Amway CMS-1000 motor bearing issue?

[amwaycleartrak]

Hello. I was recently given this 1989 CMS-1000 which I plan on restoring in the next couple of days. As shown in the video down below, when the vacuum is turned on it will occasionally become loud. I'm assuming that it's a bearing issue in the motor but I wanted to hear your guys thoughts before I take it to a repair shop.

The brushroll was taken out before being turned on.

 

[hoover300]

Yeah probably bearings. I have a metal Eureka canister that does that, instead it squeals occasionally.

 

[madman]

Bearings most likely. Maybe a dirty fan blade.

 

[huskyvacs]

Definitely dry or worn bearings or the motor had some dirt deposited in it. My Shop Vac is due for a motor service (ironically only a few years old) and it sounds just like this. The warbling high-low pitch and the intermittent surges in motor loudness makes me think worn bearings, vibrating in the chase.

 

[amwaycleartrak]

Update

So about two weeks ago I sent the motor to a vacuum shop to have the bearings replaced. I tested it multiple times after picking it up and it sounded great, no issues at all. That was until yesterday when I turned it on again and the grinding noise came back. As others mentioned it seems to be a dirty fan blade issue after all, although I'm still glad I got the bearings replaced on this 32 year old motor.



Now, about cleaning the fan. I've looked around and I've seen people mention soaking the fan in water and adding dish detergent, then using a pipe cleaner brush to clean the insides of the blades. How long would you soak the fan for?

I've also practiced taking a fan case off on another dead CMS-1000 motor. But before I operate on my current motor, how do you put the case back on without damaging the fans or anything else on the motor?

 

[bnsd60m9200]

that sounds like a bent commutator shaft to me. and that would require a new armature. the fact your vacuum shop couldnt tell that vs a bearing problem is really sad. never use that vac shop again....

the before video was carbons out of proper seating and and a failing sealed bearing. it doesnt sound like your vac shop fixed the carbon issue either.

 

[amwaycleartrak]

A few questions for bnsd

That doesn't sound good at all, what could cause a bent commutator shaft? I'm not crossing it off from the list of possibilities but it seems a bit extreme in this case.

Also what is carbons out of proper seating? Would it cause a ton of sparks while the motor is on and what would I need to do to fix it?

Just in case if this helps at all, here's a video of me running the motor after it came back from the shop.

 

[bnsd60m9200]

usually a bent commutator shaft is caused by a sloppy vac shop tech in that vacuums past life before you got it. rarely they are that way from factory, but usually its caused by impatient shop tech using hammers to get bearings on or off.

far as the carbon seating you recent video showed proof i was right, however brief. i saw blue carbon sparks. it doesnt need to be a fireworks show to be out ot plane with the commutator. early signs of carbon wear will be a grinding noise like in your first video. re seating clean air motors is easy. a carbon seating stone will take quick fix of it.

however it still sounds like the commutator shaft is bent. that slight out of line will ruin bearings with a vibration the motor wasnt meant to handle. the easiest way to tell if a commutator shaft is bent it to touch the motor bearings. if they burn your hand after use, that's the problem.

 

[amwaycleartrak]

Thanks for the help bnsd, I really appreciate it. I just have a few more questions if you don't mind.

I have another motor that I can swap into this machine but I'll need to use a commutator stone on it, do you have any you'd recommend me using? And would it be okay to use the current brushes or would I need new ones?

I can only touch one of the bearings but not directly. Would I be able to tell by touching the outside where the bearing is located in the commutator housing?

If the shaft turns out to be the problem, I want to transfer these brand new bearings to the other motor I have. What is the proper way for replacing the bearings on an Ametek Lamb motor and do you have any tips?