Panasonic Vacuum Cleaner MC E861 - motor repair?

[deano]

Having dismantled the cleaner body to assess the fault, I'm pretty sure that the fault lies with the carbon brushes in the motor. When the power switch is pressed, nothing happens, when pressed again, and again etc, the motor starts up but is intermittent and appears to run slowly, before accelerating to full speed. There is a crackling sound within the normal running motor sound and also some electrical burning smell. Using a tester, I have been able to confirm that power is getting through to the motor so that erradicates problems with the cable, or switch.

Googling for parts turned up that Carbon brushes are available for this model, but little else in the way of information.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a service/repair manual for this machine that would enable me to determine that the part I saw is a correct replacement for the existing brushes, and would also provide information on how to replace the part?

Failing that, would I be better off buying a replacement motor or even scrapping the product and buying a new cleaner?

Advice please. Much appreciated,

Deano.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember [e-mail] saying something like:

I don't know about your Panasonic, but I've tried to repair a Hitachi before now and discovered the commutator was made of a peculiar cheese/copper alloy and so thin that once the brushes had worn out, the commutator was effectively scrap.

Two years old, that was. Built in obsolescence, doncha jus luv it?

[dave]

I'm having similar probs with an electrolux cleaner. (posted on this ng). Sir Ben. gave me this link...

[david lang]

Given the price of parts + postage and the discount war raging in the high street I reckon it would be cheaper to buy new in the long run.

Dave

[deano]

Thanks for the link, I found a few places on the web that offer parts for my cleaner. Trouble is that they must all refer to the same database because lots of them have no images available for the parts on sale and that makes things very hard to determine.

Also, after a bit of fiddling, I managed to get the device up and running again, although it is still temperamental and needs switching on and off a couple of time before it begins to start up and accelerate. Not quite the technial solution, but strangely satisfying is the fact that a good kick seems to do the trick most times... I love it when you can do that!

I need to dismantle again and include the motor this time, to see what state the brushes and other components are in and eyeball them for correct spares.

cheers

d.