I did a quick check today on my 515's impeller fan for any broken fins (the cause of the angry sound of the motor when switched on), and I did in fact find one broken fin on it (in picture 2).
I also took a picture of my 515's fan with the fan used on its successors (516 to 3CB). The two shafts are indeed different, hence the different belts used on the older and newer machines: the older group took part no. 1590 (2-3/4" OD x 5/8" wide) and the newer group took part no. 159056 (2-9/16" OD x 5/8" wide). The third picture I took also helps identify that the 10-blade fan in my 515 is indeed the factory original version. Soon after the 516 came out, I think Kirby later made the fans for the older machines with the same less-grooved shaft as the 516-3CB fans, which might explain why the later belt is sometimes used with the older machines.
~Ben[this post was last edited: 11/27/2021-19:25]
I also took a picture of my 515's fan with the fan used on its successors (516 to 3CB). The two shafts are indeed different, hence the different belts used on the older and newer machines: the older group took part no. 1590 (2-3/4" OD x 5/8" wide) and the newer group took part no. 159056 (2-9/16" OD x 5/8" wide). The third picture I took also helps identify that the 10-blade fan in my 515 is indeed the factory original version. Soon after the 516 came out, I think Kirby later made the fans for the older machines with the same less-grooved shaft as the 516-3CB fans, which might explain why the later belt is sometimes used with the older machines.
~Ben[this post was last edited: 11/27/2021-19:25]
