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.

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

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?

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

wrote:

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

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

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.