I have rescued many shop vacs over the years that were sitting curbside, as well as bench grinders, air compressors, a drill press, and even a 1 year old Samsung 55” 4K LED TV. It never ceases to amaze me how much people will throw away rather than attempt to repair. The most recent vac repairs were 1) Noisy bearings, fixed as demonstrated here, 2) A bad rocker (power) switch, replaced with one from another broken appliance, and lastly, 3) A burned wire, seen at 4:15 in the video at the 7o’clock position. I simply cleaned the burned end of the wire, then the mounting tab and reattached the wire. The TV actually cost a bit to repair , but was over $500 less than buying that same set. It took less than $100 and 30 minutes to fix and has been trouble free for 2 years.
So weird, i literally just bought a ShopVac at a garage sale for 9$ that makes this noise but works fine otherwise, figured i could repair it relatively easy. 24 hrs later i get recommended this video. Awesome.
Very good sir. The weak point on these shop vacs is definitely those damn bushings. That's the part they plan on being the reason you have to go buy a new one and they have the market cornered so they know that in all likelihood you'll end up buying another one of their products to replace your broke one. Someone really should come out with a better competing product for a similar price range to blow them out of the water. The motor shaft really should have a sealed bearing on both ends to be reliable for longer I would think. When the bushing went out on both my shop vacs I found that a sealed 8x22x7 skateboard bearing almost fits perfect in place of the bushing with very little modification. Had mine running like that now for well over a year of pretty heavy use collecting chips for extended(hours) periods of time for my CNC table with no issues. I never really thought of just oiling the bushing although mine was pretty wobbly in there when I took it apart so it was prob too late
Thank you Matthias. My 15yo 5 gallon shop vac started making the groaning noise when shutting it off today. Quick search found your video and it worked like a charm. Sounds good as new.
That sounds much better indeed, you should have edited a little compare though.... I bet almost everyone is skipping back and forward in the video to hear the difference.
i do vacuum cleaner and some small appliance repairs for my business, and i cant tell you how many times people will want to toss fairly expensive models of machines cause they make horrendous noises and i a lot of time can convince them to let me do a service rather than spending hundreds on new ones. and like 80% of the time its a chattering bearing or like with vacuum cleaners its one vein in the impeller that;s clogged and making it warp oddly, or a single fin broken off a cooling fan and just needs re-balancing. its very nice to see someone else with the same mindset of not just tossing everything and getting new stuff!
thank you for the video... my vac stopped working and watching your disassembly allowed me to get down to the brushes to adjust, reassemble and keep on cleaning!!
I really like using Tri-Flow for the bronze bushings because it's easier to use. It's a light oil with PTFE that comes in a little bottle with a tiny straw at most bike shops. If both bushings are accessible via the straw without any disassembly, just give it a couple drops, let gravity pull it in as you spin the motor, and turn it on after it feels more smooth. I believe there is a solvent in Tri-Flow too which cleans things, then evaporates. Sometimes it takes a few squirts to flush the gummy oil out of there, but once it's clean, I've had fan motors stay quiet for longer than the original lube lasted.
Show of hands...How many of us here would have wound up saying something like "Now, how did that go together?" or "How did I end up with an extra screw?"
I replaced the brass bushing with a 608-2rs sealed bearing. Inside diameter is 8mm and outside of bearing is 22 mm, the same as the guide bearing on my Grizzly band saw. You have to drive the bearing onto the motor shaft. Now it works great.
Good video. I do this once every year with all my vacs. It's also a good idea to work those brushes back and forth until all the dust is out. I've seen to many burnt commutators from brushes that were stuck in their housing. It's a dusty environment after all.
Arjan Quist - I repaired a friends metal cutoff saw with a brush issue. He was tossing it out. I took it home and found that somebody had tried to repair it but they used brushes that didn’t quite fit. They were too large to freely slide in the channel and were not making contact with commutator. I pressed them back out and carefully shaved them until they fit properly, then reassembled the saw. It functioned perfectly. He actually tried to take it back from me later. “Sorry bud, you trashed it, I fixed it, it’s mine!”
