Kirby G6 Arcing Brushes

[repairman]

Hi all, I recently obtained a Kirby G6 from the local Goodwill for only $4.99. Unfortunately, the unit was missing the powerhead, but it had the hose and it was such a deal. When I powered it on at my house, I noticed that it sounded higher pitched and that the brushes are arcing very badly. So is the motor toast, or do I need to get the motor seated with one of those white stones?

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

Get it serviced ot service it yourself. Carbon brushes wiill cause noise. Make sure fan is not chipped. Same thing happened to my g4 and after service ran awesome.
Les

 

[sptyks]

You should replace the carbon brushes.


You can do it yourself. It's not hard to do. There are several videos on Youtube that show how to do it.


 


 

 

[madman]

Be sure to inspect the commutator too. You can just look at it through the brush holder hole, after you remove the brushes. It should look smooth, uniform, and shiny, and not crusty or dull.

 

[texaskirbyguy]

A higher pitch whine than usual and lots of sparking could indicate a partially shorted winding in the field or rotor. I have seen this quite a bit.
Before throwing money at parts for this vac, you need to check the current draw and compare with the rating plate. Those kill-a-watt testers make this a quick, easy job. You will also find many other uses for it also.
If the motor is shot, you at least did not have much in it. You would have quite a few other good parts I am sure to use on the next vac!