Hey, it's a home appliance, so it's almost home repair. Anyway I've fixed my girlfriend's aging vacuum three times in three years, and keep encouraging her to buy a new one.
This weekend's episode concerned the motor that drives the brush. A little VOM work confirmed voltage was reaching the motor leads, confirming switch and wiring integrity. As a double-check I cut and stripped the wires and got out the suicide cord. No sign of motor life.
She went on the internet and started pulling up prices in the $120 range for a new motor. Sheesh. I'm in the wrong business.
So I took the motor apart. A quick ohmmeter check showed the field winding to be open, but I sure didn't see any damage to it that would account for it being open. I decided to take a look at the crimped splices that connect the magnet wire to the leads, and my surgery revealed a little thermal fuse. The fuse tested open, the field winding tested continuous.
Maybe I shot myself in the foot, because now I'm stuck maintaining the damn thing for a while longer. But anyway, $1.69 plus tax at Radio Shack, and an hour's work is all it took to restore the thing to relatively good health.
I love simple stuff. I'm glad I have the experience to troubleshoot simple stuff and the tools and the time to fix simple stuff.