I just re did my craftsman. upper bronze bearing is just like a fan motor, My upper shaft was scored and spun with drag. 600 sandpaper on shaft plug hole for bearing soak 1hp non detergent oil for a long as you can I then drilled a access hole in top of sealed bronzr bearing to soak wicking for bearing. Used a small screw to keep dirt out. Cleaned the heck out of it lite oil on lower ball bearings. Brushes a bear to do. One was worn off center filed it flat. use tie wire to pull brushes in then reinstall shafts tap in or out to remove.. shaft assembly.. Lubed brush holder so they slide silicone spray. Put extra oil on bearing top. now regurally I will remove top 4 screws and lube that upper bronze bearing assembly.. This is just like fan maintenance...
I have a craftsman shop vac that is probably similar and chattering a bit, so this gives me a pretty good idea of what I will need to do. It was fine summer before last, but during last winter it seemed to get pretty noisy. Now it's time to take care of it. Already fixed a couple other old, noiser than they used to be things last summer (bench grinder and floor fan) that had been sitting in the garage over the previous winter(s), to be seemingly near as good as new. Keeping them in the basement now until I need to use them. Shop vac is down there now too, otherwise all cleaned up, and ready to be lubricated.
At the 1:20 point, here is the trick. Grab that star lock washer and rotate it while pulling gently. It will come right off. If you just pull only, it grabs tighter.They are also called star lock washers or push nuts. On my Shopvac they are 5/16"
Really appreciate your video editing, where for instace, you select the propar torx screwdiver and remove one screw, then fast zip forward removing the othars. Wish all othar UA-camrs did the same.
I enjoyed your video and it inspired me to reopen my shop vac and make another attempt to fix it. Mine was making that awful screaching-squealing noise as well. I opened it and lubricated it several months ago and it seemed to work great. After just a short while, the problem returned. I'm betting you will experience the same. It appears Shop Vac has designed into the unit a flaw to cause them to sell more motors. They don't just sell the little part that could add new life to your unit. The problem appears to be that soft brass bushing on top. When you pull it off again, look at it inside with a powerful magnifying glass and you will see the damage and the cause of all that noise. If it was a sealed bearing instead, the vacuum would last 30 years, just like my last one did. If somebody tries to remove this bearing and install a bushing there, please let us know how that worked out.
Matthias, thank you very much for this video. I have taken apart my Sundance Spa bubble maker which burnt up. My brushes are very worn and I didn’t know what type of Bearing was on the top. I now know after several days of searching that it’s a: “Bronze Bearing, with a felt Oiler.” I Outdoor hate to walk into an electric motor repair shop and not know the name of certain parts. Thanks again to you and UA-cam for helping me advance in my ”BackYardJackofAllTrades” training.
those bronze bearings often become filled with old oil or grease on the inside surface. you can clean them with a good solvent and I have had some luck with the green scrubbing pads. I imagine fine emery paper would also work.
I usually replace ball bearings in my tools, because oiling is a temporary solution. In my case wear (gap) was the reason of noises. Thanks for your video!
Awesome vid . Nice repair job . I have trashed a few old vac's because of lack of oil, if I only watched this Video , I could have fixed it . That sucks for me , oh well , live and learn. Thanks keep up the great vids.
One of my shop vacs is a howler. I took it all apart, and lubed it. It worked for a little while. But that howl is indicative of a worn bushing, so it starts up fairly quickly again once the thick oil cushion goes. I think the third time I took it apart I used grease. But it is not worth the time it takes to take it apart, for the amount of run I get out of it. So it is sitting in my trailer now. What I should do is lube my other shop vacs before they start howling. Yeah, I'll get right on that over here. Let's face it, shop vacs are wear items.
If you have the time and interest, it could be fun to see if you could replace the bushing. Even with a homemade Delrin one or something. But as you said, shop vacs aren't tools you pass on to your grandkids.
n8guy I think once they howl once, that means the bushing is blown out. It is the too late siren sounding. Oil shuts them back up for a little while. But it doesn't last. I do not think plastic would hold up very well either. Bronze Oilite is nice stuff. To do it right you need to fit it with a reamer. You need just the right reamer, then you need to have the touch, to get the fit. I used to fit Oilite bushings in a tool and die shop for some stuff we made. We'd do it by hand. Chuck the reamer in a drill press, then move the bushing up, and down on it. For a looser fit just ream a little longer. The heat expansion takes a bit more out. It is a touchy process. You have to know the time in your head.
