Once again it is Dustbuster repair time. This time I needed to fix a very noisy Dustbuster motor.
I use my Dustbuster a lot - at least three times per day - and so it is a good bet that my Dustbuster is used over 1000 times per year. My Dustbuster likely has many times more usage than the average dustbuster.
Even though these little machines are quite affordable, when mine started to act a little wonky, I decided that it was to my advantage to fix it. I don't want to buy a new one every couple years. I want to maximize it's mileage.
The last time I had an issue, my Dustbuster's power switch became unreliable. It was an easy fix with an inexpensive replacement part. But this time the electric motor started to make an awful noise at startup. I guess a few years of fine dust found its way into the motor bearings.
My goal is to see if it is possible/reasonable to lubricate the Dustbuster's bearings. So here we go!
To open up the dustbuster's housing, I used the simple strategy found in my Dustbuster Power Switch Repair guide.
Once I opened the housing, I removed and unplugged the battery, and then I pulled out the motor/fan assembly.
With the assembly in hand, I lifted off the white motor housing by releasing two tabs on the side. Removing this housing reveals the top of the motor. I noticed some dirt and grime at the shaft, so I cleaning it up with some Q-Tips.
I did not gain direct access to the bottom of the motor, because it looks like the "fan" is permanently attached to the motor shaft. Happily, there are some airflow slots that allow some access to the fan-side of the motor shaft. I wiped down this "bottom" bearing shaft with some Q-Tips.
Next I used a single drop of 3-in-1 oil on each side of the motor try to wash out the bearings. Once the drop was in place, I'd spin the shaft slowly by hand, trying to work the oil into the hidden recesses of the bearing.
Finally, I lubed the shaft with a tiny bit of lithium grease. Again I tried to push the grease into the shaft bearing.
After spinning the shaft in both directions a bit, I was confident that the shaft was reasonably well lubricated.
And then I reassembled in the reverse of disassembly.
There is a lot of dust in the hidden recesses of a Dustbuster, which I managed to loosen when I opened it up. Therefore, for my first power-on test, I took it outside where a huge plume of dust was exhausted. Yuk! But it was more quiet than I ever remembered. !WIN!
I don't expect this repair to last long - I imagine that the bearing surfaces are worn beyond their useful life, and that my repair just masked the problem with lube that will quickly be pushed away. But it's worth trying. I'll update this as things change.
UPDATE, ONE MONTH AFTER FIX:
When I first lubricated the bearings, I thought I'd get a few more uses out of my Dustbuster before it reverted to it's old, noisy ways. Happily, I was WRONG! My re-lubricated Dustmuster motor bearings are working out fabulously. I have no complaints.
UPDATE, TWO MONTHS AFTER FIX
After two months of serious use, the bearing started to make noise again. After some lube, the whole unit started to vibrate. Yuk! I figure the bearings are no longer round and that the shaft has become wobbly. If I'm right, the motor is likely not repairable.
Happily, I had an junked NiCad based version of the CHV1410 Dustbuster unit that I picked up at a tag sale. After some inspection, the fan/motor assembly looked like a match. I cut the old motor out of both units, and then soldered the "NiCad" motor into the "Lithium" Dustbuster wiring harness. In terms of wiring, I am pretty certain I connected Red to Brown, and Blue to Black. I reassembled and I'm back in action again. She now works like a charm!
I use my Dustbuster a lot - at least three times per day - and so it is a good bet that my Dustbuster is used over 1000 times per year. My Dustbuster likely has many times more usage than the average dustbuster.
Even though these little machines are quite affordable, when mine started to act a little wonky, I decided that it was to my advantage to fix it. I don't want to buy a new one every couple years. I want to maximize it's mileage.
The last time I had an issue, my Dustbuster's power switch became unreliable. It was an easy fix with an inexpensive replacement part. But this time the electric motor started to make an awful noise at startup. I guess a few years of fine dust found its way into the motor bearings.
My goal is to see if it is possible/reasonable to lubricate the Dustbuster's bearings. So here we go!
Re-lubricating a Dustbuster's motor bearings
 |
| Remove six screws to get to the motor. The motor is within the white protruding part of the housing. |
To open up the dustbuster's housing, I used the simple strategy found in my Dustbuster Power Switch Repair guide.
Once I opened the housing, I removed and unplugged the battery, and then I pulled out the motor/fan assembly.
With the assembly in hand, I lifted off the white motor housing by releasing two tabs on the side. Removing this housing reveals the top of the motor. I noticed some dirt and grime at the shaft, so I cleaning it up with some Q-Tips.
I did not gain direct access to the bottom of the motor, because it looks like the "fan" is permanently attached to the motor shaft. Happily, there are some airflow slots that allow some access to the fan-side of the motor shaft. I wiped down this "bottom" bearing shaft with some Q-Tips.
Next I used a single drop of 3-in-1 oil on each side of the motor try to wash out the bearings. Once the drop was in place, I'd spin the shaft slowly by hand, trying to work the oil into the hidden recesses of the bearing.
Finally, I lubed the shaft with a tiny bit of lithium grease. Again I tried to push the grease into the shaft bearing.
After spinning the shaft in both directions a bit, I was confident that the shaft was reasonably well lubricated.
And then I reassembled in the reverse of disassembly.
There is a lot of dust in the hidden recesses of a Dustbuster, which I managed to loosen when I opened it up. Therefore, for my first power-on test, I took it outside where a huge plume of dust was exhausted. Yuk! But it was more quiet than I ever remembered. !WIN!
I don't expect this repair to last long - I imagine that the bearing surfaces are worn beyond their useful life, and that my repair just masked the problem with lube that will quickly be pushed away. But it's worth trying. I'll update this as things change.
UPDATE, ONE MONTH AFTER FIX:
When I first lubricated the bearings, I thought I'd get a few more uses out of my Dustbuster before it reverted to it's old, noisy ways. Happily, I was WRONG! My re-lubricated Dustmuster motor bearings are working out fabulously. I have no complaints.
UPDATE, TWO MONTHS AFTER FIX
After two months of serious use, the bearing started to make noise again. After some lube, the whole unit started to vibrate. Yuk! I figure the bearings are no longer round and that the shaft has become wobbly. If I'm right, the motor is likely not repairable.
 |
| Bad bearings in this motor - it is beyond lubrication ☹️ |
Happily, I had an junked NiCad based version of the CHV1410 Dustbuster unit that I picked up at a tag sale. After some inspection, the fan/motor assembly looked like a match. I cut the old motor out of both units, and then soldered the "NiCad" motor into the "Lithium" Dustbuster wiring harness. In terms of wiring, I am pretty certain I connected Red to Brown, and Blue to Black. I reassembled and I'm back in action again. She now works like a charm!
 |
| Replaced motor works like a charm! |