1993 Tristar DXL

[eurekastar]

I recently picked up this Tristar DXL.  The lady who sold it to me said it made a funny noise.  So I plugged it in and it made a horrible racket!  I quickly turned it off and took the Filter Fresh filter off and turned it back on.  There was quite a lightening storm coming from the filter basket.  Sparks were shooting everywhere through the basket.  After running for about 10 seconds, the motor completely stopped.  So I opened it up and found this tell-tale sign water being sucked into the vacuum. 

 

[eurekastar]

I wasn't too disappointed that the motor was shot, because I've been wanting to "turbo-charge" a Tristar for a long time.  The original motor is rated at 7.8 amps.  However, I bought a new motor that's rated at 10.8 amps.  It's cfm rating is 122 and the vacuum rating is 100.  The Lamb replacement motor sold by Tristar is rated at 8.2 amps.  The cfm rating is 95 and the vacuum rating (water lift) is 91.  So the Lamb motor I bought is definitely more potent!  The specs on the new motor indicate that it's about 1/4 longer than the original motor, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will fit.  If it ends up being too long, I'll just trim off a bit of the filter basket. 

 

[eurekastar]

I wasn't too disappointed that the motor was shot, because I've been wanting to "turbo-charge" a Tristar for a long time.  The original motor is rated at 7.8 amps.  However, I bought a new motor that's rated at 10.8 amps.  It's cfm rating is 122 and the vacuum rating is 100.  The Lamb replacement motor sold by Tristar is rated at 8.2 amps.  The cfm rating is 95 and the vacuum rating (water lift) is 91.  So the Lamb motor I bought is definitely more potent!  The specs on the new motor indicate that it's about 1/4 longer than the original motor, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will fit.  If it ends up being too long, I'll just trim off a bit of the filter basket. 

 

[eurekastar]

I ordered a few other miscellaneous parts too, including a new motor mount and a new side label.  So stay tuned for the Turbocharged Tristar!

 

[thevacuumman]

Poor Tristar but it will turn out good I also had turbo charged my Tristar CXL and the Compact C4

 

[cam2s]

Turbocharged...

My Miracle Mate system used a 10.6 amp motor and it is quite a beast! Hope it turns out well for you.

 

[Sanifan]

Wow, let us know how it goes. I wouldn't mind getting more suction and airflow from my Tristar. It's great as it is, but turbocharging it sounds awesome. This really is the perfect opportunity for you to experiment, given the blown motor. Please keep us informed!

Quick question regarding the cord hook: did Tristar always use an acorn nut to secure the cord hook to the body? I have two 50th Anniversary CXL models. The paint scheme is just slightly different, so they are probably made slightly apart in time (or in different locations?). One has the acorn-style nut pictured on your DXL, the other uses a normal screw. If they changed from one to the other, when did that happen? Or did they use both concurrently?

Cool repair job!

 

[dualsanitronic]

Go for it, Tool Time Tim,lol!!

 

[eurekastar]

Cord Hook

I have two older CXLs that simply have the screw.  One is the 50th Anniversary model and the other is the two-tone taupe and blue model.  I've seen replacement cord hooks that are sold with the acorn nut, so I'm guessing the one on your 50th Anniversary model is a replacement.  Just guessing!