Rainbow D4 -SE Motor

[kirbykid63]

Today I got a nice rainbow D4SE for 10.00,I took it apart and didn't have any trouble servicing it I even took out the bottom bearing and lubed it. Now it runs great and I will sell it in my Ebay store. Most vacuum stores charge a premium price to work on a rainbow D4 series and I don't know why.

 

[scvacuumguy]

When determining labor charges- I determine based on three things: Price of the original vacuum cleaner, how nice the customer is, and how much time the repair will take.

Keep in mind- most repair stores are charging for knowledge, not difficulty and time.

 

[powertank]

Keep in mind that the people who usually bring those things in don't take care of them. The motors and screws are usually so corroded it almost isn't worth it to work on them. We actually lose money in labor if we get into a dirty motor, so unfortunately if the motor doesn't look great, we will only replace the whole thing. ($$$$!! OUCH)

 

[scvacuumguy]

Lose money in a dirty motor? If you charge $79.99 labor and you spend about 45 minutes servicing the motor, it shouldn't create a loss of money after you add the charge for the flange gasket, flange plate, separator, bearings, etc.

If it needs the traditional rebuild parts- sans the armature- we charge $79.99 plus parts. If it has ok bearings and just needs to be cleaned out, we charge $99.99 plus parts.

Either way, you will make money on a Rainbow service as long as you are replacing the basic parts.

I won't touch a D-3 unless I can remove the flange screws in front of the customer and quote them on the repair.

 

[kirbykid63]

very durable motors

The rainbow motors I have looked at seem very durable as long as the machine isn't abused. The motors have long carbon brushes and use good ball bearings.I have heard the bottom bearing is the most vulnerable to ware and it isn't hard to get to and replace. I look forward to working on more of these machines, I see them all the time in Tucson for low prices most are missing attachments or need bearings.I would love to find a D4 SE and rebuild it for my vacuum collection.

Richard Groski

 

[scvacuumguy]

They are quite easy to work on. If you have stuck screws on a D4 (rare, but sometimes happens) you can use an easy-out and just replace the entire bearing housing. Stuck screws are more common on the D3 and D2 where it is metal into metal.

 

[powertank]

Wow I'm stupid. I was totally thinking of the D2s. No, the D4s are much easier to work on and they seem less prone to failure. We certainly don't see a lot of them.

We only charge $59.95 (plus parts) as a flat rate with no hourly rate. So on that damn rusty D2 motor, we did loose money. Plus, many people here are super cheapskates and bark at any little expense.

We are always very busy so we don't have the time to dig into those rusty motors- we really do loose money (not a whole lot though) if we spend more than a few hours on one. Trust me, that D2 took like 2 days with all the rusty screws and stuck stuff, and the owner chewed me out for even getting into it.

 

[scvacuumguy]

The only time I will be touching a D2 is when I'm offering a "trade" on a new vacuum for the valuable parts that it has to offer (yes, that sentence is laced with sarcasm). I am incorporating a very adorable D2 into the vintage vacuum display in the store...its a space-taking display in the ceiling.

A tip for fixing a D2 motor: Keep a small bottle of fresh vodka or another strong alcoholic beverage close by. Wear leather driving gloves- to keep your hands from being skinned up each time the motor slips.

 

[powertank]

ROFLOL! Very good. You can see then why that D2 left a bad taste in my mouth!