Is my Sanitaire a gonner after water exposure?

[colovacman]

Hi all,
Since I'm not a repair person by any means, I thought I'd pick your brains on my Sanitaire. Last May we discovered we had a broken pipe at our mountain house which caused considerable water damage (i.e. we had to gut the entire house). My Sanitaire was in a room was not hit with standing water but the room itself was damp (rare for Colorado). We don't know how long the water was in the house. After the water was shut off, everything was packed up and stored for the summer/winter while we completed construction.

Last week I got it out, changed the belt and bag and noticed a small amount of light rust on the clips to the belt/fan cover. When I flipped the machine on, it worked fine but emitted a horrible mold smell.

So, would it be worth it to take it in for a "spa day" at the local shop and see if that takes care of the smell (and maybe some of the rust) or is it likely to be ingrained in the machine forever?

I didn't check my Electrolux (Renny) but fear the same thing will happen with it when I start it up.

Any suggestions/advice would be appreciated! Hate to see my vacs in bad condition since they've been babied for years.

 

[twocvbloke]

Just clean it out and it'll be fine, they're pretty simple and very strong machines, so a little rust and a funny smell isn't going to kill it...

My Electrolux C12 (same thing, different continent) was in terrible condition, full of dirt in the motor, and parts very worn out, but with some work, replacement parts and a good wash, and it's perfect, still have some little bits to do, but it's working great...