Is this Kenmore Canister worth fixing?

[dwl93]

I have this old Kenmore Canister of my grandparents. I believe it's from the mid to late 60's or early 70's (correct me if I'm wrong). I've had it for a few months now, and am just finally posting about it here. I used it once, and the suction was decent for a vacuum that survived two basement floods, the motor did whine a little, but it had no burning smell. The biggest problem I have with it however is that the hose has plenty of cracks in it and is being held together by packing tape (as seen in the photos below. So, would a replacement hose be easy to find (it doesn't have to be an exact replacement) and is it worth having as a project to fix in my spare time? Also, is it a rare vacuum?

 

[blknblu]

The model number starts with 116. (This is the prefix)
Searching a Sears prefix database indicates this was made by Matsushita, otherwise known as Panasonic. Hope this helps.

Go to Sears partsdirect to order a hose
They have diagrams as well

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/
Put in 116.2420580 as your model number (this is from your pic)

Hose Part #: 743280
Substitution: 743280

picture of replacement hose:
http://s.sears.com/is/image/Sears/PD_0020_116_8175176?wid=400&hei=400

 

[Cbyrd]

That canister is from the mid 80's,around '84-'85. They do not make that particular hose anymore.

 

[dustin]

Careful if the motor whines "a little", I had a motor out of a similar Kenmore canister that I transplanted into a shop vac (for dry pickup only) that sounded pretty rough and whined. I used it mainly for vacuuming out cars because it had absolutely fantastic suction... while cleaning out my car one day, noticed it sounded a little better... then promptly started slowing down and billowing acrid smoke. It siezed solid before I could pull the plug. Still have the vac and haven't even torn it apart yet, but will most definitely need a new motor.

 

[dwl93]

Could this hose work?

I know it's a blank 3 wire hose, but it does say it would work on a two wire hose in the item description. How easy would this be to install?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sears-KENMO...981&meid=16138e564d074bc885c29a92e4d350d8&pid

 

[dwl93]

After a few hours of searching....

I've come to the assumption that it just isn't worth fixing this thing. The 2 prong Kenmore Canister hoses I and another person who replied to this thread found online have prongs that are too wide for this and the motor while still working is pretty rusty. My throat is also burning from breathing in after opening this thing up after so many years, as I think the inside had some mold in it from one of the floods it survived. It had a great run, but I think it's time for her to go to vacuum heaven.

 

[fantomfan]

Hrrmm

Perhaps if it was more complete, It might be worth fixing. This Kenmore was from the era where Sears started to slowly go downhill in the overall quality of their vacuum cleaners.

 

[dysonman1]

It was the bottom of the line model. With a single fan motor. That model was offered three different ways. One was straight suction. One had a cord strapped onto the hose to run the power nozzle. One had the electric hose. The power nozzle had no height adjustment and didn't clean well. They were 'entry level' models that Sears rarely sold - the salesperson always tried to get you to go a little bit better than these machines. They also had tiny bags that clogged quickly with dirt. I bought one new in the mid 1980's for $99 (it had the strap on hose cord and power mate).

 

[floor-a-matic]

Or U can sell or give it to another VL member that needs parts