HOOVER Ranger Broken Down...

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jmurray01

jmurray01

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
4,070
Location
Scotland
Less than a week to Christmas, and what festive cheer is my HOOVER Senior Ranger bringing me ? A break down! :(

Today I took the Ranger out to vacuum the house, and after only 15 seconds of cleaning it turned off, then turned back on again. I thought it was probably a loose connection on the cord, and decided I'd continue cleaning the house and check it out later.

Well when I got started on the next room it did it again, but didn't turn back on this time, no matter how much I rattled the cord around.

I turned it off at the plug, and when I turned it back on again, it worked, then cut out and wouldn't go back on again (although it probably would have if I turned the plug off and on like I did before).

I decided to leave it and use the Turbopower to finish up, and now I need your help.

The only thing I've noticed that may be of any help is that the little cord "holder" on the handle is allowing the cord to slide through it rather than holding it firmly as it was before.

34 years of flawless service and it dies just before Christmas...
 
Its not dead yet!

Sounds to me like the cord has broken down, somehwere around the upper cable guide like you suggest. Is it the original cable, for I remember when I used one of these as my daily driver I had to replace the flex too - and not when it was that old either.

The good news is that it is a very easy repair, just cut the flex (do make sure it is unplugged of course) a little beyond the point of the cable guide (on the "good" side of course) and reconnect to the cleaner. Hopefully the overall flex should not be too short, but it is easily replaced - the original cable was white anyway.

For North American members - the flex and switching arrangements in the Uk are different - the flex goes down the outside of the handle to a footswitch - it was done that way from model 612 (1950) onwards

Al
 
So basically I should cut it at a bit below the guide and a bit above the guide, then attach both bits together ?

How would I attach them together ? Soldering ?
 
No!

Having cut the flex, remove the remaining flex from the cleaner and re-attach the "good" length of cable to the cleaner. If you are not sure about re-newing the connection on the cleaner (its really easy as I remember it) you could use a cable connector - one with cord grips on either side - NOT block connectors

Al
 
I doubt it is the plug, but I'll check tomorrow.

Trust me, I'm praying it is a loose wire in the plug, but I'm not expecting that!
 
I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but there were only about three strands of wire from the brown lead actually in contact with the plug.

I pushed the lead in further so that all the cable was connecting with the plug, put the cover back on, plugged it in, and with trepidation pressed the power button on the cleaner...

And she roared into life sounding even better than before!

And also, the "Hedlite" was even brighter than before, LEADing (pun intended) me to believe that the brown cable had been loose for a while, creating a lack of power making the light dimmer and the motor not to run as well.

I'm so chuffed that my HOOVER is back in business! :)

Oh, and before I go, here is a picture of something amazing - The original 13 Amp "NETTLE" fuse from 1977! I thought it would have been replaced some time down the line, but it seems not. I did think the screws on the plug looked like they'd never been turned before, and that must be why!

jmurray01++12-20-2011-10-54-7.jpg
 
Well thats good its running and thats why i said check the plug before doing anything dramatic, because sometimes it is something daft.
I am from Glasgow what about you?
 
Well thank goodness I took your advise and didn't start replacing the whole flex to find it was just the plug connection!

I'm from Buckie, roughly in between Inverness and Aberdeen, on the Moray coast.

What cleaners do you have in your collection ?
 
I hope you replaced that fuse with a 3 Amp fuse (Approx. 700w max, more than enough for the rating of that Hoover model), sticking another 13 Amp in there could lead to a fire (or worse) if the motor failed out and the fuse did not blow... :&#92

Oh, and I'd recommend looking in your camera's settings (and instructions) for a Macro mode, it's great for getting clear close-up shots... :P
 
I have a 1976 Senior 6525E which is our everyday vac and a 1969 652A which i use for research and fiddling about with to see how everything works, and 2 Juniors a 1974 1354A and a 1973 1346A which i gave to the cleaner in my work today.
 
So you're telling me that the 13 Amp fuse that HOOVER themselves put in is the wrong one!?

Also, the original plug itself says a 13 Amp fuse should be fitted, and all my other cleaners have 13 Amp fuses too (including my 500 Watt Electrolux).
 
Very lucky!
~I have got to do my own version of retrobrite on my senior, change cord and the cord hooks. I never seam to get ones like you!
Anyone know how to change the cord hooks. I have the 2 on my junior handle but dont know how to take them off and put them on?
 
Well, I doubt that Hover will have fitted the plug, as back in those days, appliances generally came without a plug, and either the retail shop it was bought from, or the customer themselves fit a plug, and some people didn't (and still don't) quite understand the meaning of fuse ratings...

A 13 Amp fuse is for devices that use up to 3 Kilowatts, and I don't think your 600 Watt Ranger uses that much power, if your motor shorted out, then your cable will heat up pretty fast, catch fire, burn you, your carpet, the vac itself and maybe even your entire house before the fuse blew, if it blew at all, this is the reason why you NEED to fit a 3 Amp fuse, they're designed with different ratings for a damned good reason, regardless of whether some low-IQ person in the 70's fitted it, it's for your safety, if you don't, well, I hope you have Home and Life insurance........

Just because a plug says it can have a 13 Amp fuse fitted doesn't mean it HAS to have one fitted, be smart and fit a 3 Amp Fuse...
 
Yes, lucky indeed!

I could be wrong, but if the hooks don't have any visible screws, perhaps they just pull or twist off ?

I was going to post this as another thread, but I guess I'll ask it here:

What do you guys use to polish the plastic on your Vacuum Cleaners ?
 
OK, you've convinced me, I'll buy two 3 Amp fuses for my HOOVER and Electrolux (all the others are above 700W) as soon as I can and get them fitted.
 
All my machines have 13amp fuses and the only one with an origonal plug is my 1354A which has a Manweb plug on where it was purchased many years ago but not by me.
 
I guess you'd better replace your fuses too then.

Must be a common mistake by the first owners/retailers putting 13 Amp fuses on when it should have been 3 Amp fuses.
 
For the others above 700w, use a 5 Amp fuse (good for up to 1200 Watts), and yes, I spelled Hoover wrong...

Sorry to be so brash about it, but, I'm very cautious when it comes to electrical safety, and there's just not enough education about even the simplest things like fuses in plugs, why they're there, and what the ratings mean...

3 Amp - Up to 700 Watts
5 Amp - Up to 1200 Watts
10 Amp - Up to 2400 Watts (not a common fuse though)
13 Amp - Up to 3000 Watts

Note it down somewhere...
 
So I should replace all the other 13 Amp fuses in my other cleaners too ? Even though they have moulded plugs which WERE made by the manufacturers who fitted them with 13 Amp ones ?
 
In simple terms, yes, I never trust ANY moulded plug with a factory-fitted fuse, I always fit my own (I do keep a stock of the ones I remove though), I'd rather have my wiring properly protected than rely on anything from a factory, especially so if the appliance originated in China...
 
"Well i aint replacing them they have been there for yea

Well, if you use a 3 KILOWATT fuse in a 250 Watt vacuum's plug, it ain't going to blow if there's a fault, and if it doesn't blow, you get a lot of heat in the cable, like the heating element in an electric fire, and with heat on plastic, you get fire, and when you get fire, well, suffice to say, I'm sure you've seen plenty of reports on TV about people dying in house fires due to electrical faults...

You're choice, fit the right fuse and be safe, or stick with the 13 Amp fuse and risk losing your, or someone else's life...
 

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