Older Kenmore Canister Vac motor issues

Awhile back I bought an older Kenmore canister vacuum at an estate sale. Usually I don't pick these up but I really liked the looks of this one. But unfortunately I made a big mistake testing it.

The motor sounds really bad, it's extremely loud and the wind down sounds sad.

Is there anything that can be done to repair it? I'm assuming it has a dual stage Lamb-Ametek motor. Can it be lubricated or can the bearings be replaced? Is it worth fixing?

This is a light gray model, it has the power switch on a box on the hose end, two speed switch and performance light on canister with cord rewind button.

It seemed to be a pretty close to TOL model which is why I bought it.

There's also a small crack in the bottom base where the swiveling caster is. I didn't notice that either, but I think it can be glued back.

Either way it was only $10 so it's at least good for parts either way.

Interestingly, the house also had a Kenmore central vac that appeared to be from the same era, and the house was also built in the 80s. I thought it was odd they had a central vac and a canister vac that appeared to have been bought when they moved into the new house.


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Post# 454871 7/14/2022 at 22:44 (643 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)
Checkrate/Likes Awhile back I bought an older Kenmore canister vacuum at an estate sale. Usually I don't pick these up but I really liked the looks of this one. But unfortunately I made a big mistake testing it. The motor sounds really bad, it's extremely loud and the wind down sounds sad. Is there anything that can be done to repair it? I'm assuming it has a dual stage Lamb-Ametek motor. Can it be lubricated or can the bearings be replaced? Is it worth fixing? This is a light gray model, it has the power switch on a box on the hose end, two speed switch and performance light on canister with cord rewind button. It seemed to be a pretty close to TOL model which is why I bought it. There's also a small crack in the bottom base where the swiveling caster is. I didn't notice that either, but I think it can be glued back. Either way it was only $10 so it's at least good for parts either way. Interestingly, the house also had a Kenmore central vac that appeared to be from the same era, and the house was also built in the 80s. I thought it was odd they had a central vac and a canister vac that appeared to have been bought when they moved into the new house.

Post# 454877 , Reply# 1 7/15/2022 at 02:12 (643 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)
Checkrate/Likes Probably ordinary ball bearings. They can be replaced. Check the commutator to make sure it's not burned up or badly scored, that would be a deal breaker.

Post# 454953 , Reply# 2 7/17/2022 at 20:00 (640 days old) by kirbyklekter (Concord,Ca.)
Checkrate/Likes *I'd hang on to it...* Yours is almost TOL. I believe I have a TOL from same period. It has a nice power nozzle and the motor is a variable speed controlled on the pistol grip. I've had it and used it as my main canister vac. for many years and if the bearings start to go I would replace them or buy another motor for it. I believe our machines are from the early 90's. I replaced the pre-motor filter a few years back with similar I cut from a large sheet I found at a friends house. I've seen them on line with the frame included. If you come across a p/n make sure it has the three pin connector and not the two pin of the earlier models. My hose that was made for the variable speeds has deteriorated so I use a similar Kenmore hose made,first position turns on/off the vacuum and second position turns on/off the power nozzle. Works fine.Only one speed with this hose but for now, that's okay!