My first Panasonic

[justjunque]

Hey all,
I guess I'm officially off the wagon. While I am more selective now than I used to be, I still don't seem to be able to resist anything that stands out as somewhat unusual, vintage, pretty, etc.
Well, this one may not be pretty, per se, but it did catch my eye on the level of, "You don't see those every day".
I can't get a decent picture at the moment. But, it's a Panasonic Jet-Flo MC-5116. Serial number is 104145.
I couldn't know less about Panasonic vacuums if I tried. Somehow, it didn't even hit me at first, but I read a comment from someone who called it a ripoff of a Hoover DAM. Now that that seed has been planted in my mind, I can't unsee it.
I've given it my standard initial wipe-down with sanitizing wipes, and I plugged it in and hit the switch. The motor seems to sound decent. There might be a little brushroll bearing noise, but I'm not sure. Hopefully, it's not motor bearings.
It's blue and what was probably white, originally. Now, it's sort of a cream beige color. The fairly short cord is a dark brown. From other similar Panasonics that I've checked out on YouTube, I'm guessing this was a BOL model. Also, am I correct in assuming it's from the mid 1980s? Based on its styling, I would have guessed '70s.
At the moment, as the sun has set here, and I'm looking at it under dim light, it looks great! In reality, it has a lot of scratches and scuffs to the plastics. But, for $10, I couldn't resist. It was either this, or a Bissell bagless CleanView Swivel Pet, for $20. I figured I'll probably see plenty of Bissells. But, I've never stumbled upon an older Panasonic before.
So, anything that anyone can tell me about it would be very much appreciated!
Are bags, belts, etc still available for it? Does anyone make a HEPA bag that will fit it? Any characteristic idiosyncrasies I should look out for?
Please...talk to me!
And, enjoy one lousy, sideways picture.

Thanks,
Barry

 

[repairman]

I've heard great things about the Clean Obsessed brand of bags. Otherwise, Riccar type A bags should fit, but don't quote me on that. They offer paper and HEPA.

In regards to the Hoover situation, Hoover sold the clean air design to Panasonic before unveiling the Concept One in 1978. So you're not far off from seeing a Dial A Matic in your Panasonic.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185307587444

 

[justjunque]

Thanks, Mike!

I've heard good things about that brand of bags as well. I'm glad to see they make them for this vacuum!
I'll probably grab a package of those.
Interesting about Panasonic buying the basic design from Hoover. So, not exactly a ripoff, as that commenter had thought.

 

[panasonicvac]

Yes you can still buy bags and belts. These were WAY much better cleaners than the Hoover Dial-A-Matics.

 

[rugsucker]

Barry,

Very nice clean air,self adjusting,trouble free upright.I like this style better than the heavier,bulkier on board hose/attachment style.This one could have a standard or deluxe attachment set that was quick and easy to use.

 

[justjunque]

Neat.
I see the little trap door type thing on the back. I figured some sort of accessory hose probably attached there.
I just got the vacuum itself, with a rather full bag on the inside!

 

[evolutionclean1]

Ahh! Congratulations!

That was my first Panasonic upright too! It's probably still in storage somewhere.
As far as I know it was their "budget" model - no headlight, short cord, and no handle release pedal. I loved mine, whisper quiet and was an excellent cleaner. The baseplate was worn so I did have to tape it in place, but it did just fine. I always ran HEPA bags in it, the Panasonic U or Kenmore O are identical to the originals. Ended up replacing the brush roll eventually and it was almost perfect.
That port in the back is for a hose, if you want one just search for "Panasonic upright vacuum hose" and there's lots of options out there. Tool suction is pretty good IMO.

Anyway, that machine paved the way for an obsession for Matsushita cleaners, arguably some of the very best uprights and canisters ever produced. Treat them nice and they'll treat you just as well!
Here's a couple of mine for your enjoyment

 

[evolutionclean1]

Adding to that

Panasonic purchased the patent from Hoover for the Dial a Matic, and improved it substantially. That design was so successful it's still used today; Tacony is the biggest name still making that style of clean air upright. Straightforward and efficient. This is my work machine and it's a beast!

 

[evolutionclean1]

Just seeing that

Someone else mentioned the patent sale, my bad for repeating
At any rate, the DAM was a huge innovation and paved the way for Panasonic's success. I wish they still made vacuums!

 

[justjunque]

Hmmm. I wouldn't say this one struck me as being exceptionally quiet. I've only heard it once, for a few seconds.
All I've done so far is give it a sanitizing wipe-down on the outside. Hopefully, tomorrow, I can start trying to take some parts off and see what needs help. I'm wondering if it needs brushroll bearings. Or, at least lubrication for them.
For all the scuffs and scrapes, I don't think it really looks like it has a ton of hard use. But, I'm far from an expert.