Matthias Wandel you'll have to let us know how long your fix holds up. I know I've done it here and had less than stellar results. To the point where that particular Shop Vac just sits in my storage trailer today. I'm tired of taking it apart to oil it now. I even tried grease. But just plain bearing grease. Some moly in it might actually work?
The voices in my head say that for best results you should soak the bushing in oil at ~70degC for several hours. And that you can carefully pick the ball bearing seal out, and re-pack it with grease. I don't listen to the voices any more, though.
Nice how to, and you have given me an idea for a forge blower. I bet the small fan out of a trashed shop vac would work great on a home made man powered crank blower. Now I need to find one.
You saved me mate ... I tried to clean my handheld vac and made strange noises ... found out I hadn’t completely screwed down the plastic bearing housing
I could see why you'd be questioning it, but even this has stuff in it that people would learn from. I for one am wondering why would getting oil on the commutator ruin it?
Excellent! I have a Craftsman that is doing the same thing. I hope I can oil the bearings and use it a bit longer. Thank you so much for this video! Thankz
I have opened a Dewalt shop vacuum and discovered that the motor in my particular unit is actually ball bearings on the cooling fin side. I'd assume the rotor side of the motor is also ball bearings. There is no bearing noise. The vacuum is over five years old I believe. It works really well. Dewalt probably lasts forever
In my experience, oiling the bushing is a short term fix and the motor is screaming again after a few uses. Better to just pull out the bushing and install a 608 bearing (from a skateboard) in its place (usually a direct fit) and the top will be just as long lasting as the bottom bearing.
Nice clearly explained video. But if you are going to go this far better to replace the bronze bushing with the 608-2RS bearing and save yourself having to repeatedly perform this lubrication. My bearing installation went smoothly except the replacement bearing was loose on the shaft when in the correct position. So this proved there had been wear/ noise from that area. So I used the (center punch method ) made a few marks on the shaft to fix it securely. Running quieter now, hopefully for many more years.
If I disassembled any electrical device down to that level, it would end up in the trash and I would be putting a new shop vacuum on my Christmas wish list.
In addition to what you did I would suggest a slight resurfacing of the shaft surface with some fine grit sandpaper to remove any discoloring. I'm thinking that it's burnt oil carbon deposits. Can't be good for lubrication. Then again it will probably just show up again.
It would take a fraction of the time with a cordless drill. The new generation of them are really nice and if you set the clutch correctly you don't have to worry about over tightening!
Investing in a pair of snap ring pliers might be a smart idea for someone like you that takes apart a lot of shafts and bearings. You can get a good pair for about $15 US (the crappy ones can be as cheap as $7 US). They're extremely easy to find and will save you much frustration.
lol, I have had to do this a few times. I had by pass the thermal overload one time because it went bad. the thing that retired my shop vac was taking that keeper on and off too many times over the years and it fatigued and broke. I then modified the shop vac with a thein baffle and turned it into a dust separator to compliment my new shop vac.
If you want to lube the ball bearing, open the seals/shields with a small flat-head screwdriver, degrease it and apply new grease and close the seals. Dripping oil on the outside of the seals will do no good.
If the are rubber shield then yes they are easy to get off, this is the preferred type of bearings for skateboarding. I used to be quite good about cleaning my bearings for that application, but have many times applied oil directly through the shields. This has worked great for me in a pinch, but the typical skateboard bearing lubes tend to have less viscosity than what was shown here and may flow around the shields better.
the bush can be impregnated with oil by filling it with oil and squeezing ie a finger either side. A technique I learnt working with VW starter motor bushes
I had to do the same thing on mine, also my overload protector burned out. Here's a tip - replace all the screws with stainless, especially if you use it as a wet vac, will be easier to get apart later.
I always clean the commutator with electric spray cleaner and sanding with 600 grit sand paper, then I used Slick 50 grease on the bearing and bushing, I had one shop vac last for over 25 years of day to day heavy construction clean up use. And I always have extra filters to change as soon as they get dirty, I shake the dirty ones out and spray them clean with a garden hose, even the paper ones dry good out in the sun.
use oil not grease..oil specifically for motors motor oil is very bad for electric motors it actually removes the lube.. oil will impregnate the bearing as manufacturer intended..
