Kirby question.

[shag]

I have a Heritage Kirby that started to smell like burning rubber. I took it to a vacuum store and had it checked and a new belt put on. Same thing. Two minutes into vacuuming it starts to smell like burnt rubber. What is going on? The little green light doesn't light up anymore either. Still cleans well.

 

[lesinutah]

Hmm

You have 2 issues.
There is a small screw inside holding bpi light on. Take out bpi and clean all the buildup. When putting brush roll on make sure magnet on brush roll lines up.
The second issue is make sure brush roll is installed properly. It may be installed correct but the ends of brush roll make sure adjustment screws are level. I'd get a older Kirby belt used on older machines. The new belt is getting stretched and it's going to snap.

Les

 

[rivstg1]

burnt rubber

it might be bad brush roll bearings ( all clogged, usually with hair and thus not turning correctly). If bearings are impeded .....then the rubber belt will slip too much causing burning smell.

 

[huskyvacs]

Assuming you are following the proper procedure for setting the height setting for the Kirby, above is all correct - and your brushroll indicator light tells the story. The motor shaft is turning but the brushroll is not - so the motor shaft is just melting a hole through your belt. (You won't believe how hot they get.) Also if the brushroll is indeed spinning, but not fast enough, it will cause the little indicator light to not illuminate either.

I'd have them service your entire brushroll nozzle and make sure it's all oiled and not damaged and is actually seated properly. The Heritage is pretty old so I'd wager maybe the grease got gummed up and needs to be changed. I would think they would have seen how old it was and inspected it when they put the belt on, but I guess not.

Also what kind of belt did they put on? Some Kirbys use the knurled belts and others need smooth belts. Mismatching them can cause the belt to slip on the shaft. I always forget what models take what belt type, but others here have it memorized by heart. Good luck! It's all an easy fix, so don't worry too much.

 

[lesinutah]

Belt

I believe non knurled belts are what I was referring to. You can take car electrical cleaning spray to clean bpi if it's built up.
Les

 

[human]

The smooth belts are for the G series machines (G3 and newer) while the older machines, including the Heritage and Legacy machines, need the knurled belt.

 

[rivstg1]

Are you sure human?

That indie didn’t sound right to me...so I asked my Kirby technician for past 40 years friend and asked him about the belts, he wrote me this:
“ With the g3. The increased power wore out the original grey belt to fast and the black shampooer belt at the time couldn't stay streched all the time.... Not elastic enough.
So in the redesign, they came up with the knurled belt. Most thought the knurling was for grip, but it is actually to deflect dirt and debris to prolong its life.”

Doesn’t that sound more realistic ? Any contrary info to that?
Kelton

 

[lesinutah]

Hmm

Contrary no. I bought like 30 Kirby belts with the yellow stripe. They seem to work great.

 

[rowdy141]

Other manufactures who use knurled belts claim they prevent pet hair build-up, by breaking up hairs as they pass between knurling and roller. That would come under the term 'dirt deflection' I guess. Sounds plausible to me. The knurling can only help with traction on the spindle; less chance of the belt stalling when warm.

 

[rodknock95]

Good Link

https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?38621

 

[luxflairguy]

Tom's right as usual!