Removing Omega Fan

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vacumaniac

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 11, 2011
Messages
545
Working on my Kirby Omega now. Never used the fan locking tool before, but I have one. Looked in the forums, can anyone provide a walkthrough of how to use this tool? I don't see where in the armature it should go
 
Derek, the longer end of the tool slides into any one of the slots between the segments of the armature.  Then when you begin to turn the fan pulling, the other end of the locking tool should bear up against the bell housing in order to keep the armature stationary.  Hope this helps! 
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Bill, I do not see the slots :( Would these be on the armature shaft nearest the fan or the copper windings??
 
They are on the windings.  You know how all those metal segments cover the windings?  There are probably twenty of them.  Each of the segments has about a 1/8 inch gap between them.  Anyone of those gaps is where the tool is slid into.  The photo is a Rainbow armature, but a Kirby armature is the same.  When I rebuilt my first Kirby in that series, I had the same problem!  I had the tool, but I had no clue about how to use it.  I'd love to say that it was great skill and a keen mechanical mind that led to the discovery.  But it was purely by accident!  LOL!  Hope this helps! 

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Just swapped the bearings on the omega. Now when I put the armature back into the field, the fans of the armature are getting caught on the bottom om the copper field windings!!!! I have no idea how this happened, looking at the commutator it appears to be lined up just perfectly, the rear bearing is in place with the spring clip, so I am at a loss!

Can the fans on the armature be bent to fix this?
 
hmmm....

Now, this is puzzling!  Are you sure you have the motor field properly in place?  The cooling fan is supposed to ride above the field. 
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I never even removed the field from the plastic housing. Thats the odd thing indeed. I just cant figure it out, everything goes into place, the armature just cannot spin without hitting the copper winding...
 
Derek, I think I see your problem from the first photo.  Somehow, the fan got pushed down too far.  It's too close to the spacer on the windings.  It needs to be further up the shaft about 1/4 inch or more.  I don't think I remember seeing an Omega armature quite like that.  The ones I've seen have etchings machined into the armature and the fan sits on those etchings.  I think they are there in order to create friction to hold the fan in place.  In fact, it looks like the fan made scratches in the shaft when it was somehow forced down toward the windings.   You might try taking  long punch pin or screw driver and place it on the underside of the fan to force it up. 
 
Oh yeah, I'm sure you know this.  But it helps to put the armature shaft in a vice in order to stabilize it.  Just be sure to wrap it in a cloth to prevent gouges.  Gouges will cause it to run off balance and that will ruin the motor field (and the armature too).  Also, be careful not to bend the fan.  I think if you butt the screwdriver against the riser on the bottom of the fan, you'll be safe. 
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Ok. GOt the fan back to where it should be. However, there is a slight bit of play yet in the fan. Is there something you would recommend to put behing the fan to lock it in place? Perhaps some teflon tape to prevent it from going back down?
 
Tolerance Ring

Derek, you might try taking the fan completely off and then installing one or two tolerance rings onto the armature down by the spacer (depending on how much tolerance you need) and then putting the fan back on.  A tolerance ring is light weight and I think it will keep the fan from riding down the armature.  The grooves that are machined into most Kirby armatures essentially function as a tolerance ring.  But you can also put them on after the fact.  I've included a link so you can see what they look like.  I think teflon tape might work too if you could be sure that it would stay adhered to the armature.  If you do use the tape, you might want to wipe the armature down with some acetone or MEK to make certain that oil and other residue is cleaned off. 



http://www.usatolerancerings.com/
 
Photos of Kirby TCB-130 fan locking tool

I didn't know what the tool looked like, had to google to find out. Searched for how to remove Omega fan, glad I found this forum.

Maybe these photos will help others.

Ian

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