Peter O, Slick 50 grease is a thin grease that can tolerate high heat it works great for electric motors, part of my business is rebuilding swimming pool pump motors, golf cart motors and starter motors, I have rebuilt dozens of them and never had a problem and used Slick 50 grease on most of them
Peter - Prolong engine treatment also makes a general purpose oil that works great for motors, I put a couple drops on the bushings in a Dremel tool that was making a lot of extra loud buzzing noise, it made it run quieter than a brand new Dremel tool
Hey you can buy bearings to replace that bronze thingy It’s like they originally had bearings but then cheaped out and replace with bronze bushings. But the housing still fits a bearing that is identical to the other one.
Not many can take things apart to the last screw and put it back together. :) And not many would test run a motor with the covers off while holding it in one hand :) Nicely done
Somewhere in my collection of tools, I have a needle fitting for grease guns.Use it on the side away from the dirty side and it will do well for a long time if you use synthetic grease.
I had the same shop vac with the same problem. I think they didn't really soak the pad on the bushing when the first assembled it. I resoaked mine twice before replacing it with a much more powerful (but louder) garage sale unit.
There is a flaw in your video, the bronze bushing isnt designed to turn, and the part you oiled isnt designed to oil the inside of the bushing. All the bushing is for is to hold the shaft of the motor , which turns inside the bushing. The proper fix is to take the bracket off as you showed, and clean the inside of the bushing and shaft, with a q-tip, then put grease inside the bushing and on the shaft. Then put the bracket back on. I did that and a little oil on the bottom shaft, and mine works great now, no squealing! Thanks for the vid as it did show me how to basically take one apart and what was inside. you should redo your vid and show using grease instead of the oil. I notice you have another vid where you drilled an oil hole. Also I just used common wheel bearing grease, but the black grease, or silicone grease might be better. But grease is going to last longer than oil because these spin at such a high speed . Another guy has a vid where he replaced that bushing with a sealed bearing lol. But all that does is make the motor work harder , having to turn the bearing. In the bushing it just spins freely. But thanks for the vid, as I would never have been able to get mine apart without having seen your vid. Mine was different case , but the motor was almost identical, same bracket only mine had no opening on top. And also if you make a new vid you dont have to take the whole motor out, just that bracket off.
Great video! My shop vac just started making that same sound and I was wondering if there was a good way to fix it so I didn't have to throw it out and spend money on a new one. I'll be trying this when I get home.
Just be careful if you have a Ryobi version as the vacuum section has a spacer and washers internally, so if you remove it from the motor shaft without a guide rod to hold the internals in place, will be a huge pain to re-orientate and align when assembling.
I am trying to figure out how that impeller engaged the shaft without slipping.I understand the washer part the locks the impeller onto the shaft. Going to watch again and see if I can spot how it catches the shaft. I think I saw some pinched or raised metal on the shaft. I guess its a cheap way to get it to work for them. I have a ShopVac Wall Hanger that make this noise. I am sure it is similar. Thanks for the video!
God that turbo fan nut is a pain in the ass. They had to use a steel washer along with mine too and it's rusty as the titanic. Im gonna have to drill 2 small holes in the washer to fit a custom made ''pin bar'' similar to the bar used to loosen angle grinder nuts. I was also thinking about drilling 2 very small holes in the skateboard bearing and injecting pressurized grease via syringe into one hole
I have a newer blue and gray Shop-vac and just had to take it apart to replace the power switch - looks like yours is a few years older, but has a decent rocker switch. Not sure when or why the company started putting in the junk switch, but it's a common problem.
If you have access to a vacuum chamber, drop the bronze bushing in a cup of oil and place under vacuum for 12 hours. Remove from vacuum chamber and let sit in oil for another 12 hours. This allows the oil to fully penetrate the bearing and your fix will last much longer.
