Kirby G4 Help

[gc442]

Hello!

Alright, so recently I discovered my family's old kirby out in the shed, it's a 1993 G4 which sat out there for nearly a decade due to a cracked emptor. I know, it's a shame. Somehow everything went missing from it, it was just the rug nozzle and engine/fan case with severe aluminum oxidization. I remember loving to mess with all the attachments when I was little, so naturally I wanted to restore it to its former glory (I'm also a little tired of buying cheap vacuums that last only a little over a year). Well, so far I've cleaned the inside, purchased a new handle/mini emptor/power cord, and it's a whole unit again. It functions well, but it makes a loud whine sound sometimes when it's powered off.

The first time it did it was right after it was fully assembled. The machine did not want to turn on right away and the headlight flickered, but once it turned on it ran fine. Turning it off produced the sound.

The second time was after I had taken it all apart and used canned/compressed air to clean the inside. I started and stopped it several times and it did not do it until I shut it off after I vacuumed with it.

I assume this is related to the motor, but I'm not familiar with how electric motor parts look or sound. It's not sparking so I don't think it's the brushes, they looked like they were making contact. It's not a constant sound, so that rules out bearings I think. That would mean it's the armature or the coil if I'm right. What do those parts do when they fail?

On a side note, if anyone has any solid polishing recommendations to get a gleaming mirror finish, I would appreciate that greatly. I spent about 2 hours wet sanding/using mother's mag and aluminum polish on the square above the headlight and it's still not too clear.

Also, I found some LED headlight bulb replacements on eBay, they look and fit exactly the same but are LED. Anyone know if these are any good?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I want my childhood Kirby back!

 

[KirbyCollector01]

The led is more efficient and doesn't heat up so go right ahead and buy them if you want to.
The whining might be from the tech drive. That isn't unusual. You can get a new tech drive bout you don't have to.

Could you post some pics?

 

[gc442]

I can take some when i get home in about 3-4 hours. Could it be the tech drive making that sound even though the machine is not moving? I will see if i can record a decent quality video when i take the pictures.

 

[sptyks]

Gene,


 


It sounds like motor bearings to me. After sitting for nearly 10 years in a shed the bearings are most likely all dried out. You should replace both the front and rear motor bearings. 


 


It also just occurred to me that the brush roller bearings are probably shot as well. I would not continue to run it until you replace both the motor bearings and get a new brush roller and new rubber belt as it is most likely dried and cracked.

 

[human]

I agree with sptyks' assessment. It's most likely the motor bearings. Don't run it again until you replace them. And good for you for bringing that beast back to life! It should give you many years of good service and should save you money in the long run--not to mention the environment--over what you'd spend on cheap plastivacs.

 

[gc442]

The rug nozzle (this is actually a little amusing) was not found with the G4 in the shed, but on my grandfather's (now mine as well) G5 with the G5 colored bumper on it. The brushroll and belt seem to run fine, but I will check and test them by hand. For now, I will place the G5 motor in it until I can find a full set of bearings, I think i saw them on GoodVac.

I had ruled out bearings because I thought they would squeal all the time, but perhaps the vacuum noise drowns it out and that's why I hear it when it powers down. Though that makes me wonder why it happens randomly, instead of every time it's used. Should I still try to grab a short video clip of the sound?

 

[KirbyCollector01]

Yes we would like to hear it

 

[gc442]

I've swapped the motors already, so once I put the G5 back together with the G4's motor in it tomorrow I will record the video.

 

[gc442]

Alright, here's the video -

Apologies in advance for recording vertically, it slipped my mind and I didn't want to re-record it because I wanted to run the motor as little as possible to prevent damage.

I will note that the sound was quieter this time and it faded out the end, before it was louder and did not fade out when it stopped. Also when I tried to start it, it took a few presses of the power button to get it to power on, but that was not recorded.

 

[sptyks]

Try turning the belt lifter all the way to the left to disengage the belt from the motor shaft.


Now run it again and see if it still makes the squeaking noise.


 


 

 

[blknblu]

worn bearings sound primer- 


 


ball bearings usually make a rumbling sound, & the sound may come and go,


they can can also make a high pitched whine


 


sleeve bearing usually make a scraping sound


 


 

 

[charlesl61201]

My g4 and g5 do that sometimes. It is probably the brushes on the commutator.

