thevacuumman
Well-known member
I acquired one at a estate sale for $5 and it is in nice shape and complete with paperwork, but it doesn't power on
Fantom Twister 500DX
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fantomvacuumfan
Well-known member
Thats typical
Those Euro-Pro Fantoms tended to have electrical problems. I had one that I bought at K-Mart for $159.99. It actually worked very well... until only 7 months after buying it, while vacuuming the headlight got real bright, then real weak, the motor changed pitch, got louder then quieter, and then it shut off. At first I thought it was something like the plug came unplugged, so I went to plug it back in, but it was still plugged in. I turned it off and on, nothing. So I let it cool down, tried it again. Still nothing. I finally gave up and put it in the garage for a while, and went back to my cheep Dirt Devil we had back then. Finally, after a few months, I got the Fantom out, plugged it in one last time, tried turning it on, and sure enough it was still dead, so I threw it out. Ive since seen many reviews on amazon.com and other websites where people complain about it doing similar things.
Those Euro-Pro Fantoms tended to have electrical problems. I had one that I bought at K-Mart for $159.99. It actually worked very well... until only 7 months after buying it, while vacuuming the headlight got real bright, then real weak, the motor changed pitch, got louder then quieter, and then it shut off. At first I thought it was something like the plug came unplugged, so I went to plug it back in, but it was still plugged in. I turned it off and on, nothing. So I let it cool down, tried it again. Still nothing. I finally gave up and put it in the garage for a while, and went back to my cheep Dirt Devil we had back then. Finally, after a few months, I got the Fantom out, plugged it in one last time, tried turning it on, and sure enough it was still dead, so I threw it out. Ive since seen many reviews on amazon.com and other websites where people complain about it doing similar things.
director12
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He's right. Euro-Pro Fantoms don't belong to the consumer and Fantom fanboys, they belong to the fires of hell. And I saw the Euro-Pro Fantoms at Kmart and BJs when I was younger.
thevacuumman
Well-known member
Well does anybody have ideas on how to fix it i know the motor isn't bad seeing that i just hooked it up to a test cable and then plugged it in and the motor powered on
szymonrules
New member
well...
You should definitely check all the switches. Mainly the power switch and if
you can, try to disable any of the thermal control on the motor. Tell me how it goes.
You should definitely check all the switches. Mainly the power switch and if
you can, try to disable any of the thermal control on the motor. Tell me how it goes.
kirbylux77
Well-known member
Tyler, I used to have a Fantom Twister 500 DX. I got it from the local vac shop....it came into the local repair shop for repairs, because it was turning on & off for some unexplained reason. When I got it home, I found out the reason was simple. There is the powerhead base, where the motor is housed, & then the upper body with the switch, bin assembly, wand, etc. Those two pieces are connected by a micro-plug & a micro-switch; what was happening was the plug & receptacle were separating just enough when the vacuum was pulled on the back-stroke, that the flow of electricity was cut to the motor. I resolved the problem by cutting out the micro-plug & micro-receptacle, adding a bit of length to the black & white wires, & connecting the wires directly together.
If your vacuum was doing this when you first got it, I would give it a try, & see if this works. The vacuum is definitely worth keeping; these vacuums were outsourced to Sanyo- if you look at their upright line before Panasonic bought Sanyo, they are a model in the Sanyo Dirt Hunter line that was rarely seen in North America, due to their being rebadged Fantom Twister models. They use Sanyo-made motors that are very durable for a Chinese-made motor, & have a very long life to them. So they are worthwhile keeping & using because of the quality of the motor.
Hope this helps....Rob
If your vacuum was doing this when you first got it, I would give it a try, & see if this works. The vacuum is definitely worth keeping; these vacuums were outsourced to Sanyo- if you look at their upright line before Panasonic bought Sanyo, they are a model in the Sanyo Dirt Hunter line that was rarely seen in North America, due to their being rebadged Fantom Twister models. They use Sanyo-made motors that are very durable for a Chinese-made motor, & have a very long life to them. So they are worthwhile keeping & using because of the quality of the motor.
Hope this helps....Rob
director12
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Durable Chinese Motors?
Sanyo is a Japanese company for crying out loud. Sanyo made a vacuum from the Hoover Duros, and they made one from a Fantom Twister? Wow they did not get permission whatsoever.
Sanyo is a Japanese company for crying out loud. Sanyo made a vacuum from the Hoover Duros, and they made one from a Fantom Twister? Wow they did not get permission whatsoever.
thevacuumman
Well-known member
Permission for what?
director12
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Getting vacuums rebadged.
thevacuumman
Well-known member
ah.... well the vac doesnt work so i took out the motor and the hose and attachments and threw everything away
director12
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And how come Euro-Pro focused more on the Shark products, keeping away from Fantom?
treetopguy2028
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I found the black-white wire snap connector
From previous posts about Fantom vacs I searched for the male-female connector where the intermittence seems to happen. In the Twister700LX (model FM780) it is in the upper assembly on the left side. I sprayed CRC electronics cleaner on both connector pieces before reassembly. I think I would like the connectors to be able to float with the handle positions but I'm not sure this can be done. After I complete assembly I'll post a follow ups ith a photo or two.
From previous posts about Fantom vacs I searched for the male-female connector where the intermittence seems to happen. In the Twister700LX (model FM780) it is in the upper assembly on the left side. I sprayed CRC electronics cleaner on both connector pieces before reassembly. I think I would like the connectors to be able to float with the handle positions but I'm not sure this can be done. After I complete assembly I'll post a follow ups ith a photo or two.
treetopguy2028
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Pics of Fantom FM780 Twister 700LX
Pics show disassembled parts except for three small pieces I forgot to include. Second pic shows the OEM wire pair connector I found rusted. I replaced them with Radio Shack #23-444. I have not run a power test yet but I will post a follow through afterward.
Pics show disassembled parts except for three small pieces I forgot to include. Second pic shows the OEM wire pair connector I found rusted. I replaced them with Radio Shack #23-444. I have not run a power test yet but I will post a follow through afterward.
treetopguy2028
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Who aid never give up? Sir Winston Churchill was one person.
This Fantom reassembly is a brain teaser. I wish I had pictures and a schematic. My two years of high school drafting classes plus the experience of designing and laying out ten restaurants between 1965 and 1985 has always been a Godsend for seeing how things fit together. From now on if a customer tells me they "took it apart to see if they could fix it" I will not have "it" in my shop. Plain and simple.
This Fantom reassembly is a brain teaser. I wish I had pictures and a schematic. My two years of high school drafting classes plus the experience of designing and laying out ten restaurants between 1965 and 1985 has always been a Godsend for seeing how things fit together. From now on if a customer tells me they "took it apart to see if they could fix it" I will not have "it" in my shop. Plain and simple.
