New to me 1974 Electrolux AP100

[johnvosh86]

Was at Value Village today and came across the Vacuum Cleaner in the attached photo's. It is a 1974 Electrolux AP100 complete with original accessories. I got it for C$20, which is way better than the close to $300 that my local vacuum shop would ask for this.

I would like to clean it up as there is a bit of rust on it. I would also like to take it apart to give it a good cleaning.

 

[completenutt]

Great find!

Clean her up, get some hepa bags and you're good to go!


 


Enjoy.

 

[johnvosh86]

This is actually my second Electrolux vacuum that I own. My first one, which I still use, I paid $325 for it and is an Electrolux 2100 model. I have had to replace the handle grip and the power cable running down the wand. Eventually will need a new hose and a new power head.

What is the best way to get rid of the rust and get this thing shinning like new?

 

[compactc9guy]

sweeeett join the AP Family !i own a ap 200
wonderful machine light weight powerfull quiet you wil love it here is mine whit all my machine i did give myy AP200 i full rebuild if you have question let me know ap 100 and 200 have same body style .

 

[quebecois]

Nice grab, specially with all these accessories !

I also own a few AP-100's and AP-200's, and as compactguy wrote, both share the same body. I'd add they also share the same motor.

I've stripped down a few of them recently to swap parts to make two good machines out of four, so I'd be glad to help if possible.

 

[johnvosh86]

What is the best way to get rid of the rust and get this thing shinning like new?

Is there anything special I need to do when taking this unit apart or putting it back together? I would like to pull it apart and give the inside a good cleaning. I love my Electrolux Vacuum's and would take one of these over a Dyson any day. If I ever seem them cheap like this, I plan on grabbing them so that I have spare parts. Hopefully I can make them last as long as me.

 

[quebecois]

For the rust, I personally use a product called Autosol, it is a white paste in a tube generally used on cars and motorcycles chrome or stainless steel. You may use extra fine steel wool with Autosol, or a green scrub pad, it won't scratch the metal.

The procedure to take the vacuum body apart can be found on YouTube.



This video shows it for another model, but you'll have to follow the same steps.

 

[johnvosh86]

I will have to have a look around for that product, see if I can find it. Maybe Canadian Tire will have it.

And thanks for the video, it explained a lot! I did take apart my 2100 series, but did it the hard way. The way they showed in the video is so much easier!

 

[luxflairguy]

Video's like yours...

Mean to much to many of us! Thank you! There is SO much we can learn here!
Greg

 

[quebecois]

You may find Autosol in Canadian Tire stores, but more certainly in auto parts stores.


This video is a good start, after a few times, you will develop your own "routine".

I personally lightly spray the inside of the bumper slides with silicone, to make them easier to slide back in place, and easier to slide them out next time.

 

[quebecois]

Looking at the video one more time, I noticed there is a one more step that you'll need to go through with your AP-100 after you slide the bumpers out and take the rear end out: with the bag door opened, you will notice there are two plastic tabs, located very close to the bag door hinges.

You absolutely need to pop those tabs out with the blade of a mid-size flat screwdriver, it will enable you to separate bottom and top halves.

 

[johnvosh86]

So I took apart the vacuum while at work today and it was actually really clean inside. I wonder if someone just had this sitting in a shed or something and that is why there is surface rust. But I did take it apart and clean it anyways.

I tried pulling the metal cover off the top of the motor held on by 3 clips, but it wouldn't come off, so just left it.

My next question is concerning the power head. I took and removed all 4 screws and then slowly started pulling it apart. The problem is, it looks like there is a rivet holding the front centre of the power head on. It is a PN-V powerhead. It looks like it may need a new belt as well as it seemed to be pretty loose, but it does spin and seems to work. Any ideas on pulling apart the power head?

And thanks everyone for all the help and advice so far!

 

[rugsucker]

Canadian Electrolux

I see very few of these this far south.We only got the similar models as 2100/LE,etc to sell in US in 1985.I seem to recall a hidden pin that pulls out under the front corners of bumper on the only Canadian PN I took apart.Others will know more.
Good luck with great find of nice and complete Elux!

 

[quebecois]

I don't have any PN-V here to see what you mean, and I can't remember I took one apart, but I'd doubt there is any rivet in there, turn your PN upside down and look under the rubber bumper all around the edge, look for one or two flat metal clips that could hold to plastic tabs.

 

[compactc9guy]

flip it over , take the 2 screws out , turn it right side up and lift metal hood foward and up un plug pig tail and voila .Thats how i did it on my ap 200 power nozzle.

 

[djub85]

Nice find! These models really intrigue me because they're basically from the same era as the 1205s, but the Canadian AP versions still live on today as the Lux Legacy and Classic, which have the same body but with different doors, tops, switches, bumpers, etc.

 

[johnvosh86]

So here's a question.... Is there any site that tests the performance between the different models of Electrolux vacuums? I tried googling it, but couldn't find anything. Would be interesting to see if there was a performance diffrence between the AP100 and the 2100 series I have.

 

[quebecois]

I would say there is a difference. My AP-100 motor spec is 5 amps, and my E2000 motor is 8 amps, just with these numbers I would expect the E2000 to be more effective, and that's the case.