/Likes Your Ł10 was a bargain David! Looks a bit of a state in your before pics there, but I bet it cleaned up nicely. I've not used a canister cleaner with power nozzle except for a few Dyson Motorhead models- the DC05 model was pretty nice as it is not that much heavier than a turbo brush. I do have the socket for one on my Henry- perhaps if a PN comes up cheaply on ebay I'll give it a try! Going back to the Miele models, I wonder if the motors used in earlier models such as your S316i were perhaps more robust? There appear to be more spares/repairs Miele cylinders appearing on ebay UK by the day, though of course that could be down to them gaining more market share.

Post# 147753 , Reply# 8 8/18/2011 at 22:26 (4,633 days old) by twocvbloke ()
Checkrate/Likes Oh it cleaned up pretty well, I got lazy though and slung most of the plastics in the dishwasher (note to self, only use the 45 Degree wash, not the 55 degree wash on plastic parts cos of oxidation issues), it was a pain in the arse to strip down though, and remembering where all the parts went was a struggle for me (I have memory issues), but at least it went back together, eventually, and worked fine, the motor spat out dust for ages though, I guess it's previous owner must have thought it was a bagless or something... :S But, yeah, it was a bargain, though it's a vac that I'm less than impressed with, hence why it is used for jobs that I wouldn't put my Tristar or Kirbys through, I think I was lucky with the motor and it's bearings, although a while back I found the carbon brushes had actually gotten stuck in their holders through the dust that worked it's way into the commutator area, it hadn't caused any issues yet, but could have made a right mess of the thing had I not got bored that night and pulled it apart again!!! :S Plus the pre and post filters are just so restrictive, the airflow is reduced because of them and hence that causes more problems with the motor & it's thermal cut out, not to mention with it venting under the tool caddy lid, the heat the motor puts out when it's run for a long while weakens the hinges for that (mine's 90% broke, it's just barely hanging on there), not to mention the bags are too small (which also reduces airflow as there's less surface area for it to filter through), which my recent generic Kirby bag installation proved cos the thing is sucking like Dale Winton at a pool party!! :P The only way I can describe the Miele brand is, they are to Sebo (the other German vac brand, top notch kit too) what BMW is to Mercedes... :\

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