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Thread Number: 38054
/ Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
Need help wiring up a switch in a Silverado |
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| Post# 405550 2/16/2019 at 23:35 (1,885 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
So I've had this Electrolux Silverado for a couple of months that's missing the entire switch assembly, including its wiring harness. I recently acquired a switch assembly (switch and rocker) from a Super J, so the next step is to figure out how to wire it up. Four questions to begin the process:
1. Does anyone have a wiring diagram they can share a copy of? I guess I could tear down my Super J to see how it's wired, but I'd just as soon have the actual diagram. 2. What gauge wire do I need to use? 3. What size are the flat terminals that go on the ends of the wires? 4. What size screws hold the switch in place? Thanks in advance. I'm sure I'll have other questions as I get into this project/mess. I don't need another vacuum but I just hate having it sit around in a non-functional state and I do enjoy a good challenge. | ||
| Post# 405553 , Reply# 1 2/17/2019 at 00:29 (1,885 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
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| Post# 405588 , Reply# 2 2/17/2019 at 13:58 (1,884 days old) by quebecois (Waterloo, Canada) | ||
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Here is a picture of the switch on my SUperJ. It may not be of great help but this is what I can send you for the moment. A friend of mine will bring me another SuperJ next week, if it needs some fixing I'll probably tear it apart and send you better pictures.
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| Post# 405600 , Reply# 3 2/17/2019 at 16:30 (1,884 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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| Post# 405606 , Reply# 4 2/17/2019 at 18:07 (1,884 days old) by blknblu (CT) | ||
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Here are some pics from a Diamond Jubilee, it is similar to a Silverado. Has two switches on top for on/off. | ||
| Post# 405610 , Reply# 5 2/17/2019 at 20:34 (1,884 days old) by quebecois (Waterloo, Canada) | ||
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On my SuperJ, the red wire from the switch goes to a plate next to the dial . under the cover of the front section. As for the other wire, I'm still unsure of where it goes.
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| Post# 406406 , Reply# 6 3/7/2019 at 11:06 (1,866 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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So I ended up getting a complete OEM wiring harness from an Olympia to go into the Silverado. Hopefully, it's close enough to work. The only part I need at this point is the screws to hold the switch in place. In the absence of any sort of instructions, it seems logical to begin the installation mounting the switch, then running and connecting the wires. Does anybody know what size screws hold the switch in place or have a pair to spare? If I knew the right diameter and thread pitch, I'd just go buy some at Lowe's or wherever. Length is less important as I can cut them down to the right size, if necessary.
Thanks again for all the reference photos. I'm sure they'll come in handy and I'll keep y'all posted as the project progresses. | ||
| Post# 406409 , Reply# 7 3/7/2019 at 13:26 (1,866 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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So after making my previous post, I decided to fetch the Silverado from the barn and tear it apart with a little help from the step-by-step instructions linked below. Once I got it broken down, I found the wiring harness is pretty much intact, so I don't actually need to re-wire the machine. The only thing really missing is the two wire terminals that connect to the switch. Some jackass had actually cut those off and twisted the two switch wires together with a wire nut so the machine would come on whenever it was plugged in. Really? I hate when people do stupid shit like that.
The good news is installing the switch will be easier than I had anticipated but I have a decision to make. I can go shopping for some new terminals to put on the ends of the wires to connect the switch or just cannibalize the replacement wiring harness for what I need. I've got to go out and get a replacement plug anyway, so I'll probably just shop for some connectors while I'm out and try to leave the other wiring harness intact. I just hate cutting up stuff when I don't have to. I suppose another option would be to solder the wires onto the switch, but I'd rather do it the way it was done at the factory. Mounting the switch will also be easy. All I need are a couple of small sheet metal screws. Everything else on that beast uses machine screws, except for the switch. Go figure... CLICK HERE TO GO TO human's LINK | ||
| Post# 406413 , Reply# 9 3/7/2019 at 15:44 (1,866 days old) by blknblu (CT) | ||
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the crimper I use for un-insulated terminals is called an "Open Barrel Terminal Crimping Tool ", you can also google BC-1 crimper as an alternative. | ||
| Post# 406421 , Reply# 11 3/7/2019 at 17:33 (1,866 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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Thanks, I found a couple of screws in a junk jar that will work. The blade connectors on the switch are definitely smaller than anything else on the machine, probably 3/16" or 1/8". I'll have to take a look at those crimpers because we all know any job worth doing is worth getting a new tool for. It's times like this when I sorta miss being able to just run up to Radio Shack and get the little parts I need, even if they did cost a bit more than they should have.
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| Post# 406422 , Reply# 12 3/7/2019 at 18:06 (1,866 days old) by quebecois (Waterloo, Canada) | ||
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Yep, you were right , the blade connectors are 1-8th wide, not 3-16th. I just measured one (female) in my SuperJ. | ||
| Post# 406424 , Reply# 13 3/7/2019 at 19:57 (1,866 days old) by blknblu (CT) | ||
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I checked my Digi-key orders. If it is 1/8", the ones I ordered are currently $.17 each. When I ordered them, I had ordered a bunch of different sizes, so I could have them available.
