Eureka 1495 upright: Repair questions

I copied my own response in another thread, but it should still be helpful for you. The machine being discussed was a Kirby Classic III, which has sleeve bearings for the brush roll and ball bearings for the motor bearings. I would recommend following the same treatment for ball and sleeve bearings that I have outlined below.

"Starting with the brush roll: I'm assuming your Kirby has the original-style brush roll, which will have grey-painted wood and uses brass sleeve bearings, sometimes referred to as "bushings." The tell-tale sign that your Kirby has this style of brush roll is that the end caps will turn together; they cannot spin independently.

It sounds as though you have already discovered the trick to disassembling this brush roll, which is to fully remove the screw on each end and pop the end caps off. To lubricate the sleeve bearing, use a light, non-detergent oil on the end of a Q-tip to clean contaminants from the bearing surface. Once it is clean, simply soak a few drops of the same oil into the bearing and you should be good to go! The only thing to look out for here is over-oiling, which could leave you with oil stains on your carpet.

Next up: Motor bearings. These are ball bearing units, with one on each end of the motor. If you choose to lubricate these rather than downright replace them, be sure to fully clean out any of the old, original grease before re-greasing. Not only is the old stuff likely contaminated with gritty dirt, which can accelerate bearing wear, but it may also be incompatible with the new grease you install. Depending on which greases mix, mixing incompatible greases can give you either sludge or a runny mix. Neither is good.

Once you have cleaned the ball bearings thoroughly--break cleaner works wonders--liberally pack new grease around the ball bearings. I find syringes to be perfect for this, but Q-tips, tooth picks, or even your finger can also get the job done. The grease I prefer is a substance called "Mobil 1 Polyrex EM," which is a high-temperature synthetic grease designed specifically for the ball bearings used in small, high-speed electric motors (EM), such as what you have in your Kirby. In fact, it is actually the grease that many bearing OEMs install in the bearings they manufacture. The stuff is fantastic and a huge tube is not that expensive. I have pumped life back into many vacuum motors with this grease. I have put a link for it below.

One final, very important note. Sleeve bearings strictly require oil and rolling element bearings (ball bearings) strictly require grease. Putting grease in a sleeve bearing will quickly ruin it and putting an oil into any ball bearing would be similarly disastrous."

If your upper sleeve bearing has not been scored, scarred, or ovalled out, I would give it the treatment above and give it another try. This is the oil I recommend for sleeve bearings. It is specifically designed for the sleeve bearings of electric motors in this power class. Simply soak some of this oil into the felt ring around the bearing and you should be good to go.

www.amazon.com/3-IN-ONE-M...

This is the grease I recommend for ball bearings:

www.amazon.com/Mobil-Poly...

Never sand, grind, turn on a lathe, etc, the upper bearing surface on the armature. It will never be the same and could more rapidly wear out every bearing you try to put in the motor.

If you want to replace that upper bearing, you could try popping it out of the motor housing, taking measurements, and buying a new one from a local or online industrial supplier. Alternatively, you could try this part if your machine has the "blender" style motor It's pretty cheap.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Eureka-Sanitair...

Good luck! I know this sounds like a lot but its really not hard at all.


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Post# 393747 6/23/2018 at 19:10 (2,131 days old) by dogbert (Milwaukee, WI)
Checkrate/Likes Just a few general questions on vacuum repair: Scored a Eureka 1495 upright vacuum cleaner, "vibra-groomer" roller with adjustment dial from a street curb. Overall it was in good condition, but it is obvious it was stored in a damp basement for a long time. The chrome hood has rust spots and the bottom plate is pure rust. It runs, but: #1 It smells terrible. Can I was the outer filter bag with laundry detergent without "felting" the material and restricting air flow? I am gagging every time I use it. #2 The top brass bearing was very dry and started to complain. I took it apart and added some Tri-flow teflon lube to it after cleaning the motor shaft, but is this good enough for now or should I replace the bearing entirely now? Can you buy just the bearings for these motors? It looks like there is a little cap with a bearing that you can replace. It is my understanding that the lower bearing on the motor is an actual ball bearing. Should I be oiling that thing too? #3 Brush Strips! Where do I get quality cheap replacement brush strips for the 12" Vibra groomer bar? Amazon seems to be hit or miss on quality/reviews. The first photo is the vacuum in question. I just included a photo of my second, newer Eureka ESP upright so others can view it. Because vacuum. thanks. Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size

Post# 393749 , Reply# 1 6/23/2018 at 19:42 (2,131 days old) by JustJunque (Western MA)
Checkrate/Likes *ESP* Hey Joe, Sorry I can't help you with your questions. But I just wanted to say thank you for also posting the picture of the ESP. I love the color combination! Barry

Post# 393758 , Reply# 2 6/23/2018 at 23:17 (2,130 days old) by dogbert (Milwaukee, WI)
Checkrate/Likes absolutely. they were both abandoned, which is a complete shame and a waste of what I consider to be a very repairable and functional machine. I found the ESP one in my current rental's basement. the impeller/fan was shattered and it took out the belt. It was just kinda sitting there . You are right, the color combo is interesting. I like the white, but the bag looks like some sort of fleshy organ. It even has these red little squiggles that look like veins, which is kinda creepy. The other one was sitting on a curb with about 5 other vacuums just tossed out. Must have been a college rental that somebody purged of old stuff. I was always looking for one with the dial-a-nap knob. Metal hood but plastic base. Great appliances but I don't seem to have enough carpets now.

