Opening a model G
To open you have to warm the bumper ends at the back end with a hairdryer and then slide them towards the exhaust port and pull out. There is a keyhole style opening that they hook into. You do t want to pry them out or you will rip off the retaining tabs…a previous owner of mine did that. Next there will be a screw on each side under the bumper near the back sides of the cordwinder. Unscrew those and also the top part where the switch is and lift that up. Then the cordwinder will come off.
Next you’ll have to unplug the motor wiring from the back of the switch carefully and lift away the switch assembly revealing a small screw holding the back end of the vacuum body on around that raised rim. There is also one of these screws on the bottom of the unit along that rim, remove both, they are quite small. The back end of the vac body will slide off but there is a rubber gasket there so it might take some coaxing and require using a small wood block with a mallet to tap it backwards and work your way around incrementally.
You’ll have to have the back end near the main body as the wiring will be going through the back end and there is no need to remove it for cleaning. Now you will have the back end off cleaning of the motor is quite simple. Set the vac outdoors on a blanket or carpet if you’d like to stand it up for this step but better to do it with it lying on its side. The blanket keeps it from getting scratched and just in case it tips over or to protect the side. Inspect the motor, if it’s rusty you’ll want to use and air compressor (best) or leaf blower or another vac on blower mode to blow out the dust in the motor area and a clean small to medium paint brush can also help to dislodge any heavy buildup of dust especially behind the motor brackets etc. be careful around any wiring so as not to damage it and make sure all wiring is in good shape since you have it open. You’ll need the paint brush more likely if you don’t have an air compressor with the compressed air blowing attachment as the pressure from a blower may not be enough to dislodge built up dirt. Clean the gasket that goes on the back end as well and inside the back end of the vac that you removed. Do not disassemble the cord winder at all, that is a detailed job and must be done in a certain order carefully so as not to destroy the spring so unless needed, stay away from that for general cleaning but make sure the gold tracks are clean and have mild lubrication still and there is no burnt areas. Also you’ll see the contacts where the cordwinder tracks make contact and clean the 4 ends as dust sometimes builds up on those prongs. Reinstall the back end gasket aligning the screw holes and slide the back end of the vac back in making sure the wiring will not be linked or twisted and not really near the moving parts of the motor and you may need to tap it on with a rubber mallet gently and check the gasket as you do this that it isn’t getting pushed out of whack. It may take a few tries to get the back end on correctly with the gasket but that’s ok. You may have to tap the back end on around and around to get the screw holes to line up but once they are lined up install the two small screws and then put the cordwinder on. Reconnect the motor wires to to Thackeray end of the switch and you may also wish to blow out the switch innards and the rocker part simply lifts off for better access. You’ll notice the switch has a mechanical bar that connects to the bag door, that is for the automatic control so when it pops the bag door open it also turns off the switch shutting off the vacuum. Reassemble the cordwinder, and if the contact prongs look burnt at all you may wish to slightly and carefully bend them out a bit so they retain best contact with the raceway tracks on the cord reel. Put top cover screws back on for switch area once wiring is connected. Fit the back end screws on, test the vacuum now to make sure all connections are good before the final step just in case you have to open it again. Finally, when all is good and you don’t want to open it anymore…reheat the bumpers so you can stretch them to reassemble. The rubber bumper retaining tabs are fragile so the less you have to do the removal and assembly of those the better. I can post a pic of the keyhole openings under the bumpers on mine for you shortly so you know what you are dealing with in advance of removal. Again someone ripped the retaining tabs off mine so my bumper sort of just hangs out there partially off the back end.
A crevice tool was included with the original vac. Bristles can be purchased to renew the dusting brush upholstery tool which can be contoured for furniture pillows rounded upholstered chair arms, etc. you’ll want to warm the rim of the dusting brush and use a screwdriver to remove the old bristles. Once the hard rubber is warm it becomes more pliable. Either soak in hot water or use the hairdryer. I’ve found bristle replacements in original horsehair on eBay under $10.
The plastic hose is a replacement. But they are much more durable than the braided originals that became leaky as they disintegrated from the inside causing poor suction.
The rug and floor tool is nice and reversible by pressing the grooves tabs on either side where it says “this side up” and pulling the head off and flipping it over and reinserting it. This tool was designed in 1953 before the power nozzle came out and was the primary rug and hard floor cleaning tool so the gleaner bar on the rug side was needed. Flip the switch on the end to on and the bar becomes textured and picks up hair and threads better than with it off where it is just smooth. However, on some old carpet or loop carpet the gleaner can get stuck on the pile and not glide so then it has to be moved to the smooth side which is the off position. This side of the tool should not be used on hard surfaces and it’s a good idea to keep the gleaner off except when cleaning so it someone puts this side on hard surfaces or worse on concrete or asphalt, the gleaner bar doesn’t get damaged or the gleaner doesn’t damage any hard surfaces. Once the power nozzle was introduced, the gleaner wasn’t as important as the power nozzle was designed to pick up the more stubborn dirt the gleaner was designed to help with. The combination rug and floor tool is mostly good for small area rugs that the power nozzle might be too much for or pull into it and of course the bristle side is perfect for hard floor cleaning. Always make sure “this side up” is visible on the elbow when using the tool as it insures the suction opening is down on the side you wish to have touching the surface to be cleaned.
The clip that is about 2 inches ahead of the handle on top of the cleaner body is for storage of the dusting brush upholstery tool. Put it on upside now with Electrolux name facing down with the winged end going on to the clip. If it doesn’t stay well, the clip can be unscrewed and slightly bent to insure a tighter fit of the tool. Crevice tool can be inserted into the bristle end of the combo tool narrow end in for a ride along too or some people thread it through the carry handle.