 

[evolutionclean1]

Those brush rolls

Can tend to get noisy if they need a little lubrication. If I remember right the end caps are retained with snap rings, and once you get them off you can clean all of the hair and stuff out of them and oil? them. Best way to know is to take the belt off and brush out and see how it sounds with just the motor. I'm not super knowledgeable on servicing those motors but they're pretty straightforward

 

[evolutionclean1]

Those old paper bags

However did leak a lot of dust and it can cause the motor bearings to screech. If you're feeling daring enough to open up the motor those bearings can be oiled too

 

[justjunque]

Nope. I'm never feeling that daring. LOL
If I can figure out the brushroll, I'll be doing good.

 

[justjunque]

I'm going to buy some HEPA bags for it; probably the Clean Obsessed. Unless you think the Kenmore O would be a better choice.

 

[justjunque]

I just took off the base plate. It's cleaner inside there than any other used vacuum I've acquired!
The belt is still getting the job done, but I definitely see some damage on it. So, that will need replacing.
Just turning the brushroll by hand, and leaning my ear close to it, I'm afraid it seems more like the gritty sound is coming from the motor area, rather than the brushroll. Basically, right where the shaft is that the belt rides on.

With the bottom plate off, it looks like the hose would just lift out at that end. Is there an easy way to remove it from where it goes into the back of the bag compartment? If so, I'd like to take it off completely and give it a bath in the sink, along with the base plate.
I tried just gently pulling on the upper end of the hose, but it didn't feel like it wanted to let go. And I don't want to damage it.

Edit to follow up:
I checked eBay for hoses for these vacuums, and I found someone selling the lower hose. The one they're selling includes the plastic port where the accessory hose attaches. So, I'm guessing that I can somehow remove that whole assembly from inside the bag compartment. I haven't poked around in there just yet. Hopefully, I can still drop the whole thing in the sink, with the plastic part attached.[this post was last edited: 12/15/2023-13:08]

 

[justjunque]

I don't know if anyone is really interested in every little detail of this vacuum. But, I've never seen one in person before, so I'm still sort of in "Ooh...shiny!" mode. So, I apologize if I'm guilty of overkill.

Today, I started on the bag compartment. The bag that was in it was a Panasonic brand paper bag, and it had to have weighed a couple of pounds, easy. I'm pretty sure it was filled beyond the recommended level. The inside of the compartment is very dusty. I wish I could put the whole vacuum in the dishwasher! But, I'll do the best I can at getting it clean. And, the HEPA bags have been ordered. So, hopefully, that will keep it cleaner in there. Well, coupled with the fact that this will be a very limited use vacuum.
There's a whitish foam filter in the bottom of the bag compartment. I don't know if it's factory, or if someone just made it. And, I don't know if I should wash and reuse it, or try to make my own replacement out of a/c filter material or something.
A package of genuine Panasonic belts is ordered as well. The data tag says UB belts. But, the ones I ordered are UB-8. But, it says right on the package that it replaces UB, and it lists the 51** series of machines as using this belt.

I think I kind of like the very simple, base model look. Sure, all the bells and whistles are nice. But there's something about the clean, simple look of this one that appeals to me. Even the white painted handle, as opposed to chrome.

 

[rugsucker]

Hose

Twist and pull below hose port flap and remove from bottom. Hose should have bump that fits in hole in plastic part for proper position.

 

[sebringvanguard]

Evo, the dual sweep looks like the Kenmore progressive multi-force series, they were bagless but one had two brush rolls just like this model and two different hoses for suction. The model was 116.32735201. There was another one (116.33912301) and it did not have "twin brushes" but it did have a fat and beltless one. below are pictures of model 116.32735201 and a link to its thread.

https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?17565

 

[justjunque]

I've been away from it for a little bit, but I'm doing a little more cleaning today.
I have the hose, hose port, plastic base plate, and bumper soaking in some Tide.
I washed the little foam pre-motor filter too, but I didn't leave that in to soak, as I wasn't sure how it would stand up to being washed. As it stands, it seems to have fared just fine.
I wish I knew of an easier way to clean in all of the little recessed squares inside the bag compartment. Good night! That's a lot of fiddly work with a small brush and paper towels! But, I want to get it as clean as possible. Both for sanitary/allergy reasons, and because I bought HEPA bags for it. Hopefully, that will keep it from getting this dusty again.
Now that I have it out, I can say that the brushroll bearings seem great. Nice and quiet, and it spins very freely. I'm going to see if I can get a couple of drops of zoom spout oil on the end of the motor, where the belt shaft comes out. It's probably not ideal, but it's what I have to work with.