Pumpkin and Chocolate Junior 1346

[madabouthoovers]

Today I acquired courtesy of Ebay, A very rare and original, unmolested Pumpkin and Seal-Greige Hoover Junior 1346 made in March 1967.
These are the very first of the 1346 line which ran from 1967 to 1970, and to see one on EBay made me very excited as they were only made in this colourway for less than a year, and only in 1967.
It was owned by an elderly lady who passed away and her family were selling her possessions. I also got the complete toolkit for it which looks hardly used.

The cleaner will need a good clean up and new belt and bag, but what a find, right on my doorstep. I gave the seller £20 even though it only went for £6.50 on Ebay, and he had the tools which weren't originally listed with the vac.

The motor runs beautifully and the brushroll has good brush length. I'd say it has the original cable and outer bag.

Here are the pics as it is now, pre-cleanup.

 

[madabouthoovers]

side view:

 

[madabouthoovers]

Showing the bag latch of the model 1334, which was replaced a couple of years later by the non removable type bag and bellows

 

[madabouthoovers]

The ID plate, showing the earliest instance of the hoover dating system where the model number is followed by the year and month of manufacture - in this case March 1967

 

[madabouthoovers]

Showing the complete package with the toolset attached

 

[jmurray01]

Congratulations on finding such a fine example of those indeed rare Juniors.

It's a shame the box for the tools is worn and a bit damaged but that comes with being the age it is. The box for my Senior's tools must be about the same age (the box states they are for the 6525 model) and it is in a bit worse condition.

The actual tools are mint however and the hose still stretches all the way to the top of my stairs even after about 45 years. That's Hoover quality for you.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Jamie - the 6525 was the last of the 652 range and ran into the mid 70's, well into the Ranger's lifespan. I have the 6525 model pictured here on the far right - it was dated 1974 so the toolkit you have would be nearly 40 years old. The Ranger and the 6525 were the same cleaner essentially, they just had different hoods.

 

[motojoejo]

I love those colors together.

 

[jmurray01]

Thank you for correcting me Steve.

 

[dysondestijl]

Wow, I love juniors, lol I've just tried one of mine ( the 1354a) on only 12volts! But my other one from the 80's is bad, the motor just went really stiff one day and now doesn't work for some reason.

 

[jmurray01]

It sounds like your Junior suffered either a failed motor bearing or the commutator got damaged.

 

[dysondestijl]

If I can find out how to get into the motor then I'll have a look into it

 

[beko1987]

That looks lovely, good find!

 

[jmurray01]

It is ever so easy to get to the motors on the old Hoovers, it is just a matter of removing screws.

 

[dysondestijl]

Yeah but I can't get to out of the hoover! Do I have to prize it out or something?

 

[madabouthoovers]

Juniors have 4 screws holding the motor in - the 2 at the top are easy to get to - but to do the ones underneath - depending on model - you have to remove the capacitor, the rear wheels and axle, and the power switch housing, and use a long shafted Philips head screwdriver to reach the bottom screws. Getting them back in is fun as well. You also need to seal the fan chamber with some silicone when replacing the motor, or it will leak.
Take the motor casing off by undoing the 3 screws and separating the 2 halves. Then clean and lube the bearings by removing the armature from the field coil housing. Oil the end bearing rather than greasing it as it is not a roller or ball bearing and must be oiled. Oil the front bearing as well.

Juniors are much more of a pain to service than Seniors due to the motor being in a plastic housing, which is screwed to the main body, and 2 of the screws are a pain to get to without the right tools.

 

[dysondestijl]

Thanks, ill try that and let you know how i get on!

 

[madabouthoovers]

If you take the motor casing out and remove the 3 casing screws, the casing will split into 2 halves. Remove the nuts and bolts from the end bearing housing, and the 2 screws from the front bearing clamp. The carbon brushes should also be removed from their housings or they will spring out when you slide the armature and commutator out. Once the armature is removed, you can easily get to the front bearing to clean it and oil it so it spins freely again. They do get very stiff from lack of use, or corrosion setting in.
Take care with the wiring and connections as they can get fragile and snap or shear off!
Also check the fan for damage, they are metal fans and take a real hammering before they fracture. What is so great about vintage Hoovers is that you can strip the motor right down to its component parts for servicing. Try doing that on a Dyson motor - about the only thing you can do on a Dyson YDK screamer motor is change the brushes.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Also, the end bearing should slide snugly over the commutator shaft, and any excessive play here will indicate that the bearing is worn - most likely there will be wear, as every one I have taken apart has not been a very snug fit, with wear evident from lack of oil. These bearings can still be obtained, as they were the same for the 1334, 1346, and U1036 (flat belt) ranges (see Link) The Yourspares (Qualtex) site can supply most stuff you will need for your Junior.

http://www.yourspares.co.uk/manufac...828/motor-bearing-rear-hoover-1334-BRG53.aspx