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| Post# 406430 , Reply# 14 3/8/2019 at 00:17 (1,866 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
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| Post# 406437 , Reply# 15 3/8/2019 at 09:18 (1,865 days old) by fantomfan57 (Central Texas) | ||
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Nice.... What impresses me most about this thread is it the involved members willing to help each other. No offense intended, just that I appreciated reading this thread. Take care all. | ||
| Post# 406439 , Reply# 16 3/8/2019 at 09:33 (1,865 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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Last night, I went ordered a package of 100 connectors for about $4.00. They're on the proverbial slow boat from China and are supposed to be here by the end of the month. The quantity was gross overkill but the price was right.
Just to keep from losing parts*, I went ahead and installed the switch--but obviously didn't hook it up-- and put the Silverado back together. The ivory colored Super J switch rocker stands out against the gray plastics but it's a perfect fit and its action feels good. After I put the new plug on the cord, I was tempted to twist the switch wires back together and fire the machine up, but I refrained. I'll finish my testing once everything is back together. For now, it's back to the barn for a few weeks until the connectors arrive. *Once I got the vacuum back together, I found I had one screw left over. Not sure where it goes. It's a short, self-tapping screw with the thick head that Electrolux liked to use in that era, but unlike all the other screws I took out, it has a slotted head instead of Phillips. The odd thing is I don't remember having to change the bit on my ratchet screwdriver to remove a slotted screw. | ||
| Post# 406456 , Reply# 17 3/8/2019 at 21:08 (1,865 days old) by quebecois (Waterloo, Canada) | ||
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Maybe this screw was so loose in its hole it fell by itself, this would explain why you don't remember removing it. My SUperJ has these self-tapping screws to hold the rear part of the canister body, Philips head though. SOmeone may have replaced the original with a slotted one. | ||
| Post# 406495 , Reply# 18 3/9/2019 at 12:10 (1,864 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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You could be right about that screw. I had it sitting up on end for a while with the cord winder off, so it could have fallen out then. Perhaps it helps hold the motor in place. I'll be giving it a thorough check when I tear it back down to finish installing the switch. I don't want anything flying apart when I finally fire it up.
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| Post# 407058 , Reply# 19 3/22/2019 at 17:56 (1,851 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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| Post# 407085 , Reply# 20 3/23/2019 at 08:07 (1,850 days old) by quebecois (Waterloo, Canada) | ||
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Please let us konw how it turns out. | ||
| Post# 407105 , Reply# 21 3/23/2019 at 16:54 (1,850 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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It liiiiiiiiivvves!!!
I put the terminals on the switch wires and connected everything up earlier today. When I plugged it in and threw the switch, the Silverado came to life and purred like a kitten. A new switch assembly and a new plug were all it needed. The machine is still far from perfect, though. The front wheel has a serious flat spot and needs to be replaced, the cord winder needs some work as it suffers from the all too common issue of not wanting to rewind, and I also need to JB Weld the handle on the hose back together but I can wait to work on those another day.
I looked to see if I could spot where that odd screw came from but didn't find any empty screw holes. My pet theory at the moment is it's one that held the original switch in place and fell down inside the machine when the switch was removed. | ||
| Post# 407108 , Reply# 22 3/23/2019 at 18:31 (1,850 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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Something's not wired right.
When I initially tested the Silverado, everything seemed okay because I didn't have a hose and power nozzle hooked to it, but with those accessories in place, something is definitely wired up backward on that machine. When I turn the vacuum cleaner on, the power nozzle doesn't run but when I turn the vacuum off, the power nozzle turns on. Weird.
One thing that comes to mind is that when I took the cord winder off, I disconnected all three wires, a black one and two white ones. One of the white wires has a double connector on it, to accommodate one of the other two wires. I connected the two white wires together because that seemed logical and is consistent with the photo linked below from a Diamond J teardown tutorial, which shows the two white wires connected together and one that appears to be light gray connected by itself to the other terminal. But in taking a second look at that photo, maybe that isn't the way it's supposed to go. The upper terminal on the cord winder in the photo is labeled '1, 2' and the lower terminal is labeled '3' but if the labels on the wires are to be believed, two of the wires are reversed in the photo. One of the white wires, presumably the one with the double connector, is labeled '1' and the other white wire is labeled '3', while the gray wire is labeled '2'. But here's the potential problem: the two white wires (1 and 3) are connected to the upper terminal (1, 2), while the gray wire (2) is connected to the lower terminal, which is clearly labeled '3'. I connected the wires on my Silverado according to the wire colors on the picture and was not looking at the labels, so maybe I just need to take things back apart and reverse those two wires. Any other ideas of where to look for crossed wires? CLICK HERE TO GO TO human's LINK | ||
| Post# 407110 , Reply# 23 3/23/2019 at 18:46 (1,850 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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Yup...
