AP-100 to be rescued or not

[quebecois]

Hey all !

I just got an ELux AP-100 almost for a free, the machine stopped after it sucked gyproc dust. The previous owner told me she opened the machine to clean it (I can't tell what she exactly did) and she told me it worked again but it was very noisy. WHen I got the machine, the side bumpers were apart, as well as the bag door.

When I finished opening it yesterday evening, I realized the three clips that hold the fan covers together were nowhere to be found, so I assume most of the noise came from covers vibrating loose.

My question is: is it possible to have this motor back in good working condition just by cleaning it thouroughly? WHat should I use to achieve this: compressed air, iso alcool on rotor and fields, hot water with a brush and then WD-40?

 

[luxkid1980]

Hopefully there was a bag inside. She should have used a wet/dry vacuum for a job like that. Is there evidence that the dust got through the bag (other than the motor sounds bad)? Dusty bag chamber? Did the bag burst open?

 

[quebecois]

The bag compartment was cleaned by her. The motor parts are covered with a thin layer of light gray dust, which I assume is graphite dust from the brushes mixed with gyproc dust.

I don't think the bag bursted, it is dirty in there, but not much more than usual.

 

[madman]

If it's running as-is, it shouldn't require such cleaning effort. Compressed air to blow off all the dust should be plenty. If it's still noisy after replacing those clips and loose parts, make sure the fan is not rubbing on the covers.

 

[quebecois]

I actually didn't hear it running, I assume all the woman said is true...

I went far enough is the disassemblying process to realize that the bearing needs to be replaced, it is pretty loose, I wouldn't be surprised if gyproc dust made its way in the bearing too.

 

[quebecois]

Well, that bearing was quite a surprise ! Not because it was shot , but because it is the first time I see one with races in a AP-100 Elux cleaner.

 

[huskyvacs]

That vacuum should have never been used to clean up construction debris. IDK what people think. That dust is very coarse and very fine - so assume it got everywhere. It should have a complete motor disassembly, cleaning, and reassemble. Inspect every part for abrasion and damage and replace.

I have a Kirby that was nearly destroyed in the same way but with drywall debris. It took a lot of work to restore the motor alone nevermind everything else on the vacuum that got clogged with it. Luckily it was an older model that had a metal fan, so all the coarse debris did to the fan was sandblast it, lol Its oddly more polished than the rest of the vacuum. If it was a plastic fan I'm sure it would have been done for! The motor itself was nearly done for, luckily it must have not been run long after cleaning up the debris to get into the motor too much but the dirt was in the grooves of the armature too.

 

[quebecois]

A complete disassembly is pretty much what I have in mind.

I installed a new motor bearing earlier today.

 

[huskyvacs]

Awesome! It probably sounds better already! Did the bearing come pre-made, or did you have to get it all rebuilt from scratch?

 

[madman]

Only missing, what, 4 bearing balls?

Also, NEVER assume anything the customer said is valid.

 

[huskyvacs]

Yeah I wondered if that was normal or not to have the bearing ring have that big of a gap in it. How do they go missing? Do they just gradually wear themselves out and disintegrate?

And yeah I've gotten the old "the motor is making a funny noise" remark before. Turn it on and it sounds like a MD-80 taking off. Yeah that's a 'funny noise' alright!

 

[quebecois]

Huskyvac's : I already have a few new bearings on a shelf, this one was a 629.

 

[madman]

Either a ball escapes completely out the side, or it (or the race) will chip from a stress fracture or whatever, and the loose tiny chip of extremely hard metal gets rolled around in the bearing and tears everything else up, sometimes including the balls. This happens with gears too, where a tooth will chip and that piece gets crunched between the other gears until it destroys them.

 

[huskyvacs]

[No message]

 

[quebecois]

Motor is more dirty that it looked at first sight.

I gave it a good toothbrushing but it seems it's not enough to clean the windings? Would you suggest I clean them with compressed air only?

 

[quebecois]

I decided to replace the top fan, because I realized one of the fins was damaged.

I have a used in good condition from a dead motor.

 

[quebecois]

Last update: after a good cleaning of the motor with compressed air, I tested the motor with its new bearing and it works like a charm, strong and quiet !

I also had to change the very top section of the vac because the handle was broken.

After that I thought everything was fine and dandy, but then I realized the machine didn't roll freely on the floor when I used it to dust the kitchen and living room. It appeared the front wheel was too loose on its pivot.

I vampirized a dead AP-100 I have in my basement to solve both of these problems.

Finally, I bought a few accessories this morning including an air sanitizer (or whatever is it called) , I'm not familiar with this gizmo, how should I install it on the vac? Do I connect the hose in the blower port and then simply slip the biggest end of the sanitizer on the free end of the hose ?