1994 Hoover Elite U4617-930

[kirbyclassiciii]

Hi,

My mother's 1994 Hoover Elite model U4617-930 sounds like its motor is squealing as it is running. I attribute this problem to the bearings, but my parents don't think that is the case of the squealing. What else could cause the motor to squeal unusually?

Thank you,



Ben Edge (KirbyClassicIII)

 

[hoovercelebrity]

When's the last time the belt was replaced?

Does it make the noise with the belt disconnected?

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

The belt ...

Fred,

My dad claims he has changed the belt on this machine a few times (about once or twice, in his own words) throughout its lifespan. My parents claim the brushroll still properly spins.

I guess it must be something to do with the carbon brushes in the motor assembly, or perhaps the armature.

~Ben

 

[hoovercelebrity]

My dad claims he has changed the belt on this machine a few times (about once or twice, in his own words) throughout its lifespan.

Ugh!

A belt on ANY vacuum cleaner should be changed AT LEAST once a year!
I'd try changing the belt. That will probably solve your problem.

~Fred

 

[aeoliandave]

Another thing, when belts that old get slack and squeal it means there is frictional cooked hard rubber on the brushroll and motor pulleys from the belt initially slipping long before it becomes audibly evident. This dark glaze buildup does affect the perfect roundness of the pulleys causing even more high speed vibrational damage to the belt & pulley bearings. Bearings are usually more than up to the task, tho. When changing any belt I run the motor with the belt off and run a steel wool pad along the shaft to clean it absolutely. Same goes for the brushroll pulley surface but manually. And always always dissassemble and clean up the brushroll bearings and caps of impacted dust and hair coils. Human and Pet Hair being the same composition as fingernail clippings, both organic kerotin substances are more abrasive than one might think.

New belts are a struggle to get on but the ease with which old ones come off is the proof of how much they stretch - influenced by contact with the hot motor armature as it does it's work of turning the brushroll against carpet resistance.
Dave