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.

 

[ranzim]

Hey Guys. The Red vac is up and running. I fixed the reel problem. I had been thinking along the same lines as C,W, when I saw his post.

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.

I carefully unwound the reel counting revolutions, until it was fully "relaxed". There is one screw that holds the actual reel to its frame. The spring is completely contained by a separately affixed plate on the other side of the reel. (Don't touch those screws!) Once the reel is off the frame, the contact fingers and slip rings are exposed and accessible. I tried contact cleaner, etc, and it made some improvement, but the resistance readings were still not stable. I was blessed to find a scrap of crocus cloth in my tool box, and I burnished the slip rings and the contact points of the fingers. I also carefully bent the fingers to increase tension against the rings. I did this in small increments several times -- re-assembling the reel (onto the frame) each time and taking resistance measurements -- until i got it to be rock solid. I wound the reel the "required" number of times, remade the opened crimp connections, and tested it out. Ran fine, even while I "played" with the reel. Fixed! Thanks to all for sharing your ideas and suggestions.

The above description is a little brief. I'm thinking of making a separate more detailed post on how to fix the reel -- complete with a few pix. What do you think?

Also, while I had the vac apart, I took pictures, and drew a wiring diagram of the whole thing. (I never did find the "tiny" wiring diagram.) Another separate post?

 

[centralsweeper63]

Very cool. Glad to hear they are both up and running. When I was 5-6 years old I unscrewed the 'danger plate'. I learnt pretty quick.

 

[ranzim]

Thanks, but don't have both going yet. The gray one still needs work. But it's next on the queue.

Years ago I had to fix two drop light wind-up reels. Not at all like this. On one I remember using C-clamps and a vise-grip pliers to keep it "contained". That one went well. The other one was a loss. It didn't become airborne, but I did wind up with a pile of "ribbon", as someone earlier said. I always wore either googles or nowadays, a face shield when "working" on these things.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Oh, I see. Good luck! I just had a tee-shirt and shorts.

 

[ranzim]

Your were blessed to escape unscathed.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I was indeed extremely lucky!

 

[cheesewonton]

Hey Guys. The Red vac is up and running. I fixed the reel problem. I had been thinking along the same lines as C,W, when I saw his post.

I carefully unwound the reel counting revolutions, until it was fully "relaxed". There is one screw that holds the actual reel to its frame. The spring is completely contained by a separately affixed plate on the other side of the reel. (Don't touch those screws!) Once the reel is off the frame, the contact fingers and slip rings are exposed and accessible. I tried contact cleaner, etc, and it made some improvement, but the resistance readings were still not stable. I was blessed to find a scrap of crocus cloth in my tool box, and I burnished the slip rings and the contact points of the fingers. I also carefully bent the fingers to increase tension against the rings. I did this in small increments several times -- re-assembling the reel (onto the frame) each time and taking resistance measurements -- until i got it to be rock solid. I wound the reel the "required" number of times, remade the opened crimp connections, and tested it out. Ran fine, even while I "played" with the reel. Fixed! Thanks to all for sharing your ideas and suggestions.

The above description is a little brief. I'm thinking of making a separate more detailed post on how to fix the reel -- complete with a few pix. What do you think?

Also, while I had the vac apart, I took pictures, and drew a wiring diagram of the whole thing. (I never did find the "tiny" wiring diagram.) Another separate post?

Bitchen ! Good job.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Yes, the OP seem like good technicians.