Electrolux 500 gets some TLC

[madabouthoovers]

I decided that my Electrolux 500 original series was to get pulled apart for a cleanup today, and aside from the usual dirt, the state of the motor amazed me. For some reason, on this model, Electrolux saw fit to install springs inside the fancase, which had virtually become blocked with fluff and dirt over the years. This cleaner has a twin fan motor, and the ducts between the fans could only be seen by removing the fancase housing. The outer fan was easy to clean, but th inner fan had the same spring fitted, which was not accessible. In the end I pulled the spring out through the inner ducts surrounding the front bearing - which was also caked in dirt. A very bad idea to put lint collecting springs in the motor fancase, as these just block up if there is bag burst. The bottom filter was damaged which is what allowed the fluff to enter the motor.
It was no wonder this cleaner had hardly any suction when it came to me.

It appears to have been made in 1973, but I am dubious about the colour mismatch between the cleaner head and the main body. It also appears to have a different colour foot pedal and bleed vent.
Does anyone know if the 500 came like this - or is this cleaner a bodge job of several different cleaners?

Anyway - some pictures.

The cleaner being stripped down:

 

[madabouthoovers]

The motor - split open with fan housing removed - showing the total blockage between the two fans

 

[madabouthoovers]

The only bit where the airflow could actually get through:

 

[madabouthoovers]

Showing the dust build up around the front bearing:

 

[madabouthoovers]

All cleaned up and ready to go!

 

[madabouthoovers]

Rear view:

 

[madabouthoovers]

The bag full whistle knob:

 

[madabouthoovers]

Underside view:

 

[madabouthoovers]

Bag door - showing the underside of the bag full whistle, and foam donut seal

 

[madabouthoovers]

Front view - hard to believe this is nearly 40 years old! It was really ahead of its time when launched in the early 70's, a design classic. The 500 series.

 

[vintagerepairer]

Almost all original. The hood used to discolour so looks greyer than the main body. Your cleaner has generic grey replacement flex and brown flex hook from a later model. Also, the sole plate is off a 502S. The problem with this is that the original 500 used a fatter duct hose which was flattened-out where it runs under the motor and to the plate. Yours still has the original 500 motor cover and this does not allow the later & smaller round duct hose to sit correctly under the motor. Ideally the motor cover needs to be swapped too. But well done on the rebuild.

 

[vintagerepairer]

And a little tip: next time, rather than bending up the tag to the carbon brushe holder (which runs the risk of snapping the tag) try getting hold of the copper cable attached to the brush and pull that back, then wedge it in position.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Thanks for the tips Benny - I found out that the brush tags were fragile, as the 2 small tags on the sides snapped off, but luckily the main tag bent back ok. I had to remove the brushes to allow the commutator to re fit when re-assembling the 2 halves of the motor.
I thought there was something not quite right about that sole plate, as it does not sit flush at the front under the rubber bumper strip. The brushroll has a different type of bearing to the 560 I did earlier, and these seem to cause the sole plate not to fit quite right - but as it is, it does work as long as the screws are done up tightly.

The cleaner as I discovered from other threads is actually original, with the cleaner head being a slightly different shade to the bag housing, and the yellow pedal. Very odd colour scheme.
I suppose trying to find an original 500 sole plate is like the proverbial rocking horse S**t nowadays - maybe one will crop up on ebay some time? maybe not.
How about all that blockage in the fan housing? I just pulled those 2 springs out completely - I cant see why they put them there other than built in obsolescence causing a blockage and motor burnout.

I'm happy with it anyway, and there cant be that many 500's left now, so am keeping onto this one.

 

[vacu-finder]

Nice job on the refurbish.....looks good. Were any parts of the motor worn..?

 

[vintagerepairer]

The 560 and others had ball-race bearings which led to a slimmer profile on the ends and this, along with the tapered furniture guard, gave way to the edge-cleaning feature these models had. The original plate should be easy to find as I have seen a good deal of model 500 on ebay. The entire range was so very popular in it's day.

The springs were said to improve suction. Electrolux called them spiral air baffles. You did well to find the second spring and even better to get it out. I was shown where it was many years ago, but it was well hidden. I don't think I ever saw one of these motors burnt out, regardless of the amount of detritus on the fans, but I saw a good deal which had poor suction and excess noise. By the late 1980's I was starting to aquire a good deal of worn out Electrolux 610 and 612 cleaners. Practically all that was salvageable were the motors, and the design was such that there were no air baffles in them. To that end they were easier to clean and in quieter moments I would strip a cleaner, take what few parts could be used, and scrap the rest. I would then use the motor as and when needed to do a repair to a 500 series. Far easier to switch the motors than it was to clean the old one. I'd keep the old ones on one side and later refurbish them if needed.