My Panasonic MC-E468 upright cleaner has stopped working barely two
years after purchase brand-new. It was sudden. I vacuumed the hall,
switched it off, moved to another room, it would no longer switch on.
Dead.

I checked the 13-Amp socket (plugged in a table lamp).

I changed the plug fuse for a known good fuse.

I cut off the moulded plug and put another on, just in case the wires
had become loose internally.

I dismantled the cleaner.

See http://www.visual.basic.freeuk.com/panasonic/index.html

I checked the brushes (loosened screw on each brush holder to test
whether the brushes still have plenty of "meat" left)

I used a testing screwdriver (neon light) to check whether juice is
getting to switch and beyond (it is)

Motor commutator appears to be in good condition. Motor shows no signs
of overheating.

Only thing left is the little condenser/capacitor thingy connected to
the switch.

BIG QUESTION: WHAT IS THIS CONDENSER FOR, WHY IS IT THERE? And I can I
get a replacement?

NB: New motor costs £65 !!!!!

New cleaner, e.g. Electrolux from Argos: £49.99

This Panasonic cleaner seems to have very few parts - motor, switch,
cable - that there is no explainable reason why it won't work.

Any ideas before I drive it to the tip?

Thanks!

MM

"MM" wrote in message
...
My Panasonic MC-E468 upright cleaner has stopped working barely two
years after purchase brand-new. It was sudden. I vacuumed the hall,
switched it off, moved to another room, it would no longer switch on.
Dead.

I checked the 13-Amp socket (plugged in a table lamp).

I changed the plug fuse for a known good fuse.

I cut off the moulded plug and put another on, just in case the wires
had become loose internally.

I dismantled the cleaner.

See http://www.visual.basic.freeuk.com/panasonic/index.html

I checked the brushes (loosened screw on each brush holder to test
whether the brushes still have plenty of "meat" left)

I used a testing screwdriver (neon light) to check whether juice is
getting to switch and beyond (it is)

Motor commutator appears to be in good condition. Motor shows no signs
of overheating.

Only thing left is the little condenser/capacitor thingy connected to
the switch.

BIG QUESTION: WHAT IS THIS CONDENSER FOR, WHY IS IT THERE? And I can I
get a replacement?

NB: New motor costs £65 !!!!!

New cleaner, e.g. Electrolux from Argos: £49.99

This Panasonic cleaner seems to have very few parts - motor, switch,
cable - that there is no explainable reason why it won't work.

Any ideas before I drive it to the tip?

Thanks!

MM

There could be a break in the neutral lead in the flex.

My Panasonic MC-E468 upright cleaner has stopped working barely two
years after purchase brand-new.
Any ideas before I drive it to the tip?

You may have had a claim under the Sale Of Goods Act (as amended)
prior to taking it to pieces yourself - depending on the cost of the
item, you now have up to six years to make a claim if it keels over.

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:57:45 +0100, Colin Wilson
o.uk wrote:

My Panasonic MC-E468 upright cleaner has stopped working barely two
years after purchase brand-new.
Any ideas before I drive it to the tip?

You may have had a claim under the Sale Of Goods Act (as amended)
prior to taking it to pieces yourself - depending on the cost of the
item, you now have up to six years to make a claim if it keels over.

How about if I put it back together again, then claim? I didn't have
to break any seals and all the screws are bog-standard
Philips/Pozidrive type.

MM

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:12:08 +0100, MM wrote:

BIG QUESTION: WHAT IS THIS CONDENSER FOR, WHY IS IT THERE?

Further Googling revealed that this is a suppression capacitor, but I
still don't know what purpose it serves? It is perhaps for cutting
down interference on televisions, radios in the vicinity?

How can I definitively test the motor?

MM

In article ,
MM wrote:
My Panasonic MC-E468 upright cleaner has stopped working barely two
years after purchase brand-new. It was sudden. I vacuumed the hall,
switched it off, moved to another room, it would no longer switch on.
Dead.

Regardless of any warranty it might be worth having a go at the seller and
maker. A reasonable person would expect a quality product from such a
maker to last a great deal longer than 2 years - indeed my similar model
is over 10 years old and still going strong, having outlasted several of
next door's Dysons...


I checked the 13-Amp socket (plugged in a table lamp).

I changed the plug fuse for a known good fuse.

I cut off the moulded plug and put another on, just in case the wires
had become loose internally.

I dismantled the cleaner.

See http://www.visual.basic.freeuk.com/panasonic/index.html

I checked the brushes (loosened screw on each brush holder to test
whether the brushes still have plenty of "meat" left)

I used a testing screwdriver (neon light) to check whether juice is
getting to switch and beyond (it is)

Motor commutator appears to be in good condition. Motor shows no signs
of overheating.

Only thing left is the little condenser/capacitor thingy connected to
the switch.

BIG QUESTION: WHAT IS THIS CONDENSER FOR, WHY IS IT THERE? And I can I
get a replacement?

It's interference suppression - stops the switch arcing when opened. But
if it had failed it wouldn't stop the thing working.

NB: New motor costs £65 !!!!!

New cleaner, e.g. Electrolux from Argos: £49.99

This Panasonic cleaner seems to have very few parts - motor, switch,
cable - that there is no explainable reason why it won't work.

