Need Info on Kenmore Progressive

[centralsweeper63]

It is a coin toss really. You don't want to waste your time, but you do want to help.

 

[ranzim]

Definitely. It's nice to get some "return" on your "investment".

 

[centralsweeper63]

I can definitely agree with that!

 

[cheesewonton]

Seems to be the pickups (brushes?) where the moveable part of the reel connects to stationary wires. If I wiggle or squeeze the moveable part of the reel, the resistance reading goes wild. I was going to attempt to disassemble, but I'm concerned about unleashing the spring.

Replacement cord reels are all over ebay.

 

[centralsweeper63]

But it could be mostly fixed for free.

 

[huskyvacs]

But it could be mostly fixed for free.

Anyone here with experience in Electrolux repair would tell you to take out a life insurance policy before even thinking about opening up a Electrolux cord reel.


Other brands are likely less serious, but those spring tensioners are wound extremely tight.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I learnt that the hard way with a box store canister. Not a single scratch on me though. Lesson learnt. Very quickly it goes from coiled up to a tangled up old ribbon.

 

[cheesewonton]

Sears Parts Direct sells the cord with the contact ring attached. Accessing the contact ring might not require unwinding the spring. Or it might be one of those deals where you count the rotations as you let the reel unwind before disassembly. When putting it back together you assemble it with the spring slack and then turn the reel with the cord wound around it the same number of turns it took to unwind it.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Counting, very helpful.

 

[paul]

You know that's something that irks me. I see it a lot in Electronics forums. I follow a five page post about the problem I'm having, and after all that reading about trial and error it just goes dead -- no conclusion. What's the point? I feel the whole idea of a forum is so that your path to the solution is now documented, and available for all to refer to. It becomes a reference book of collective knowledge. Ir saves people a lot of time and grief. I depend on Forums a lot.

Anyway Paul, I won't just consider posting my findings -- schematics, photos, conclusions -- I definitely will do it! I want people to benefit from my work, not just me. And Paul, thank you again for providing me with those videos. Each one had at least some piece of useful information.

With my success yesterday (with the red vac), I see now how I should approach the problem with the gray one -- without going the brute-force route. I'll dig into that as soon as I time to and report back.

RZ

You're very welcome, RZ. Congrats on your success!

We're definitely on the same page in regard to how electronics forums such as VL are at their best with active participation in sharing knowledge and ideas. Overall, I think we do well here, but consistency can waver as some bow out for awhile or only sporadically take part. I have done so myself from time to time; returning to find unanswered questions in archived threads that I could have either answered outright or researched. I have even found unanswered threads from years past that I have answered in case the person checks back or someone else needs the answer. I will have to say that my current access to a newspaper database and my increased familiarity with various websites has led me to answer more queries than only those of which I am personally interested and familiar.

I look forward to your follow-ups and other participation at VL. Again, welcome!

 

[centralsweeper63]

That is exactly correct.