NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[kirbykid]

does anyone know how to fix this? the locking screw thing broke off on my kirby c

 

[kirbykid]

oh and since i have the front off, how do i get the fan off?

 

[vacumaniac]

Ughhhh. That is not going to be easy. The screw that was in there was "Smashed" and the end flattened out to keep it in. With an anvil and lots of brute strength you may be able to fix it.

For the fan, you should see a small hole in the armature if you look through the side vents. I use an old ice pick, inserting it in that hole. This locks the fan and allows you to twist the fan off. There is a special tool Kirby sells for this, and another tool that they sell for Omega and up fans (this one you do need as the fan needs to be locked differently)

 

[kirbykid]

i tried that. i broke a screwdriver in half and bent the other one...

 

[vacumaniac]

Yeah, you gotta use a really hard piece of metal for it, as you found out, anything less will break/bend. Make sure you are also turning the fan the correct way when removing it... They can be a real pain in the neck to remove, just keep trying!

 

[kirbykid]

here is a pic

 

[kirbykid]

is it the same way with the kirby 516 and up?

 

[vacumaniac]

The top one definately is too flimsy to hold up to that, and I bet the one that bent is aluminum plated as well. If you have a steel pin that would work, other wise use an old ice pick if you can find one as they were made to withstand a lot

 

[vacumaniac]

It is the same way up to the Omega for the fans. The Classic 1CR still used the old fan removal method I believe.

 

[kirbykid]

ok. but that lower one i think was made of steel. and just chromed or something. it came in a set of 5 others for about $100. saying that it would last when the others wont. and something about super strong tips

 

[kirbykid]

then how do i remove the fan?

 

[kirbykid]

i havent ever worked on the newer kirbies. except my g4 but i didnt remove the fan

 

[vacumaniac]

Yeah for that price you would think it should have held up... Are you sure you are turning the correct way on it? I would also check the hole in the armature because if it did that to the screwdrivers, I am worried that it may have done something to the hole....

 

[kirbykid]

ok i just checked. the hole is fine. for a secont i was like, oh crap did i break that as well? but no it is fine.

 

[kirbykid]

i turned the fan the oposite way that i turn a screw.

 

[kirbykid]

i do have a old ice pick. but it was my moms grandpa's so i dont really want to do anything with that for feer of breaking it because it is one of the few things that my mom has left from her grandpa. the only other thing that i know about it a can of nevr dull. in a red can.

 

[electroluxxxx]

Find yourself a good drill bit and drill It out. Your local hardware store should sell a rethreadding kit and re thread the hole it's not all to hard to do
hope this helps

 

[eurekastar]

I would take that fan case to a machine shop and ask them to drill out the rest of the screw. The way to do that properly is with a drill press. That will keep it nice and straight. Also, the threads on the fan are indeed left handed, so you'll need to spin the fan to the right in order to unscrew it.