Post# 393767 , Reply# 3 6/24/2018 at 09:53 (2,130 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL)
Checkrate/Likes There is a pretty good vacuum shop nesr Milwaukee. The owner is a fellow collector and his shop gives fantastic service. Mequon Vacuum 6619 W Mequon Rd, Mequon, WI 53092 262-242-4190

Post# 393778 , Reply# 4 6/24/2018 at 15:18 (2,130 days old) by kenkart ()
Checkrate/Likes 1 *I would* Wash it gently by hand, it should be fine, use some Lysol disinfectant liquid in the water, should help

Post# 393779 , Reply# 5 6/24/2018 at 15:42 (2,130 days old) by broomvac (N/A)
Checkrate/Likes *Bearings* I copied my own response in another thread, but it should still be helpful for you. The machine being discussed was a Kirby Classic III, which has sleeve bearings for the brush roll and ball bearings for the motor bearings. I would recommend following the same treatment for ball and sleeve bearings that I have outlined below. "Starting with the brush roll: I'm assuming your Kirby has the original-style brush roll, which will have grey-painted wood and uses brass sleeve bearings, sometimes referred to as "bushings." The tell-tale sign that your Kirby has this style of brush roll is that the end caps will turn together; they cannot spin independently. It sounds as though you have already discovered the trick to disassembling this brush roll, which is to fully remove the screw on each end and pop the end caps off. To lubricate the sleeve bearing, use a light, non-detergent oil on the end of a Q-tip to clean contaminants from the bearing surface. Once it is clean, simply soak a few drops of the same oil into the bearing and you should be good to go! The only thing to look out for here is over-oiling, which could leave you with oil stains on your carpet. Next up: Motor bearings. These are ball bearing units, with one on each end of the motor. If you choose to lubricate these rather than downright replace them, be sure to fully clean out any of the old, original grease before re-greasing. Not only is the old stuff likely contaminated with gritty dirt, which can accelerate bearing wear, but it may also be incompatible with the new grease you install. Depending on which greases mix, mixing incompatible greases can give you either sludge or a runny mix. Neither is good. Once you have cleaned the ball bearings thoroughly--break cleaner works wonders--liberally pack new grease around the ball bearings. I find syringes to be perfect for this, but Q-tips, tooth picks, or even your finger can also get the job done. The grease I prefer is a substance called "Mobil 1 Polyrex EM," which is a high-temperature synthetic grease designed specifically for the ball bearings used in small, high-speed electric motors (EM), such as what you have in your Kirby. In fact, it is actually the grease that many bearing OEMs install in the bearings they manufacture. The stuff is fantastic and a huge tube is not that expensive. I have pumped life back into many vacuum motors with this grease. I have put a link for it below. One final, very important note. Sleeve bearings strictly require oil and rolling element bearings (ball bearings) strictly require grease. Putting grease in a sleeve bearing will quickly ruin it and putting an oil into any ball bearing would be similarly disastrous." If your upper sleeve bearing has not been scored, scarred, or ovalled out, I would give it the treatment above and give it another try. This is the oil I recommend for sleeve bearings. It is specifically designed for the sleeve bearings of electric motors in this power class. Simply soak some of this oil into the felt ring around the bearing and you should be good to go. www.amazon.com/3-IN-ONE-M... This is the grease I recommend for ball bearings: www.amazon.com/Mobil-Poly... Never sand, grind, turn on a lathe, etc, the upper bearing surface on the armature. It will never be the same and could more rapidly wear out every bearing you try to put in the motor. If you want to replace that upper bearing, you could try popping it out of the motor housing, taking measurements, and buying a new one from a local or online industrial supplier. Alternatively, you could try this part if your machine has the "blender" style motor It's pretty cheap. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Eureka-Sanitair... Good luck! I know this sounds like a lot but its really not hard at all.

Post# 393783 , Reply# 6 6/24/2018 at 16:18 (2,130 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)
Checkrate/Likes *Not related to the topic but* That is a really nice Eureka you have that you first showed. I've never seen one before but man that is one gorgeous vacuum! Thanks for sharing.

Post# 393875 , Reply# 7 6/25/2018 at 20:58 (2,129 days old) by dogbert (Milwaukee, WI)
Checkrate/Likes broomvac: Thank you for the info. Thats fantastic. The process does describe the setup completely. My use of Tri-Flow lube was probably a poor call because it might have detergents that will dry up and flimg around in the upper brass bearing . good thing it's only a spring and two bolts to get at it again. I do see a few bearing cups on parts websites for cheap. I did order a bag spring, new brush strips and a new bottom plate from Amazon. Vacuumland1650: I used to work at JW speaker out near Mequon Road. It's not too far, I could stop at that Neus hardware too. Awesome stop. Maybe go for a chat with the guy. panisonicvac: I used some chrome polish on the hood. It's still a little pitted from rust, but that just adds character. The orange base is different, sort of a pumpkin color. At this point I just need to buy some shag carpet I'm a big fan of the Vibra-groomer bar in these machines.The rental I live in has rice paper walls and it's hilarious to hear the neighbors go silent when I turn it on and set the height low. Almost like disturbing a forest and causing the birds to go silent.

Post# 393927 , Reply# 8 6/27/2018 at 02:26 (2,127 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)
Checkrate/Likes Nice vacs. dat avatar tho.