Electrolux 500....

[twocvbloke]

Which was supposed to be a Hoover Junior 1334...

Anyway, I'm not too disappointed with having it, I have wanted an Electrolux 500 for a while, just never really took any effort to get one. Anyway, it's visually in good condition, the plastics are remarkably smooth with hardly any nicks or scratches, and it hasn't suffered from serious yellowing like most of it's siblings, so is still the correct Grey colour (though I do believe that other models were sold in Beige, so the yellowing isn't noticeable as much)...

The bumper has perished in most places, it's split, ragged and rather flimsy, so, that'll have to be replaced, with what I don't know given their obsolescence, but I'll think of something I'm sure. The bag chamber has a rather unsavoury odour to it, but I think it's something embedded in the filters, so they're going to get a wash (probably with the HooVax's filter at the same time, saves water!!!), and he whole thing needs a good strip down and clean out cos it's black with carbon dust behind the motor and up through the exhaust!!!

Now, I can't get it running, I don't know if it's due to a faulty power cable, a bad motor, or worn out brushes, so I'm going to have to investigate that, cos it'd be a shame to leave it in non-functioning order, but we shall see, may have to steal the cable from my Unknown Hoover Junior (white cable, white matches everything!!!) to repair it, assuming the motor is good...

And here's an iffy pic I took with my phone, poor lighting courtesy of slow-starting General Electric CFLs (I hate 'em, even cheapo CFLs warm up faster than GE ones do!!), hadn't even wiped it clean for the pic and it still turned out looking pretty good, and don't worry it, didn't stay sat next to the fireplace for more than a couple of minutes, seeing how plastic and fire have a bad habit of mixing!!:

 

[bagintheback]

That looks like a cool vacuum. Please tell us how it works out. Our American CFLs warm up instantly, i wonder whats wrong with yours.

 

[twocvbloke]

"Our American CFLs warm up instantly, i wonder whats wro

It's a chinese-made GE-branded piece of junk, that's what's wrong with it...

I like the Electrolux 500, I vaguely remember the mother having a similar Electrolux upright in the early 90's, most likely the one featured in the first episode of "The secret life of machines", but my memory is pretty hazy about all kinds of things!!!

I haven't got the room to do anything with it today, the niece & nephew are staying here as they're visiting from Worcester, so dismantling a vacuum at the moment is a bit of a challenge, so can't do anything just yet...

Given that the vac is grey in colour, I may just get a "To fit: Dyson" cable, as they pretty much always come in grey, so that should sort that out, assuming I can find one cheap enough. Although the internal wiring is still something to work on though, no point buying new cables if the thing doesn't actually work!!!

It came with some bags, but, they're not the right ones for this model, not sure what they are for, but they're not top-fill like they should be for the Electrolux 500...

 

[vac_whisperer]

David letterman didnt like GE very much in the 1990's... And yes, he talked about the fast-burning GE bulbs. On a lighter note: Nice vac 'ya got there!

VW

 

[alaskabob]

very nice vac

 

[twocvbloke]

Well well well, seems Roger the Bodger has been inside that poor thing, the connections in the handle around the switch were pretty poor, and the worst part is that they have replaced the motor's cabling with none other than the dreaded Speaker Wire Repair!!!!!! :O

And to think, I plugged it in and wondered why it didn't work... :S

Good lord it's awful inside, and the more I wipe the thing down, the more it reveals that the plastics are more scuffed up than I had previously thought, so, yeah, this is turning into a serious restoration, both for aesthetics and electrical safety!!!

Found the ID plate though, it's only 425 Watts, so it'll be fine with 3 Amp cable, though given that the cable grip was made for thicker 6 Amp, I think I'll just go for over-rating, better to be over than under rated...

Need to find my multimeter, get that motor checked over, not that I can do much with it cos Electrolux made that motor practically unservicable, fan pressed on and not removable, field coil held on with tough clips that break when you try to bend them, and brush holders that have no obvious way of removing them.... :S

Not to mention the bearings feel dryer than the sahara desert, and I can't access them without taking the motor apart, and I can't take the motor apart without causing permanent damage... :S

I wonder if that 1400w Vax motor would fit this?

 

[twocvbloke]

Finally!!! I brought the motor back to life!!! I think the suppressor capacitors were buggered, and therefore shorted the thing out and blew a fuse (better than the capacitor blowing, they REALLY stink!!!), just need to replace said capacitors cos they're required as arc suppressors (reduces wear on the motor and reduces RF interference), but either way I'm very happy indeed...

So, now I know it's a runner, I can get the thing some parts (cable, bags, capacitors) and clean it up properly, or at least as best as I can (they fused the plastic together, so can't be split up as easily as most other vacs), rewire it, reassemble it, and finally enjoy it...

That'll be vac number two that's been brought back from the dead...

Just need number three to arrive, cos that's dead too apparently...