 

[gc442]

I had previously ruled out the brushroll belt due to the fact that they share it (we only have one rug nozzle), and it only occurs on the unit with the G4 motor. I turned off the brushroll anyway just to see, and the noise still came back.

It would seem that you have to run the vacuum for a little while before it makes the noise, at first the noise is quiet, but if you keep turning it on/off or run it for a few minutes, the noise is longer and more of a squeal than a squeak. It almost reminds me of worn brakes on a car, only not really a screeching sound.

I will go ahead and place the order for the bearings, if that doesn't solve it then I may just try and find a higher G series motor. I wanted to use better filtration bags anyway, and apparently the motor is affected by the bag/mini emptor airflow or something? I've considered the latest mini-emptor/sentria motor in order to use the red package bags, but I haven't found any information about those parts fitting in the G4. Any thoughts on that?

Let me just say I am very thankful to everyone who has posted. It's made my grandmother very happy to see this beauty all back together again, and the motor noise is the last step. Oh and the G4 nozzle bumper just came in today, it's so nice to see it all in one color again (aside from the g6 emptor that I plan to paint).

 

[beekeyknee]

I know exactly the sound you're describing. I had a G4 that made the exact same noise. I remember it well because the girl I was living with at the time mocked it. I consulted my G series service manual. Under section 4 - Troubleshooting, #9. Squeal noise from motor on wind down. > Probable Cause > Rubber seal creeps on bearing plate eyelet. > Solution > Apply thin coat of T159 S grease to eyelet under rubber seal.

I can tell by listening that you have a lot more problems than that. I don't know if you've worked on a G series machine before or not, but they are a lot more complicated than pre-G series. If I hadn't had my service manual the first time I tried it I would probably been in trouble.

Unless you just like taking on work intensive projects, I wouldn't bother. The newer machines are much nicer. I have a Ultimate G Diamond Edition with the newer transmission that doesn't groan. It's a much nicer machine than a G4 and the can be had reconditioned from that place in Utah for around $400.00 with all the attachments. By the time you get done fixing that thing properly you'll have nearly that much in parts. And that won't include your work. If you just want to do it for fun, OK. But personally it seems like pounding money down a rat hole.

 

[gc442]

I have not worked on any before this, but I will be keeping this machine. As for taking on work intensive projects, once this is done I have my SUV's valvetrain tapping noise to tackle.

I have found a local listing ad for a Sentria for $75 (no attachments). If it's still there I can purchase it, pull the motor and transmission, then sell everything else. Selling the metal casings and the power nozzle would probably pay for the Sentria alone. This would eliminate any transmission or motor issues for free. The problem is I'm not sure if those parts will fit in the housing because I do not know what newer parts can be used on older machines, and google has not given me any solid proof that the transmission or new mini-emptor fit the G4. I do know the motor will fit, the only change being that it simply won't need the ground wire due to a fuse being installed.

 

[charleskirby66]

The transmission from the Sentria should fit the G4.  I'm pretty sure the transmission is the only thing that fits universally across the Generation series.  The mini-Emptor should also fit, as the exhaust connection port is the important part, and that hasn't changed in the Generation series.

 

[gc442]

Good, thank you for that info! I'll probably run these parts until they go, I have ordered the grease for the fan and I'm looking into getting a service manual.

So the connection for the emptors is the same through the Avalir then? That would mean I can get a sentria II/Avalir emptor for the airflow bonus (and paint it, of course). I do believe those require a different fill tube, so I will hold off on that.

The main part that is so important to me is preserving the G4 body and color, upgrading the insides is perfectly fine. The G4 has my favorite aesthetics and is the first vacuum I had, heck, this particular one is only 3 months younger than me. It was sold to my grandparents by my mother. The thought of a G4 style with Avalir components is pretty nice, but like I said I'll run these parts out first after the minor noise repairs (bearings and grease).

Thanks everyone!

 

[vacuumkid47]

Yep

Yepper My G4 did the same thing, the brushroll w/ belt tensions the fan and the fan pulled down just a tiny bit and it would make a squealing sound. It's really no problem, actually. I would oil the bearings just to see if it works.

 

[caligula]

While the tech-drive of my Kirby G-4 works fine, there is a squeaking sound in the right wheel when I push it across the floor. How can I repair this?