Kirby Tradition Fan Removal

[vacsofprosper]

Hey everyone. I recently got a Kirby Tradition I got from my sister as a present for my wisdom teeth removal. So I'm in the process of giving this vac a refurb and I wanted to take off the lexan fan and put in a Amodel fan till I find another metal fan. The problem is that the pulley seems to be stuck on the armature and I sprayed a little bit of PB blaster and I really don't want to ruin the cooling fan inside. Did anyone had this issue? Thanks.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

VacsofProsper

Gabriel,

Good luck! I think you need to use Kirby's special fan locking tool, or use an ice pick, in the appropriate spot to hold down the armature while you remove the fan.

~Ben

 

[lesinutah]

U

Have the fan that breaks because of flimsy plastic.
Try not even touching the armature.
There should be a slot on the spindle. Put a nail through it and with the fan grab some pliers and grab it so it doesn't move. The spindle with the nail on it will spin. It may not be easily buy this bypasses ruining the armature.

 

[vacsofprosper]

The armature spins when I try to turn the pulley off clockwise.

 

[lesinutah]

Do

You still have the carbon brushes in?

 

[repairman]

Yea

The only way to really do this is with the tool that Ben mentioned. In the past, I used to grab the armature with my hand and loosen the spindle with an icepick. That being said, if you have big hands like me, you won't have much room and might cut yourself on the housing.

That tool is about $10 and you'll probably be using it on many machines since you come across them all the time. The part number is T130. Good luck!

 

[vacsofprosper]

Well I got the fan off. Sort of

 

[vacsofprosper]

Lesinutah, yes it still has the carbon brushes.

 

[vacuumman]

Getting the Core of the Fan Off

You may be able to grab the core with good pair of pliers or channel locks, stick a small screwdriver you don't care about into the hole in the shaft, and twist the screwdriver clockwise while holding down on the core. This should allow you to release the belt pulley.

 

[vacsofprosper]

I forgot to mention yesterday but I managed to get the pulley off. I used 3 in 1 all purpose oil, leave it on for about 2 hours and it came off! That must've done the trick.

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Glad you got it off finally.

For anyone else who has this problem in the future trying to remove a plastic fan, try this first:

*Firmly hold the fan on the outside wrapped with a towel.
*Insert a scratch awl or screwdriver with a shaft as large as possible into the shaft hole.
*Have the tool handle at a 2 o' clock position.
*Whack the tool handle downward (CW) firmly with a rubber mallet.
The impact should break it loose.
This method has worked well for me for many fans.

This method will NOT work for metal fans as the fan and shaft are one piece.

I wish this site allowed short video clips to be uploaded as I could grab and post one from one of my resto videos.

BTW, that looks like a typical grey fan alright (AFTER you broke it)!

 

[lesinutah]

I

Was waiting for you Rob. I would add keep the carbon brushes on as they cause friction on the armature and help it from spinning. The key though is robs hitting the fan breaking it loose.