How to disassemble Fantom Fury motor?

[niclonnic]

Following up on the issues with the off-balance fans on my 12 amp Fantom Fury, I decided to take a shot at disassembling the motor.

After disassembling the vacuum down to the motor, I disconnected the three motor wires (yellow, white and black) from the vacuum body, then I looked for a way to get the motor open. I found a couple of long hex screws which secure the brush assembly to the armature. Using a 1/4" driver bit, I removed the screws and pulled the brush assembly away from the armature. Now when I turn the armature by hand, it doesn't turn smoothly, so it's easy to tell that the fans are unbalanced.

Now I'm wondering, how do I fully disassemble the motor without wrecking it? It's an Ametek Lamb motor, pulled from a 2000 Fantom Fury owned by Mike (electroluxxxx) here on Vacuumland. This particular motor has a built-in thermal cutout, so a reset button is unnecessary. I can't find any useful repair videos on YouTube, which is why I'm posting here.

 

[dysonman1]

You didn't need to remove the field coil and brushes.

You'll notice the fan case is really two pieces. You'll need a straight screwdriver and a hammer. The two fan cases are press fitted together.
The gasket is right where the seam is, so you'll need to carefully peel it away from the fan cases. Use the hammer and screwdriver to remove the first fan case.

Then, remove the fan nut and take the fan out. Pry off the second fan case, and remove the spacer and second fan. Wash them both. Use a pipe cleaner to clean the dirt from inside the turbine curves.

 

[niclonnic]

Well...

Using a flathead screwdriver and hammer, I pounded away at the seam, but the first fan case just won't come off at all. It feels like it's glued together super tight.

 

[dysonman1]

If you want to remove the fan nut, you can then pull the armature out. However, you still have to separate the first and second fan cases so you can get to the revolving fans.

 

[madman]

My Ametek motor's fan case was rusted stuck, both to the motor and the two fan cases together. The thing is, it's a challenge to use a screwdriver and hammer to hammer it off, because you can't have the fan case sit on the floor. That'd be like trying to hammer the earth away from you. Doesn't work. You basically need to hold it sideways, and hammer horizontally, so the fan case has somewhere to go (sideways) that's not obstructed by the floor. Give it a good smack then rotate about 10 degrees, and repeat until it's entirely off. Repeat again for the second fan case that's on the motor. Alternatively, have a helper hold the motor in the air vertically. Don't hammer your helper, though.

Be sure you remove the fan nut first! Otherwise you risk bending the fans when the fan case finally comes loose. Make note of the rotation of the fan, the nut may be right or left hand thread depending on the rotation. To unscrew, turn the nut in the direction the fan rotates. An air gun or impact driver is ideal for this. If not, you should still be able to grab the armature VERY firmly in one hand and loosen the nut with the other hand. Doesn't look like this motor is rusty, it should come off.

When reassembling, I recommend applying anti-seize lubricant to the fan nut threads, and you only need to snug the nut, it will tighten itself when the motor runs.

Also, the armature should spin freely and easily as you have it now, without the field and brushes on it. If it does not, that's a bearing problem. Dirty fan blades (excepting the fan case being filled with obstructing debris) won't put a drag on it spinning. Only throw it off balance.

Also, also, get yourself a Dubro balancer if you want to check balance. I used a plank of thin wood to mount mine on, rather than use the supplied base, so I can adjust the distance between each end.

 

[niclonnic]

Unfortunately...

I CANNOT get my motor apart at ALL! Hammering sideways doesn't get the fan cover off, and the fan nut just won't budge, despite using brute force.

This motor, which came out of a 2000 Fantom Fury, had to be modified in order to be used in a 1998 model. Because newer Fury motors have a built-in thermal cutout, eliminating the need for a reset button, Electroluxxxx modified the wiring and removed the reset button from the old housing to allow the new motor to work with it.

I'll likely just give up on attempting to disassemble the motor. At least I made a good effort trying to do this myself.

 

[electroluxxxx]

There were no modifications, it’s just the normal black wire that goes to the motor. The reason for you not being able to get the fan casing apart is because you removed the upper portion of the motor before taking the fan nut off and starting at the bottom. I could very easily take that apart and Toms directions on how to get it apart were pretty clear. It takes you using both palm and fingers. Palm to hold the upper portion of the motor down, fingers to hold the flat blade screwdriver to the edge of the fan housing while using the other hand to tap the case apart.

 

[niclonnic]

Electroluxxxx

Since I am unable to get the fan casing apart, would you like me to mail the motor to you? The gasket has been placed in a Ziploc bag, and the seam is a bit mangled. I also took a picture of the wiring prior to disconnecting the motor, so I know how to reconnect it.

If I'm doing so, are your phone number and address still the same? Because I haven't texted you in months, and it's been a couple years since I sent something to you.

 

[electroluxxxx]

By looking at the dust on the motor, that machine has been used quite a bit and I know it was cleaned and serviced before being sent to you. It’s possible that the fans are caked. It will need to be cleaned.