Lux 1205- Mystery Problem

[danemodsandy]

Hello All:

I'm hoping some of the mighty Lux minds on this board can help me figure out a most mystifying problem:

My 1205 is cutting out on me, for no discernible reason. I thought it was the switch, but it's still doing it after a switch replacement. I will be vacuuming merrily away, and suddenly the canister's motor will stop running. The power nozzle continues to run fine.

Any ideas?

 

[crevicetool]

What about .....

the junction block at the cordwinder, are all the wires tight? I also wonder if there is a thermo-saftey "device" on the motor that is causing the main motor to shut down. When does it come back on? Do you bump the vac, like smacking the side of an old t.v. to get the picture to stop rolling, or wait till it cools down? This is a puzzle. Thinking maybe the carbon brushes too, how do they look?

 

[danemodsandy]

Hi Crevicetool!

It seems to come back on when bumped. I'm figuring there's a loose connection or a short somewhere. That junction block seems a good place to start looking- thanks for the tip. Fortunately, I do have a parts machine, so I should be able to take anything needed from that.

If anyone has any more suggestions, feel free to lay 'em on me!

 

[akabent]

Intermittent 1205!

Hi There

The Junction Block that Rick mentioned is a common problem on that early series (1205, J, Super J), and checking the brushes is a great call as well. One of those should most likely do it unless it is an internal short. Let us know!

RickInOC!

 

[danemodsandy]

crevicetool and akabent:

Hi:

I think I miiiiiight have found the problem.

I removed the top deck, switch, and cord-winder, which exposed both the junction block and the motor cover. When I looked at the junction block, I saw that its brass strip contacts were green with corrosion, as if the cleaner had been stored in a basement at some point in its history. The strip contacts on the cordwinder itself were also green. Closer inspection revealed burn marks from electrical arcing on the junction block contacts.

I used electrical contact cleaner and a brass brush to remove the corrosion, and some fine emery paper to get the contacts down to flat bright metal. I also bent the cordwinder contacts back outward a little bit, to help them seat more firmly against the junction block contacts.

After reassembly, the vacuum seems to be performing correctly, with no cutting out. It may just be my imagination, but I also think the motor is running more strongly than before, and that the suction is a bit better. It may be that the corroded strip contacts were causing all sorts of degraded performance.

I'm keeping my eye on the situation. Hopefully, this solved my problem. If it doesn't, then I still have a parts machine, and today's work showed me how easy it is to disassemble a 1205.

Thanks, guys!

 

[danemodsandy]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!

I started to use the machine today, and it would not turn on. After several minutes of fiddling with it, I got it to start; it took standing the machine on end and beating on its bottom with my fist.

Soooo- at the earliest opportunity, the innards of the machine Nathan sold me are going into the housing of this one, with every wire carefully checked.

And if THAT doesn't resolve the problem, I've got a poltergeist.

 

[swiveltop]

Hi Sandy, I hope you solved your problem,it sounds like a armature,motor brush problem,I'm on my third Lux,an Olympia One,The first two I kinda wore out but were still working, both 1205s,one I still have,they never quit but during vacuuming they would lose power and if you turned it off and back on and bumped it a little it would be back up to full speed,I remember you mentioned when you got it the bag was packed with dirt,if the dirt gets past the bag it gets in the motor,so the armature might need to be cleaned and the carbon brushes replaced,I'm guilty of using generic bags in my luxes,and even the olympia one acts up on occasion,if you open the exhaust port and see arking it is definately an armature,carbon brush problem,I recently bought a model G at an estate sale and the lady had a ton of genuine bags to go with it and it purs like a new vacuum,so I guess there is something good about Electrolux's statement about using genuine bags and changing them often to protect the motor. Mark