Does anyone have...
- Thread starter logan
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I have the similar model 441, only difference being it has a cover over the attachments and the hose that came with is split like no other I've ever seen which is odd because all the hoses on the older Kenmores have stood the test of time. I checked Sears website and a new hose costs someething like $80
Geeze that was fast LOL. I hate seeing mine sitting here with no hose but I'm not spending any big money for a hose. In fact the same vac is downtown at the flea market in good shape, silver colored though, with an excellent hose for $25. One with my name on it will turn up eventually.
oldappliancenut
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I got that machine
danemodsandy
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Logan:
Be VERY careful with that new hose. Those Panasonic-built machines had hoses that just loved to split close to the hose handle, where they get the most strain. To keep the problem from occurring, avoid storing the hose attached to the power nozzle. That will make it bend over a very small radius, straining the vinyl in that area. I'm attaching a pic of the no-no I'm referring to- every manufacturer displays machines this way, and it's the worst thing you can do for a hose.
These Sears hoses were much more split-prone than most. For a while there, replacement hoses were extremely HTF; I understand that Sears had some sort of falling-out with Panasonic. I had to discard a TOL Sears Whispertone machine some years ago because nobody but nobody had a replacement hose. I think they're easier to find now, but still, eighty bucks is eighty bucks.
Here's the pic- notice how the hose is almost doubled over where it is attached at the top of the PN wand. This is a TriStar MG series machine, but it's the same with all vacs.
Be VERY careful with that new hose. Those Panasonic-built machines had hoses that just loved to split close to the hose handle, where they get the most strain. To keep the problem from occurring, avoid storing the hose attached to the power nozzle. That will make it bend over a very small radius, straining the vinyl in that area. I'm attaching a pic of the no-no I'm referring to- every manufacturer displays machines this way, and it's the worst thing you can do for a hose.
These Sears hoses were much more split-prone than most. For a while there, replacement hoses were extremely HTF; I understand that Sears had some sort of falling-out with Panasonic. I had to discard a TOL Sears Whispertone machine some years ago because nobody but nobody had a replacement hose. I think they're easier to find now, but still, eighty bucks is eighty bucks.
Here's the pic- notice how the hose is almost doubled over where it is attached at the top of the PN wand. This is a TriStar MG series machine, but it's the same with all vacs.
danemodsandy
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Forgot To Say:
Logan:
Pete is correct that older Kenmore machines had very durable hoses. It's this '80s generation of Panasonic-built machines that had a problem. I believe that Sears has since corrected the situation.
Logan:
Pete is correct that older Kenmore machines had very durable hoses. It's this '80s generation of Panasonic-built machines that had a problem. I believe that Sears has since corrected the situation.
aeoliandave
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Logan and Brian, this is the same-ish Kenmore I snatched out of a curbside pile on All City Free Junk on the Lawn Day in Woodstock Ontario last spring. Like Pete's, well, the hose taping speaks to the splits in the vinyl. The Powermate is gray and certainly didn't come with this originally and it's missing the headlight cover. But it does all work, quite nicely.
Made in USA and sold through Sears Canada, the specs are Kenmore Model 116 with Power-Mate and Magicord Reel, 8.5 amps - 11.5 amps w Power-mate.
There's a stamp on the bottom that leads me to think it was made in 1987?
So, why and what is the meaning of that red 639 printed on the top where yours' have 3.9 and 4.1?
Under the lid there were no tools in the dimples...and oddly, no tools in my parts bin fit inside either. :-(
Oh well, I do have that Powermate Junior which is so effective on stair carpeting.
Made in USA and sold through Sears Canada, the specs are Kenmore Model 116 with Power-Mate and Magicord Reel, 8.5 amps - 11.5 amps w Power-mate.
There's a stamp on the bottom that leads me to think it was made in 1987?
So, why and what is the meaning of that red 639 printed on the top where yours' have 3.9 and 4.1?
Under the lid there were no tools in the dimples...and oddly, no tools in my parts bin fit inside either. :-(
Oh well, I do have that Powermate Junior which is so effective on stair carpeting.
It's nice to see Felix overseeing the operations as usual. That cleaner seems to be a really popular item.
aeoliandave
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Excepting the dreadful hose they are well made with thick quality plastics, tho mine only pulls 47" on the Suck-O-Meter.
