My Kirby G5 finally arrived!

[human]

When I got home form work today, I couldn't get in the front door because of a rather huge box blocking the door. It was the Kirby G5 I had bought on eBay two weeks ago. Condition is pretty much what I expected, similar to my G6 in most respects. The handle more play side-to-side than the G6 but has greater spring tension when pulling the handle back. The Tech Drive seems to work okay but it makes a clicking noise when moving the machine with the drive disengaged in the "N" position.

I knew it needed a new plug on the end of the cord and I replaced it immediately. The cord is otherwise in good shape except for the little anchor just above and to the right of the power switch, which is broken off. I can live with $2 to replace the plug instead of $20-$30 to replace the whole cord. I knew the brush roll was bad and also replaced that. The only other thing not functioning properly is the headlight. Probably just needs a bulb.

The outer bag has a small hole in it, down next to the emptor, but that doesn't seem to affect its functioning. The inside of that bag was filthy, looking like it had been run without an inner bag or that the inner bag had burst. I ended up vacuuming it out with my Electrolux 1205 and its upholstery brush/duster brush combo before mounting it on the machine and putting in a fresh inner bag.

All in all, I think this vac will be a good addition to the fleet with a little TLC.

 

[sptyks]

Human, this link will take you to a thread that explains how to fix the clicking sound coming from your G5 Tech Drive:


 


http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?13833

 

[human]

Thanks for the link

I'll bookmark that link and tear into it when I get some time. Turns out the scuff plate screw just above the N/D switch is missing on both my Kirbys. Probably vibrated out and got vacuumed up.

 

[human]

A little care package for my Kirbys came in the mail today. They both now have their missing scuff plate screws replaced and the G5 has a new headlight bulb. The G5 is taking shape nicely. It seems fairly sound mechanically. Its main issues are aesthetic. I'm not really looking to make a show piece out of either one of them, just get other people's crud off of them and keep them in a well-maintained state. One thing I need to do is get a bottle of Goo-Gone to clean the scuffs off of the plastic parts. Of course the G6 could use a little of the same sort of TLC.

I'm also thinking the outer bag on the G5 might need some deeper cleaning. I get a good puff of dust through the fabric every time I start the thing up. Any suggestions of a method for doing so?

 

[miskini]

Throw it in the washer, inside out, gentle cycle, hang dry.

 

[sptyks]

Remove it from the emptor first.


 

 

[chicagomike]

Bracket cam assembly (Kirby part number 557689S) will definitely fix the noise you are referring too... You should also consider cleaning and adjusting the pivot handle spring assembly too...

 

[chicagomike]

Be careful with the goo-gone or other similar products as I have found some of those cleaning materials are not friendly to plastic type parts.

 

[human]

I've used Goo-Gone on plastic before. It's not bad. What I got yesterday was in a spray bottle. I just sprayed it on, let it sit a minute or two, then wiped it off with a paper towel. I had mixed results. some of the scuffed-on paint and stuff came off, but a lot of it stayed put.

I'm going to put the G5 through its paces vacuuming the living room and master bedroom when I get home from work this afternoon.

 

[pr-21]

Try a ......

Magic Eraser dry and wet, it works pretty good most of the time....for me anyway.


 


 


PR-21

 

[human]

2 Kirbys, 2 carpeted rooms

So I just finished vacuuming the master bedroom with the G5 and the living room with the G6, just to be able to do a head-to-head comparison. Both rooms have realtor grade carpet and a Persian rug, so it seemed like a pretty even comparison.

As to be expected with two such similar machines, the vacuuming experience was quite similar. The big differences I noticed were related to the brush rolls and Tech Drive. The G5 is harder to push with the Tech Drive disengaged, which at least gives the illusion that the Tech Drive is pulling more of the machine's weight when engaged than does the G6's Tech Drive. When engaged, the drives on both machines work as smooth as glass, no hopping or shuddering at all.

The G5's newer, more aggressive style brush roll gives off more vibration than the G6's original style brush roll. It actually feels like it's beating the carpet. I ended up backing off slightly on the height adjustment when I had it on the Persian rug. I'm sure it reduced the suction efficiency a bit, but was a little better for the rug. One thing I love about all three of my Kirbys is the ease with which one can adjust the height on the fly, unlike any other upright I've ever used.

It always amazes me just how much material those machines suck up. Both machines had brand new filter bags and in both cases, they were about half full (i.e., halfway full to the fill line) when I got done. It's a good thing I've got plenty of bags.

Another minor difference was in the headlights. The G5's bulb was burned out when I got it, so I ordered a pair of replacements from Kirbyneeds. The best deal they had was on a two-pack of 12-watt Eiko bulbs as opposed to the 8-watt Kirby bulbs. The extra brightness was a nice bonus for paying half as much per bulb. I was impressed enough that I'm going ahead and retrofitting the G6 with the other 12-watt bulb and putting its original 8-watt bulb in reserve.

