Electrolux Silverado

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Nice vacuum! I wish mine was that nice!

I just used my Silverado Deluxe today to clean out my car after a beach trip! I got it for free on Ebay as a bonus with an Ultralux Classic (that I've, regrettably, since sold). The Silverado was (and still is) rusty, scratched, dented, faded, and has odd duct-tape residue... but she still runs like a champ, even the cord winder works!

Mine came with the same PN... I'm pretty sure I'm accurate on this: I think the Diamond Jubilee first came with a Light Sand Beige PN with a red reset switch for several years and then switched to a Jade (basically black) PN, like the final Silverados had, but with an on/off switch on the base.

If your Silverado is a Deluxe and has a Diamond Jubilee-style PN that has a red reset switch but NOT an on/off base switch like the later Jade-colored DJ PN, it's very likely still original equipment. I don't think the DJ was ever sold with a black PN with a red reset switch.

I'm not sure I entirely agree that the Silverado was the last of the best Electrolux vacs. My Diamond Jubilee was an '85 model that went from my grandparents, to my parents, to me. In the middle, it was borrowed by my sister and me to clean our college apartments every few months. It *did* need a motor replacement, but not until like 2015ish. That's pretty good mileage, I think. My mom vacuumed several times a week because we had a dog, and the vac was definitely abused when my sister and I were in college. I think that era was still a good era. I miss the metal body vacs and hope Aerus doesn't kill the Legacy and Classic anytime soon. I dig the retro vibe.
 
Fixed It!

I haven't logged in for a while but I was able to fix my grandma's old Silverado after all. I ordered the generic switch without the bracket plate from a reputable vacuum parts store on Amazon and it fixed my problem, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to rivet the new switch onto the old bracket because of the shape of the bracket. There wasn't a very large flat area to be able to press in the pop rivet flush with it. I decided to try to disassemble the old switch and see if I could make it work. I pried the teeth outward on both ends on one side clamping onto the top plastic edge of the switch assembly and I was able to get it apart to clean it really good. It was very simple, just a slider with a spring and a metal circle that fit on top of the spring that touches the contacts on either end as you move the switch. Mine was just caked in carbon dust and was no longer making a good connection (the Deoxit actually made it worse). The thin metal circle was melted a little on one end but I cleaned everything really good and clamped it back together and it worked perfectly so I didn't have to use the new switch. I found a used unit on eBay for a fair price that had an excellent original woven hose and I took the front caster off it as well as mine had lost all of it's ball bearings and didn't want to roll. I'll clean up the donor unit and sell it with the vinyl Electrolux hose my grandma was using and the aluminum wands and a generic floor tool and other attachments that came with it. I don't have a PN or wands for mine but I will only use it to vacuum out vehicles so I don't need them. After I got mine all cleaned up, I took it to my grandma's to blow out the motor to get all the carbon dust out with my grandpa's air compressor. My grandma said "Who's vacuum is that"? I told her it was her's of course and she said surprised, "It looks brand new"! She was exaggerating a little, but it is amazing what a little cleaning can do to revive an old, neglected vacuum.
 
Just goes to show how hard to kill a high end vacuum cleaner from that era really is. It's not an exaggeration when I claim that machines like that in good shape are 'better than new'.

Enjoy your 'family heirloom'.
 
I have seen

Some generic hoses in 10 and 15 feet with the electric wiring in them…not as often more recently though. This would help to clean a room without having to bring the canister into the room so closely or as far from a power outlet. I do use an extension cord with my Electrolux canister, it helps delete the problem of having to plug in room to room…now I can just plug it in in the hall out,et and I can get into each room far enough. If there’s too much cord as a result…I can just let some of the main cord go into the cordwinder since it will lock in at most any distance.

Jon
 
If you like…

How nicely the rug and floor tool with gleaner works on your stairs…buy a sidekick which will blow your socks off! It’s a mini power nozzle you attach to the hose handle and is fully electric to fluff and deep clean carpeted stairs, sofas, upholstery, and more. It does a fantastic job removing pet hair as well.

Jon
 
I have a "new" Silverado too

Greetings all, a few weeks ago I took delivery of a Silverado Deluxe, complete and original. The hose was too leaky to use but I've always preferred the genuine vinyl hoses ever since they came out, so I got one. I test-ran the main unit when it arrived and it sounded fine. Today I actually cleaned with it, and I was very happy to have this model again. I agree it's one of Electrolux's best, and having this one makes me a little sorry I didn't keep the one I had some years ago. But not too sorry, because it went to charity and I always felt good cleaning/fixing/donating good vacs that will last for years.

That was something I did for about 5 years. I've moved twice and no longer have access to a ready supply of vacs that I can examine before purchase. It's always a nail-biter when I buy from eBay, but my recent vac purchases have all been great.
 
Hey David, your vacuum closet looks a lot like mine! Of course, I've also got them lined up along the back hallway for lack of a better place to put them. Bottom line. I have too darn many vacuums.
 

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