Any ideas before I drive it to the tip?

My guess would be the thermal fuse on the motor has ruptured due to
overheating. But not sure if it can be replaced.

--
*Upon the advice of my attorney, my shirt bears no message at this time

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:12:52 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

My guess would be the thermal fuse on the motor has ruptured due to
overheating. But not sure if it can be replaced.

Do all/most such motors have this thermal fuse? The motor is currently
just resting in the half of the case. You can just lift it out.

MM

You may have had a claim under the Sale Of Goods Act (as amended)
prior to taking it to pieces yourself - depending on the cost of the
item, you now have up to six years to make a claim if it keels over.
How about if I put it back together again, then claim? I didn't have
to break any seals and all the screws are bog-standard
Philips/Pozidrive type.

Nothing lost - it's already knackered !

In article ,
MM wrote:
My guess would be the thermal fuse on the motor has ruptured due to
overheating. But not sure if it can be replaced.

Do all/most such motors have this thermal fuse? The motor is currently
just resting in the half of the case. You can just lift it out.

I'd say yes - most devices with windings like motors and transformers. One
blew on my tile cutter after it was left running for a long time and I
managed to change that.

--
*Many people quit looking for work when they find a job *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

brushes still have plenty of "meat" left)

I used a testing screwdriver (neon light) to check whether juice is
getting to switch and beyond (it is)


This proves little.
You need to check the continuity of the live and neutral wires in the flex.

The most probable cause is a breakage of the one of the conductors
in or near the strain relief grommet as it enters the machine.

Pulling them hard with pliers will prove if this has happened, and the
cure is simply to shorten the flex a few cm.

I suspect cutting off the moulded plug has invalidated any warranty.

--

Graham.
%Profound_observation%

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:15:13 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
MM wrote:
My guess would be the thermal fuse on the motor has ruptured due to
overheating. But not sure if it can be replaced.

Do all/most such motors have this thermal fuse? The motor is currently
just resting in the half of the case. You can just lift it out.

I'd say yes - most devices with windings like motors and transformers. One
blew on my tile cutter after it was left running for a long time and I
managed to change that.

What sort of thing am I looking for and where will I find it? (I've
only had a cursory look at the motor so far.)

MM

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:54:51 +0100, "Graham" wrote:

brushes still have plenty of "meat" left)

I used a testing screwdriver (neon light) to check whether juice is
getting to switch and beyond (it is)


This proves little.
You need to check the continuity of the live and neutral wires in the flex.

The most probable cause is a breakage of the one of the conductors
in or near the strain relief grommet as it enters the machine.

Pulling them hard with pliers will prove if this has happened, and the
cure is simply to shorten the flex a few cm.

I suspect cutting off the moulded plug has invalidated any warranty.

Well, the warranty had expired anyway. Only a year's warranty, and
I've had the thing for just over two years.

MM

MM wrote:
On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:54:51 +0100, "Graham" wrote:

brushes still have plenty of "meat" left)
I used a testing screwdriver (neon light) to check whether juice is
getting to switch and beyond (it is)

This proves little.
You need to check the continuity of the live and neutral wires in the flex.

The most probable cause is a breakage of the one of the conductors
in or near the strain relief grommet as it enters the machine.

Pulling them hard with pliers will prove if this has happened, and the
cure is simply to shorten the flex a few cm.

I suspect cutting off the moulded plug has invalidated any warranty.

Well, the warranty had expired anyway. Only a year's warranty, and
I've had the thing for just over two years.

MM

The thermal fuses look like little metal cylinders with a wire coming
out and are near the motor.

Its a bit soon for worn brushes, so I would say it's that or a bad
connection or a faulty motor. Replacement motors can bet got by the way
- £50-£70 usually. Less if P/ex'ed

Well, the warranty had expired anyway. Only a year's warranty, and
I've had the thing for just over two years.

No, what they purport to be a warranty isn't the whole story - you
have up to six years depending on the value of the item to pursue a
claim.

Check out the many threads on the subject over in uk.legal

Or...

http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact...page38311.html

"For up to six years after purchase (five years from discovery in
Scotland) purchasers can demand damages (which a court would equate to
the cost of a repair or replacement)."

"In general, the onus is on all purchasers to prove the goods did not
conform to contract (e.g. was inherently faulty) and should have
reasonably lasted until this point in time (i.e. perishable goods do
not last for six years)."

On 16 Jul, 00:41, MM wrote:
On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:15:13 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"

wrote:
In article ,
MM wrote:
My guess would be the thermal fuse on the motor has ruptured due to
overheating. But not sure if it can be replaced.

Do all/most such motors have this thermal fuse? The motor is currently
just resting in the half of the case. You can just lift it out.

I'd say yes - most devices with windings like motors and transformers. One
blew on my tile cutter after it was left running for a long time and I
managed to change that.

What sort of thing am I looking for and where will I find it? (I've
only had a cursory look at the motor so far.)

It will be either a small square plastic encapsulated box about 5mm x
5mm x 2mm, with two leads coming out of the bottom. Or a cylinder
about 8mm x 3mm with a lead a each end.

Either way, it will be marked with a temperature rating, and it's east
to check with a multimeter.

Usually easily replaced too, although you have to question why it has
popped in the first place.

Jon.