 

[sptyks]

Human, if you search the Vacuumland archives, you will find instructions for adjusting the Tech Drive on your G6 so that it performs normally, OR you could try these very good instructions:


 


http://www.greatvacs.com/education/kirby-transmission.html

 


If you want to order a new Tech Drive for about $95 here are instructions for replacing the Tech Drive:  


 

 

[human]

Barkeeper's Friend

So I finally remembered to pick up some Magic Erasers when I was at Walmart this afternoon. With a little elbow grease, I was able to remove most of the scuffed-on paint from the plastic parts of all three of my Kirbys.

Then, just for fun, I started using it on the aluminum housings on my G5 and my first G6. The G6 actually regained much of its original luster, although several deep scratches remain and it's still not nearly as shiny as the one I got Sunday at Goodwill. The G5 didn't respond quite as dramatically.

While not pitted—it's actually smooth to the touch—the metal has, over time, taken on a dull and leaden hue. I wore out the Magic Eraser before it brightened much at all, but then I started thinking about how my ex-wife would swear by Barkeeper's Friend, which is a very fine scouring powder. It won't leave scratches the way, say, Comet will, which isI use it frequently on my stainless steel cookware.

So I sprinkled some on a sponge and added just enough water to make a thin paste, then I started rubbing it on the top of the motor housing. Instantly, the sponge turned black. I kept rubbing for a couple of minutes, then wiped it off with a damp paper towel and dried it. I honestly couldn't believe my eyes! While it didn't exactly have a mirror-like sheen, the metal was very much brighter and I could make out a faint reflection of the handle. If I got that result in such a brief time, I'm looking forward to being able to spend some real quality time with it and seeing what happens.

I am going to keep my expectations realistic. This thing will likely never look as good as my newest G6, but I can definitely make it presentable.

 

[danielsand]

There is no reason why it shouldn't look brand new, if that's what you want. The aluminum is thick enough, that even DEEP scratches/gouges will come out with the right grit of sandpaper.

Depending how deep they are, I either go at it by hand, or the power sander. If you look at my avatar, the Ultimate Diamond was VERY badly scratched when I got it. Now it's like mirror. If you use a power sander, it will not take a long time at all. I can get ANY Kirby into "mirror" condition in about two hours.

The only ones that were not scratched (in my avatar), are the 515 that was oxidized to lead like finish, and Omega that needed light polish but no sandpaper. Three others were in various stages of "scratched and or gouged", and came out like new.

 

[human]

I just spent about an hour going over the G5 with Bar Keeper's Friend and I got it back to a nice satin luster. It isn't exactly mirror-like, but it's very smooth to the touch. The machine has only one really bad 'battle scar' to one side of the headlight lens. I'm probably going to keep working on it periodically, but I'm happy with the progress so far. I finished it off with a coat of car wax, just to help retard further oxidation. And for good measuret, I even put some Armor All on the plastics, It definitely looks better than it did.

Here are a few photos of it after a round of Bar Keeper's Friend:

 

[sptyks]

Edgar, have you tried Mother's Aluminum polish, or better yet, Flitz metal polish? Both work wonders on dull looking Kirby's! Either one of these fine polishes and a little elbow grease will get your G5 and G6 looking like new again.

 

[human]

sptkys,
Funny you should mention Mother's. I stopped off at Wally World on the way homes from work today and picked up a can of Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish. With about ten minutes of rubbing, the G5 was positively glowing! It looked so good, I grabbed the G6 I had rescued from the dumpster and gave it a good rub-down. So now I have three shiny Kirbys. I didn't sand out all the scratches. I may do that someday, but for now, those 'battle scars' stand as a testament to their authenticity.

I'm pretty pleased with the one-two punch of Bar Keeper's and Mother's. That's now my go-to combo for bringing back a leaden looking Kirby. Just look at the photos below. The G5 is on the left, the "dumpster" G6 is in the middle and the "thrift store" G6 (which needed no polishing) is on the right—Larry, Kirby and Moe. The first photo, taken without flash, doesn't really do them justice, so I went back and took one with the flash. Much better.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Wow!!!

And I'm not even a Kirbylover!


  There's a lot of money sitting there.


  I use Barkeeper's friend on my aunt's Jenaire glass cooktop.  I much prefer the powder over the bottle.  It also brings back a glorious shine to the copper bottoms of Reverware pots and pans.


  I think I'll try that on my 3 Kirby(s) before I attempt to sell them.


  Great job there.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Mother's Mag cleaner is great

I use it on all my Kirbys to keep them bright and shinny, then finish up with a little paste turtle wax to protect the metal.
My Omega is 40 years old and still sparkles like the day I took it out of the box.