That was the problem. Swapping those two wires sorted things out. The black wire goes on the double-terminal white wire. Ironically, the single terminal wire I thought was white was actually gray, just like the photo. Oh well, it's all sorted now and I have one more functioning vacuum cleaner in the house.
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| Post# 407146 , Reply# 25 3/24/2019 at 11:42 (1,849 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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I just can't seem to leave this machine alone. I just finished repairing the hose handle, which was split in half, with JB Weld and I've ordered a set of four replacement front casters (yeah, I only need one, so there will be a few left over) that have exactly the right dimensions, even though they're generic items and thus cheap at $3.99 for the set of four. I'm sure it would be at least twice that a used one pulled off of another Electrolux canister. Once I get the caster sorted, the only thing left, battle scars notwithstanding, will be the weak cord winder.
Even though I have prettier vacuums, there's definitely something satisfying about bringing a 'dead' machine back to life. | ||
| Post# 407151 , Reply# 26 3/24/2019 at 14:17 (1,849 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
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| Post# 407187 , Reply# 27 3/25/2019 at 18:30 (1,848 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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Swivel caster
So thought I had ordered a set of four swivel casters on eBay for $3.99 to replace the the original front wheel on my Silverado, which had been worn almost completely flat on one side. But last night, the seller unexpectedly reneged on the sale and refunded my money with an apologetic and poorly worded message that demonstrated a profound lack of command of the English language. Undeterred, I went to Lowe's this afternoon and got a two-pack of top plate swivel casters with 1.25-inch wheels for $4.97 and have mounted one on the Silverado, bringing it another step along the path of rehabilitation.
Leave it to Electrolux--or any manufacturer, really--to come up with a slightly non-standard component in lieu of its commodity equivalent. The screw hole locations of the top plate are slightly off from the original so that it couldn't screw into place when lined straight. Fortunately, the mounting system, using two screws on diagonally opposite corners, proved to be its saving grace. I was able to line up the screw holes by mounting it slightly cockeyed. The little locator pins on the opposite corners don't line up with the other two screw holes, but it makes no functional difference since it's a swivel caster. Sure, I could drill out the holes on one end, but why bother? It's secure and you can't see that the top plate is slightly crooked unless you pick it up and look at it. On an interesting side note, the two screws that hold that swivel caster in place are identical to the odd screw I found and couldn't figure out where it went. To me, this confirms that a) it's a genuine Electrolux screw and b) it was likely used to hold the power switch in place. | ||
| Post# 407188 , Reply# 28 3/25/2019 at 19:05 (1,848 days old) by quebecois (Waterloo, Canada) | ||
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SOme of these swiwel are mounted on brackets riveted in the vacuum canister instead of screwed in, that doesn't help replacing them. On my best ZB89, I ended up drilling the rivet of the wheel itself and putting a small bolt as a new axle. | ||
| Post# 407189 , Reply# 29 3/25/2019 at 19:50 (1,848 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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So close, but oh so far...
I actually considered doing what you did for a brief moment, but I can live with the slightly crooked plate. It's secure and not going anywhere.
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| Post# 407191 , Reply# 30 3/25/2019 at 20:38 (1,848 days old) by quebecois (Waterloo, Canada) | ||
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Good enough ! | ||
| Post# 407411 , Reply# 31 3/31/2019 at 12:56 (1,842 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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Silverado Stress Test...
Well, after all the work I've done the past few weeks bringing the Silverado back from death's door, I finally decided it was time to put it through its paces by vacuuming my bedroom, which is one of two fully carpeted rooms in my house. Two others have Persian rugs on top of hardwood floors. For its inaugural run (can't exactly call it a 'maiden voyage'), I rigged it up with the hose that came with it, which I had repaired with JB Weld, and the wand and gray PN4A power nozzle I had bought separately for it. Not surprisingly, the handle on the hose lasted for all of two or three pushes before it broke apart again. Fortunately, I have more Electrolux hoses than I do Electrolux canisters to put them on, so I was back in business in about a minute. Once I got going again, the machine turned out to be every bit the beast I had expected it to be.
To my mind, one of the best tests for a power nozzle is getting cat fur off of a Persian rug and this one handled it with ease. Running the Silverado and its power nozzle for about 15 minutes, there were no disconcerting noises or odors so while it may not be the prettiest machine in my collection, I am taking it off the parts donor list and declaring it fully fit for duty. The only thing still irritates me about the machine itself is the cord winder won't take up the last four or five feet of cord but that can be a project for another day. The hose, I'm not so sure about. It's got a split just aft of the handle, which I repaired with RTV silicone, but the handle itself is toast. I'm just wondering whether it's even worth trying to source a replacement handle when I have so many other better hoses on hand. Certainly, it's not a priority. For now, I'm removing what's left of the handle, tossing it in the trash and the rest of the hose into the barn in the event another handle comes my way sometime in the future. | ||
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