 

[petek]

I'd have thought those would be quite common over there. I'm glad I lucked out and found mine when I did and in great shape as well.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[twocvbloke]

hehe, Dometic, I've only seen that brand attached to gas fridges for motorhomes, caravans and boats, never seen it applied to Electrolux vacuums before!!

At one point they were pretty common, mostly in the 80s, but as the 90's came, they were seen as unfashionable, so they practically all vanished, the only others I have seen of late were pretty beaten up (saw a dark-grey one like that from the same place I bought a spin-dryer), not working, or just basically a pile of scrap parts...

Still, Electrolux are getting money from that design, cos Casdon still make kid's toy vacs based on the z500 series, see link below, but the actual vacs are hard to find, cos people try and sell them, nobody buys them and then they just throw them away...

Still at least I know I have saved one more from the scrapheap...

And just for the heck of it, here's how they work (skip to 7:43):



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310297874227

 

[eurekaprince]

Quick question: Does this vac have two motors?

If only one, then how does it divert suction to the hose at the bottom of the handle? Unless this is a clean air set-up with a second suction motor at the bottom of the bag chamber, it seems that the hose is being inserted into the channel that sends dirt up into the bag...I'm a bit mystified about how the hose port works.

Thanks in advance!

 

[vacbear58]

Various points

Strictly this should be in the vintage forum as the Lux 500 ran from 1970 - 1975, although the model series went on until around 1995 with a few modifications but more or less the same design.

In principle, it operates rather like the DAM with the motor behind the bag although obviously different enough so as not to infringe Hoover patents. The the suction path is directed down the handle where it meets up with the flexible tube to carry the suction to the brushroll. Near the bottom of the handle is a cover over what looks like a standard canister hose connection. This cover can be rotated to reduce suction (I doubt that anyone actually USED this feature), or removed to allow the hose to be connected. A picture tells it more easily, on the hose attachment is what I can only describe as a cup which was inserted in the suction channel which diverted the suction down the hose and away from the brushroll - this worked well and is pretty much as convenient as attaching a hose on the DAM.

Dometic is just one of Electrolux Europe's many brand names, I am guessing that by the 1970s they did not have rights to the Lux name in North America, and also to differentiate it from US upright Luxes.

This was a great cleaner and very popular in its day. It is true to say that by the end of its life it was looking a bit long in the tooth (rather like the Hoover Junior in that respect) but its long life is a testament to what a good and convenient cleaner it was.
Al

 

[twocvbloke]

It is a single-motor setup, the hose appears to plug into that suction relief valve on the back (just pulls out) and then you insert the hose and then you do your above the floor cleaning...

It's a clean-air fan setup, so the hose basically cuts into the path of the airflow and diverts it through the hose...

Infact, looking at the thing while it's dismantled, it's literally a cylinder/cannister vac that's been slapped onto an upright setup, and carefully modified to work as an upright...

Anyway, the cleaning has begun, the prefilters that smelled horrid are now smelling nice and clean, and that's all I have dine, cos I've been working on the Vax (thought I'd clean the filters all at the same time), only problem is the little foam ring that sits round the bag opening has disintegrated, so I'll have to find some new foam and cut it to fit, though I think I shall use something that'll seal a bit better, cos that old foam was rather flimsy and was rather dirty indicating it was leaking...

 

[twocvbloke]

hehe, beaten to the hose thing....

 

[eurekaprince]

But if the motor is in the big box that is attached to the handle, how does it drive the brush roll? Unlike the DAM and other bag-first uprights, this unit has a narrow "neck" connecting the bag compartment section and the brushroll section. I am still a bit confused.....do any of you guys have an exploded parts diagram....sorry to be so dumb about this!

 

[twocvbloke]

The motor lives in the base, watch this video ans skip to 7:43...

 

[eurekaprince]

Thanks for the link David!

Well, that really answers my question!

Fascinating layout - the handle actually has two air channels, one sucking air up from the floor into the bag, and another from the bag back down into the base where the suction originates. It's a bit of detour for the air to get from the carpet to the motor - but I guess it works and gives you an easy way to plug in a hose for attachment use!

As the little comedian on "Laugh In" used to say: "Verrrry Interrrresting......."

 

[twocvbloke]

Technically it's three channels, cos the air goes back up and out the vent in the rear of the machine...

That said, the motor has no Post-filter, so the vent in my z500 is horribly blackened with carbon deposits, and it's not easy to access, so I may just "upgrade" it with one of those long tubular Sebo X-series upright filters, once I clean it out of course...

It is an interesting design, probably quite revolutionary for the time, but it's the norm today on most bagless vacs, apart from the exhaust in the back, cos it all come out the top of the motor housing instead of back up into the bag/bin section...

 

[twocvbloke]

Seeing as I know where the ID plate resides, I'll note the info on it:

Model: Z500a
Prod. No.: 9004401
Serial: 3 38
Volts: 240~
Freq.: 50C/S
Power: 425 Watts

 

[vacbear58]

Brochure

For 500