Drill into the top of the pot metal bronze bearing, there is wicking packing that holds oilto lube that top bearing. The bronze is porous and the wicking holds oil to lube that bearing. So by drilling a small hole in the top you can push oil(propertype research) into wicking and thus have lubrication for you top bronze bearing. I mean long term . I also plug one end with a rubber plug fill bearing with proper oil soak as long as you can. Remember bearing is porous you want it soaked. This will allow short term use. the oil inserted into wicking from upper hole (never the lower side it will leak oil onto motor bad) will give years of trouble service by keeping that bearing lubed.... I learned all this from fan motor maintenance sites. Some great clubs out there too.. Type of wicking to use correct oil how to re do a damaged shaft scored... Wicking is not always accessible. But a lot of motors the wicking is gone. I use felt works very good at holding oil.HAve fun and go look at some of the diy sites..Peoples collect really old fans.. I regularly rebuild my motors they last forever.. I also take apart motors to see why they failed.. Almost always no oil or wicking cause the bearing to seize and score shaft.. So keep it lubed and it will run forever..
I've never had any luck oiling bearings like that. It always seems that once they start making that noise, oiling helps for a short time but ultimately it either starts making the noise again or just seizes up.
The sleeve bearing is actually a bushing, not a bearing. That is what the most common failure point is. Take of the bracket on the top. Use pliers to remove the clip and replace with a bearing. You will need to use a hammer and the bearing down on the fan. Put a socket on the bottom of the fan to prevent damage to it. Use another socket to place on top of the bearing to hammer it down. Be gentle, if you hammer too hard, or you don't use the sockets, you could hammer the motor and damage it. Place the bracket on the bearing. When the bracket sits on the motor perfectly, with the bearing inside, where the bushing used to be, put it back together. If this does not work, let me know!
How much do you expect that ball bearing to last after the oiling? I think it wouldn't last that long and sooner or later you must change it. honestly I have never tried to lubricate sealed bearing before so it would be interesting. Hope you would update us with the results later.
Charles-Étienne Olivier - Grab a scrap piece of cardboard. Push the crews into it in their respective groups. Label if necessary as outer case, motor housing, etc.
Love u for this vide, u saved my sanity and what I also hope to be my qpsh400 hang up wivh i love and was able to start singing danny boy to when i gave it a viking funeral, had i not seen u show how to get the damn fan nut out, 5 online manuals 20 plus youtube videos, everyone shows literally every imaginable rebuild you could possibly imagine without showing how they took apart the engine I swear to God I thought it was a conspiracy to purposely piss people off trying to fix their shop vacs LOL, first off when i tried to google image search the fan nut it brought me to ancient crustaceans so felt tue whole internet was void of how to get that fan nut off i was starting to think i had the only shopvac in existence built that way, or people were going out of their way not to show how to take it off lol, much love
Hello, Matthias Wandel, I really enjoy your work keep up the good spirit. I wanna ask you to think of building a wall mailbox for packages, so that no one can steel from it.
i have put the bronze bearing part in a glass of motor oil(think i used 10W30) submerging it, and let it be outside in the sun for a few hours. then, drain off.
I follow , I thank you channel benefited from you beautiful things I'm working carpenter in Iraq, but do not have tools Speaking Thank you my friend you are wonderful
Shop Vacs and dust collectors are designed for different markets. One is a poor substitute for the other too. The Shop Vac was made for the weekend warrior to use intermittently. Dust collectors were made for higher volume use.
Matthias, Nice fix. I used a similar approach to my older box fans. I was thinking that wheel bearing grease might last longer as the fans are bogging down again. What's you thought on this. Thanks
Ha! Funny you'd mention box fans! I just did the similar maint on an elderly box fan that was ventilating my attic for several years. Thought it was high time to replace it and do the clean-and-lube. It wasn't making funny noises or anything -- that is, not until AFTER I lubed it. Now it squeals like a banshee about every 3rd time I turn it on. Do-over? Unlike Matty's vac, this has the oilite bushings on BOTH ends. Prob w/ heavier grease, though it may last longer, it will make for more resistance than lubrication when it's cold, making it harder to start up. As this is already challenging for electric motors (starting from standstill) that's not a trade-off I'd try. Light oil like 3-in-1 has been used for decades for a good raisin - on the oilite bushing, that is. Sealed bearings another story - grease IS appropriate there! I guess you could hunt down a mfg of spongiform brass bushings and ask them what they think of grease instead of light oil. You might also find some other helpful suggestions (things to avoid) along with some microscopic pix. Oh - back on original thing of "floating" oilite bushing at both ends - problem I've encountered with this type of procedure is that, for more reasons than one, perfect alignment of those two bushings is neither automatic nor easy! my 2 cents...
