Kirby Ultimate G help

[amtraksebo1997]

A little backstop if I may...

A few years back, my daily driver was my dad's Rainbow D4c. At first I loved the machine, but after about a month or so of using it, I got tired and resentful of the wood-paneled nightmare. However, I couldn't use any of my other machines as they were either broken, smelled bad, or both. So, naturally, I thought to myself "why don't I replace a door-to-door vacuum with another door-to-door vacuum?" I think you can infer the rest from here. For my birthday, I got myself this G7 off of Craigslist. I was hoping to either get a G6 or Sentria (both of which I still want), but this was the only listing for a G Series Kirby that had all of it's basic accessories, and was in this good of condition. After that, this machine was my daily driver, and I tried using almost all of the attachments and configurations I could with it. However, it's since been demoted to being a bench vac, though it still works for carpet cleaning.

This is where the problems come in.

1. The Tech-Drive pedal has broken off. It still works even without it, but I can't imagine using it like that is healthy for it or the motor. It also makes occasional clicking noises alongside the usual grinding ones.

2.It's brushroll is pretty worn out.

3. It could use a polishing or buffing

4. It's generally gross in spots, and some of the screws are rusted out/stripped.

Could anyone be of assistance in helping me trying to fix this? Should I take it to my local vacuum store or the Kirby distributor listed on the bottom of the handle?

 

[human]

That G7 is essentially the same as a Gsix, except for the color. The good news about those machines is they're dead simple to work on, if you have modest screwdriver skills, and the proper Torx screwdrivers. All of the parts you need are readily available, as are YouTube videos to show you how to take things apart. Below are my suggestions for the issues you mentioned:

The Tech Drive pedal is easy to replace, but it won't make the clicking go away. I have a G5 that makes that sound and it's harmless. Lubricating it with some lithium grease will help. If it bothers you too much, you'll need to replace the entire Tech Drive unit, but I'd wait until it completely gives up the ghost.

Brush rolls are cheap and easy to replace. You can also try adjusting yours to get a little more life from it. The square ends are numbered 1-4, with 1 indicating a brand new brush roll. If yours are on position 1, move them to position 2, etc. Just make sure you have the same number at each end and the bristles are extending just barely beyond the bottom of the machine.

Cosmetic polishing and buffing will help you bond with your machine. Believe me; it's a zen sort of thing. There are a number of YouTube videos out there, showing different methods. I alternate between Never Dull wadding and Mother's metal polish with a combination of hand buffing and using a buffing wheel on a power drill. It's time consuming, yet satisfying to put that mirror shine on your machine.

The easiest (and cheapest) way to replace screws is to get them off the rack at Lowe's or Home Depot. I always use stainless steel screws. Make sure you get the right diameter and thread pitch. If they don't have the exact length you need, go a little longer and cut them off with a hacksaw or Dremel.

When you get all that done, you won't believe it's the same machine.

Cheers!

 

[texaskirbyguy]

As said, they are easy to work on unless a screw head gets rounded out.
That is a fine machine, especially after being cleaned up and polished.

Here are some general repair tricks, some relevant to your series...
https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?34091

I have a G6 resto thread somewhere here that will show some details on that series.
https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?37399

If you need a transmission, i have a few kicking about that I can send you for cost of postage.

 

[amtraksebo1997]

Human

-I already kind of knew that a new Tech Drive pedal wasn't going to stop the grinding (though maybe the clicking). My main concern is being able to have control over it, instead of it always being turned on. Though, could you give me a link to the grease you're talking about? It'll probably come in handy.

-I already adjusted mine to #3. There's still some stiffness and length left in it, but it's become rather burned (?) and it's not spinning super freely.

-I've never polished one of my machines (or anything for that matter) before). I had the idea of getting an old Kirby Handi-Butler off of Ebay and using it with my Dual Sanitronic 50, but I haven't used that thing in years, and I'd kind of like a cheaper/easier way to do so. Is it possible I could just hand-polish it or something?

-I checked the sponge filter in my Carpet Shampoo System box, and it was pretty badly degraded. Just my luck, as I was planning on using it my dad's room, as I didn't when I did a bunch of steam cleaning a few weeks ago.

-Also, I tried cracking it open to see the condition of the inside. While I wasn't able to do so (and stripped a screw in the process T-T), I did find that the inside was rather dirty. I think that's because the silicone gasket in the machine has gone bad, but I'm not entirely sure.

-I'm aware about the G6 being almost exactly the same as the Ult. G. I just like the color of the G6 and Sentria more over the Ultimate G.Funny story, actually, my dad trash picked a Sentria many years ago, and brought it home for me to play with. I was so hyped to have it, until we found out that the motor was bad. Thus, it got pitched.

 

[amtraksebo1997]

TexasKirbyGuy

I might look at those in more depth once I get around to getting the parts I need for mine (whenever that'll be).

 

[justjunque]

AmtrakSebo:

The only part of this where I can offer my two cents, is with regard to hand polishing.
A couple of years ago, I picked up a free G4. I have no skills or tools for machine polishing. So, I got a couple of rags, a container of Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish, and a liberal dose of elbow grease.
If your finish isn't too far gone to start with, and you'd be satisfied with it just looking "better than it did before", you might want to give it a shot. It's not going to look like some of the showpieces that I'm sure you've seen on here. But, from a distance, if you squint...

 

[amtraksebo1997]

JustJunque

I'll try to remember to upload more photos when I can, and let you be the judge.

Also there's another problem I forgot to mention, the Toe-Touch Control is skipping. What's the fix for it?

 

[human]

White lithium grease is readily available at most hardware and auto parts stores.

The first machine I polished was my G5. It was so badly oxidized when I first got it, that it looked like it was made out of lead. I started by scrubbing the metal with a slurry of Barkeeper's Friend and water on a damp rag. It immediately removed the oxidation, but left a somewhat dull finish. I was able to brighten it up somewhat with Mother's and a lot of elbow grease. The final result was an acceptable satin sheen, but not quite a mirror finish.

Later, when I was working on a Heritage 1HD, I hit on the combination of Mother's and Never Dull wadding. I alternated between the two and got much better results. Using the buffing attachment on the drill made it a bit easier, but it still took several hours to accomplish.

The link below gave me some good ideas for polishing:

 

[justjunque]

I've never tried Never Dull. I may have to pick some up, one of these days.

 

[lesinutah]

If

You use like a green Scotch Brite or a Mr Clean scrubbing pads are good for oxidation. They also work well on trim and brush rolls etc.