Kenmore South-Eastern Restoration Facility

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super-sweeper

super-sweeper

Well-known member
Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
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Location
KSSRC Refurbishment Center
SERVICE BULLETIN: JULY 20TH 2014:


 


Greetings, From the Kenmore Restoration Facility of the south-east to our sister-facility in the great north-west!


 


Today's Restoration job is a nice Kenmore 2.5 Canister, in cream!


However, take special note of the unusual powered-hose set-up. Since when did Kenmore run wires on the exterior of the hose?


 


Due to an unscheduled downpour of rain, the usual "Southern Beauty" background was dropped in favor of a plain and old blue sheet.


 


Let's begin! the vacuum came with no power-nozzle.

super-sweeper++7-20-2014-19-40-15.jpg
 
S.S Kenmore

Meets it's bubbly demise (Or the grime meets it's demise, i should say!)


 


This is the first vacuum I'm washing the motor in. hope it turns out well!


I'll upload more pictures when i finish it, I need to buy some magic erasers!


 


P.S-Scored an awesome (And heavy!) Penncrest box fan today too!

super-sweeper++7-20-2014-19-46-5.jpg
 
Hmmm, my posts from last night disappeared.

Very nice little vac. I have yet to encounter one in person.

I think two of the vacs on this Sears Catalog page are of the same series as yours.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/farrini/sears922.jpg

Tell me the model number, it is probably embossed into the plastic under the body, so I can research it a bit. I think it has a twin from Panasonic.

The 4.0 and 3.5 refer to rated peak horsepower, so yours has a less powerful 2.5 horse motor. From looking at the catalog I am guessing your vac may have been sold as a suction only unit and some owner along the way innovated a little to adapt a powered brush to it.

Alternatively, since these used the old straight end hose, if it had a powered brush a previous owner may have found it impossible to replace a cracked hose with straight ends (they are harder than heck to find, I blinked last week and missed on on eBay, and Kenmore hasn't sold blank two wire hose for a few years now) and likewise innovated. Some central vacs use hoses like that where the powered floor brush plugs directly into a wall socket. I'm thinking that is what you have. Can you show an image of the power plug on the vacuum?

Why didn't you remove the motor before soaking it? The only reason I washed mine was due to major contamination. I usually take the motor, cord reel and any other electrical components out of the vac before I wash them.

New wheels are probably still available from Sears if they are 3 1/2 inch diameter. The part number would be 4147126. They now all come in a very dark charcoal gray (the color used on all the Whispertone series of vacs), so you will have to paint them to match. I have to do this on one of my restorations. If you send me the model number I can confirm this in Sears Parts Direct. Alternatively SweetSweep.com sells the same wheel in a beige or tan color, it's tough to tell from their website so call them and ask.

Neat little vac. I looking forward to seeing it after you restore it. Looks like there is some enthusiasm for Kenmores building here.
 
LOL Tortoise guy,

Did you think I just threw the entire thing in the bath? 
smiley-tongue-out.gif



I broke the motor down to the armature, field coil and fan assembly, first!


 


Forgot to add: Model no: 116 2525081


Manufactured: March 2nd 1985!


 


The power nozzle port is defiantly not a Jerry-Rig, it is predisposition and wired correctly as other models. The only issue I have with your theory, is that I've never seen a wired hose in cream before!


 


They are the same series, but later. I know because I have that Gray 4.0!


I know what the numbers refer to, If I didn't I wouldn't be founder and CEO of the Kenmore South-East Restoration Facility! 
smiley-tongue-out.gif
 
I just looked that model up in Sears Parts Direct and that is the correct configuration of the hose, with an external wire. I am kind of amazed really. It makes it even more collectable.

The replacement wheel is what I thought, PN 4147126. You can get replacements for your damaged wheels and paint them the correct color.

You really found a little gem.
 
The original power cord and the owners manual are also still available. No cord reel is shown. Does your other one have a cord reel?
 
Well, about the only cord reels Sears are stocking won't be found in any store. You have to order through Sears Parts Direct and probably innovate some. About the only reels still in their parts system are for current production stuff used in Progressive and Elite Intuition models. I think the pull to retract cord reel for that blue Canadian Kenmore another member posted his restoration of is also available.

You can often find cord reels for Whispertone models on FleaBay, but the older stuff on steel reels and frames used in the 5023/5033 bag machines and my first generation C bag machines requires some skullduggery to obtain. Considering the vintage of your vac, that is probably what fits unless Panasonic used a unique cord reel in those. I have a pair of really nice Whimpertone series cord reels and just my luck they are too wide to fit into the older vacs. Man I was hoping! Save them for any Whimpertones I acquire in the future.

Finding cord reels is probably my third toughest chore, after the infamous red 5023/5033 bag adapter and straigh end Kenmore hoses. I may have found a source for them but won't know until the end of the week perhaps. I ordered something and am waiting to see what shows up. I tried ordering something from Sears over a month ago and it is supposedly back ordered into oblivion.
 
Interesting machine. The PN cord wrapped around the hose was seen on these and an older body version that was made before this in the late 70s in blue and then early 80s in beige.

I have never seen any of these with a cord winder. The cord was always wrapped underneath the canister on the ones I've seen. My 1991 catalog shows the gray straight suction and PN versions mentioned, and the last Sears catalog I have from 1993 shows a straight suction version that's gray on the bottom and blue on top.

The lady that used to live across the street from me in the 90s had the gray version with PN as well as a Kirby G3! That was the only Kenmore of this type I saw in person.
 
The parts diagram for it's Panasonic twin shows a cord winder as an option. Have a look.

http://www.hescoinc.com/schematics/panasonic/p_7300.pdf

The Pansonice 7300 series, 7400 series, 8300 series and 8400 series had cord winders in at least some models.

Here is the HESCO page for all the Panasonic diagrams. Have fun.

http://www.hescoinc.com/t/Schematics_Panasonic

I suppose a low cost model might have come without a cord winder but it's not obvious in the diagrams.

I think you are thinking of the Singer made Kenmores having the cord wrapped around the bottom.

http://www.hescoinc.com/schematics/bissell/bi_dlc100.pdf

You can see DLC 100 and 200 didn't get cord reels while DCL 300 and 400 did. There is a big recess on the bottom of these for the cord while the Panasonics are smooth and round underneath.
 

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