D2C motor / Fan assembly cleaning

[joetrader]

Rebuilding D2 with bypass motor. The space between air deflector and motor housing base is crammed and holes going around the housing base almost solid with crud. I destroyed a perfectly good air deflector trying to remove it for cleaning. Anyone successfully clean that out without removing the deflector? I have run into this in the past and tried soaking in water and dish detergent but it didn't work very well. I am finding the deflector hard to find as well.
ALSO, I would like to clean the fans and fan housing assemblies. Again have in the past tried soaking but how to dissolve and get all that hard to get off fine dust coating build up? Also,anyone try coating the surfaces with some kind of coating / polish to attempt to keep this from happening, possibly decrease drag and improve suction?
Thanks again.

 

[madman]

Not sure. Try different solvents. Try Simple Green, preferably a hot solution.

 

[bikerray]

By deflector do you mean the motor housing shell or are you talking about the spider that the separator rides on or are you talking about the flange ring that is around the spider?

If you're trying to get the motor housing shell off you have to take off the fan housings and bearing plate then feed the wires through the shell then you can slide the housing up and off.

If your talking about trying to get the spider off you need to take off the flange ring first.

If you are talking about trying to get the flange ring off sometimes the screws that hold the flange ring in place will rust in place.

How are you destroying the air deflector?

 

[dysonman1]

I can easily get an air deflector off a Rainbow motor without destroying it at all. Once the shell and spider wheel are off, use a large straight screwdriver into holes in the housing on the opposite side of the air deflector, and tap with a hammer. The Air Deflector will come right out. Then run the metal motor housing, and all the fans, through the dishwasher with powder detergent to get them clean.

 

[luxlife]

Powder detergent....some wisdom right there...

The powder version of Cascade does things that all the other gimmicky won’t do.

 

[joetrader]

D2-D3C motor / Fan assembly cleaning

Thanks Dysonman. I had tried that going around trying to loosen it up but the steel seemed to corroded to the aluminum housing. Maybe need to clean the outer edge more next time and try soaking in penetrating oil. Like the idea of dishwasher, though don't have one. Will see if I can convince a friend to let me washer motor and vacuum parts in theirs!!!

@ bikeray, look up air deflector for rainbow on a parts site and you will see what is referred to. it's a dished steel plate that sits on the bottom of the motor housing and is pressed in.

 

[lesinutah]

Pipe

If you want to clean the fans use long pipe cleaning brush. Pipe cleaners similar to a craft pipe cleaner. Really small nylon brushes with a wire aluminum handle.
Im attaching a pic.
If you use them they fit in the channels of the fan blades. Its what I use to clean fans on the e series.

 

[joetrader]

Cleaning

Thanks Luxlife and MadMan for the cleaning tips!