Felix is a born ham. LOL
Felix is a born ham. LOL
He's a treasure! I'll have to premier my latest canisters soon, too many other things jamming up the works.
filterqueen83
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logan
what a nice vac my cousin had one of those I used to love to use it has excellent cleaning power and sooo quiet
what a nice vac my cousin had one of those I used to love to use it has excellent cleaning power and sooo quiet
filterqueen83
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logan
what a nice vac my cousin had one of those I used to love to use it has excellent cleaning power and sooo quiet
what a nice vac my cousin had one of those I used to love to use it has excellent cleaning power and sooo quiet
DesertTortoise
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I just acquired one of those yesterday, a Kenmore 4.1 in a sober gray color with a cover over the tool tray. I want to clean out the motor compartment, motor and cord reel but I'm unsure how to remove the motor cover. Unlike a Whimpertone, when I remove the bag compartment cover I do not see any screws down inside the slots. Looking at the diagram on Sears Parts Direct there are no screws shown in that location. The only way I see to remove the cover is to pry off the cord retract button cover and there should, or might, be a screw down there. After that I am at a loss unless removing that screw makes prying it off obviously easy or something.
Any advice on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Any advice on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
rugsucker
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Sears
One of the better canisters in its price range with good atts.
The cover at rear with switch & cord buttons snaps in place at the corners just above bumper.Gently insert and pry with flat screwdriver and it lifts straight up exposing 2 screws at rear corners and lifts up.The same 2 screws that a Sears Service Center left out of a repair for what is now my customer.(AS always use CAUTION around cordwinders and springs!)
One of the better canisters in its price range with good atts.
The cover at rear with switch & cord buttons snaps in place at the corners just above bumper.Gently insert and pry with flat screwdriver and it lifts straight up exposing 2 screws at rear corners and lifts up.The same 2 screws that a Sears Service Center left out of a repair for what is now my customer.(AS always use CAUTION around cordwinders and springs!)
DesertTortoise
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Thanks rugsucker. Took it apart just as you said and now she is spotless inside and out. All it needs now to be perfect is a new-ish cord reel. The existing cord has a cut in the outer rubber shield (wires inside undamaged) and the reel itself is a little weak reeling in the last 2-3 feet of cord. I may know where a good used one is, maybe. Not exactly sure if the shop knows the reel I am looking for. Oh, if I really wanted to be fussy I could replace the rubber rub strip around the edges. It has a few small battle scars. A hose end with a suction control would be a nice to have too since the motor is one speed. Still, for a twenty year old vacuum the motor brushes look essentially unworn and it has outstanding suction. Love those big Ametek Lamb motors! Nice simple vacuum that will probably never really wear out if it's not abused.
DesertTortoise
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Logan, that is a beautiful machine you have. Something I find interesting is that the color scheme and graphics on it match those of an earlier generation early 1980's Kenmore 4.1 I inherited from my parents, one of the earlier boxy models that uses the Type E bag (5023 or 5033) and that impossible to find bag adapter and with the "Tool Garden" that snaps on the top of the bag compartment lid. Cream colored plastic, brown trim and red and brown graphics. I have the 4.1 version of your machine with a push button to retract the cord and lid over the tool tray. It is a sober gray with gray trim and slightly darker gray graphics, almost like a low-vis military paint scheme on a modern fighter aircraft!
Also your Powermate is very nearly exactly the same Powermate as the one that came with the aforementioned older 4.1, differing only in that your Powermate doesn't have a headlight, and yours has a lot fewer battle scars than mine (my mom wasn't thinking preserving it as a collectable when she rammed it under furniture and banged it against baseboards to clean!). Same color and graphics as mine. You can rebuild that thing indefinitely. All the guts remain in production for half a dozen different power mates. Under the skin it's part for part identical to a Hayden Superpack.
I don't see a cord retract button so does yours have the pull to retract cord like my older 4.1 and similar previous generation boxy 3.9 do? These seem to be a transition model from the old boxy Kenmores of the '70's and '80's to the Whimpertones, kind of a best of both worlds with a modern shape, bags and filters you can still buy easily yet they have the good plastics and Ametek-Lamb motors that made old Kenmores so durable and worth the cost.
Very nice vaccum. Sure wish I could find some literature on them.
Also your Powermate is very nearly exactly the same Powermate as the one that came with the aforementioned older 4.1, differing only in that your Powermate doesn't have a headlight, and yours has a lot fewer battle scars than mine (my mom wasn't thinking preserving it as a collectable when she rammed it under furniture and banged it against baseboards to clean!). Same color and graphics as mine. You can rebuild that thing indefinitely. All the guts remain in production for half a dozen different power mates. Under the skin it's part for part identical to a Hayden Superpack.
I don't see a cord retract button so does yours have the pull to retract cord like my older 4.1 and similar previous generation boxy 3.9 do? These seem to be a transition model from the old boxy Kenmores of the '70's and '80's to the Whimpertones, kind of a best of both worlds with a modern shape, bags and filters you can still buy easily yet they have the good plastics and Ametek-Lamb motors that made old Kenmores so durable and worth the cost.
Very nice vaccum. Sure wish I could find some literature on them.
