Replacing Electrolux PN-5 Belt

[djub85]

Hey guys,


 


My Diamond Jubilee's PN-5 seems to have a problem. When pulling it backwards over carpet, the motor seems to stop spinning sometimes. I'm *hoping* that it just needs a new belt and not a new motor. Any thoughts on that topic? I wouldn't know which was going bad because I've never replaced either before.


 


If it is a belt, can anyone help find a DIY post or describe the process? I did some searching, but I couldn't find anything myself. I'm still a noob here. I wouldn't want to miss some adjustment and cause problems for the motor (if the motor isn't the cause of my problem).


 


Speaking of Power Nozzles, I have an Epic 6500 PN that won't run. The headlight turns on, but the power nozzle doesn't run. I'm assuming it needs a motor. Is there anything else I should check first?


 


Thanks guys =)

 

[human]

I have a PN5 but I've never had it apart. Unlike my PN1 and PN2, there are no obvious screws holding it together. The PN2 required a little prying at the back where the wand coupling enters the body of the PN. Maybe the PN5 requires a similar approach.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Did you push the RED RESET button on the PN for the EPIC 6500?

 

[djub85]

I did press the power button on the Epic PN. I suppose the button could be jammed or messed up in some way, but I did play with it several times. Not sure what the problem is.


 


Any other thoughts on the PN-5? Maybe I just need to take it to Aerus.

 

[kirbylux77]

Dave

Just out of curiosity, is this Epic 6500 a blue & white one? If so, I think it is the circuit breaker/reset switch that may be faulty. Those blue & white 6500's used a circuit breaker made by Mel Rain / Littelfuse....if you look on a Kenmore canister PN from the 80's or 90's, it is identical to the circuit breaker those Kenmore PN's used. Now I have seen that on the gray Epic 6500's, they changed circuit breakers, I don't know for sure that when they changed colors that's when they changed circuit breakers or if it was done towards the end of the blue/gray 6500's. But I would try changing the circuit breaker first, to me a Electrolux PN motor from the early to mid 90's shouldn't be failing this early.

Rob

 

[blknblu]

Here is a good tutorial on changing the PN-5 belt

The reset switch is now integrated into the power switch for the powerhead on the PN-6. Not sure on the PN-5.

PN-5 Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner Belt
Repair Info: Electrolux PN5 Powerhead Vacuum Belt
http://www.info-vacuum-cleaner.com/lux-pn5-vac-belt.php

 

[human]

I disassembled my PN-5 following the directions from the link in the post above and would offer a few observations:

• The top cover of my PN-5 is different from the one in the illustration. On mine, the opening for the power cord is completely surrounded by the upper cover whereas the one in the illustration is open at the bottom. On mine, the power cord must be removed from the Power Nozzle in order to take off the cover. Fortunately, it just pulls out.
• The red reset switch on mine is not attached to the upper cover; it is part of the same block of plastic that holds the contact pins that fit into the holes on the power cord. This is actually a better design in that there's less chance of breaking wires.
• There are five screws. Two are just behind the brush roll and three are roughly in line with the rear wheels.
• All of the screws except the one at the left rear are deeply recessed. You can't see the heads without a strong flashlight.
• When separating the upper cover from the base, lift from the rear by sticking your finger in between a rear wheel and the top cover. It'll pop right off.
• When putting the two halves together again, make sure the little ridge on front edge of the top cover seats in the corresponding groove on the inner front edge of the base.
• Squeeze the sides together, moving toward the back of the unit to snap the two halves of the shell together.
• The PN-5's motor is not particularly well isolated from the brush roll and the dirt flow so it was FILTHY inside when I opened it up. I blew the interior out with canned air before reassembling it even though it will just get dirty all over again.

All in all, I much prefer the design of my PN-2, in which the motor is completely sealed off from the brush roll and dirt flow by an inner cover.

 

[human]

Different PN-5

Looking back at that tutorial, I am convinced the nozzle pictured is NOT a PN-5 at all but a more recent iteration of the Omniflow nozzle. There are several significant differences between it and mine:

• The pigtail power cord on the one pictured is not removable, thus the open bottom on the power cord opening of the upper cover
• The reset button is attached to the upper cover, whereas mine is part of the block the pigtail cord plugs into.
• The Power Nozzle pictured has an on/off switch, which my PN-5 does not. I believe the switch was introduced on the PN-6.
• The Electrolux logo appears to be molded into the plastic on the "outrigger" portion of the nozzle, where the words "Automatic Omniflow" appear on mine. The Electrolux logo on mine is on a metal plate over the motor housing.
• My PN-5 has two metal guards over the brush roll; the one pictured does not.
• The one pictured appears to have a removable plate on the bottom between the brushroll and the neck. Presumably, this would allow easy access to remove obstructions. My PN-5 does not have this.
•The plastic top cover is a bright white; mine is grayish tan. I think they call it "Sand".

Despite the design differences stated above, most of the information contained in the text of the tutorial is indeed applicable to the PN-5 and presumably most of the rest of its Omniflow descendants. But it just begs the question, which Power Nozzle model is actually pictured in this supposedly PN-5 specific tutorial?

 

[djub85]

Thanks for the info, guys! I really appreciate it. I'll give this a whirl as soon as I find a belt. And if I get in over my head, I'll bring all of the pieces to Aerus and say, "Fix!" One last question--is this what happens when you need a belt? I don't want to take it all apart if the motor is going bad. It stops running when you pull the PN backwards over carpet--the whining sound of the PN motor totally stops.


 


My Epic PN is actually from the ugly all-gray Epic from 1994/1995. I agree that it's too new have a bad motor. I will investigate the reset switch further. Did the gray Epics have PN switch issues too, or just the blue Epics?


 


Regarding the tutorial... the PN appears to be from the mid/late 90s. That Oyster (white) /Gray color scheme with red lettering matches the Oyster Epic 6500, but the Epic had a lighted PN. I assume that this PN was from the same time period but with a lower model. Not sure what the "2100/Lux Classic" was called during the this period in the 90s. Maybe it was called the Ambassador still? That would be my guess. Definitely not a PN-5 though or even a PN-6. And it definitely wasn't ever paired with a metal body machine, an Epic (or its decendents) or a Renaissance/Epic/Guardian.


 


 

 

[human]

After tearing down, cleaning, and reassembling my PN-5 last night, I decided to hook it up to my 1205, which I haven't used in a while, and give it a run on the living room carpet and Persian rug just to see if it worked any better. I have to say there is a noticeable improvement but my PN-1 and PN-2 still run circles around it. The Omniflow form factor just doesn't work well in my house. The earlier Power Nozzles are just easier to maneuver in tight quarters with their more compact designs.