You didn't mention what kind of oil you used, what do you recommend for things like this? Obviously we don't want something like WD40 to oil it, so what lasts the longest in your experience?
I have rescued many shop vacs over the years that were sitting curbside, as well as bench grinders, air compressors, a drill press, and even a 1 year old Samsung 55” 4K LED TV. It never ceases to amaze me how much people will throw away rather than attempt to repair.
The most recent vac repairs were 1) Noisy bearings, fixed as demonstrated here, 2) A bad rocker (power) switch, replaced with one from another broken appliance, and lastly, 3) A burned wire, seen at 4:15 in the video at the 7o’clock position. I simply cleaned the burned end of the wire, then the mounting tab and reattached the wire.
The TV actually cost a bit to repair , but was over $500 less than buying that same set. It took less than $100 and 30 minutes to fix and has been trouble free for 2 years.
I drilled a 5/16" hole directly above the top bearing. When it starts squealing, I add a few drops of oil, then plug the hole with a small cork.
@Neo Anderson took me a while to find the video! It is on his second channel.
Don't wait for it to start squealing! It's worn out at that point. Lube it routinely, say twice a year.
I did this also, it works for a few months but now the bushing is so worn I’m going to replace with a bearing
I like that you not only take things apart, but also put them back together. good job!
So weird, i literally just bought a ShopVac at a garage sale for 9$ that makes this noise but works fine otherwise, figured i could repair it relatively easy. 24 hrs later i get recommended this video. Awesome.
Very good sir. The weak point on these shop vacs is definitely those damn bushings. That's the part they plan on being the reason you have to go buy a new one and they have the market cornered so they know that in all likelihood you'll end up buying another one of their products to replace your broke one. Someone really should come out with a better competing product for a similar price range to blow them out of the water. The motor shaft really should have a sealed bearing on both ends to be reliable for longer I would think. When the bushing went out on both my shop vacs I found that a sealed 8x22x7 skateboard bearing almost fits perfect in place of the bushing with very little modification. Had mine running like that now for well over a year of pretty heavy use collecting chips for extended(hours) periods of time for my CNC table with no issues. I never really thought of just oiling the bushing although mine was pretty wobbly in there when I took it apart so it was prob too late
Thank you Matthias. My 15yo 5 gallon shop vac started making the groaning noise when shutting it off today. Quick search found your video and it worked like a charm. Sounds good as new.
That sounds much better indeed, you should have edited a little compare though.... I bet almost everyone is skipping back and forward in the video to hear the difference.
Just replay it lol
guilty as charged lol
Replays help him get more views
+Shahzaib Khan It doesn't work that way.
FrozenHaxor yea it doesn't work that way, noob
i do vacuum cleaner and some small appliance repairs for my business, and i cant tell you how many times people will want to toss fairly expensive models of machines cause they make horrendous noises and i a lot of time can convince them to let me do a service rather than spending hundreds on new ones. and like 80% of the time its a chattering bearing or like with vacuum cleaners its one vein in the impeller that;s clogged and making it warp oddly, or a single fin broken off a cooling fan and just needs re-balancing. its very nice to see someone else with the same mindset of not just tossing everything and getting new stuff!
thank you for the video... my vac stopped working and watching your disassembly allowed me to get down to the brushes to adjust, reassemble and keep on cleaning!!
I really like using Tri-Flow for the bronze bushings because it's easier to use. It's a light oil with PTFE that comes in a little bottle with a tiny straw at most bike shops. If both bushings are accessible via the straw without any disassembly, just give it a couple drops, let gravity pull it in as you spin the motor, and turn it on after it feels more smooth. I believe there is a solvent in Tri-Flow too which cleans things, then evaporates. Sometimes it takes a few squirts to flush the gummy oil out of there, but once it's clean, I've had fan motors stay quiet for longer than the original lube lasted.
Dont bother dealing with a bushing, put in a ball bearing, videos on here show how.
Show of hands...How many of us here would have wound up saying something like "Now, how did that go together?" or "How did I end up with an extra screw?"
I was thinking the same thing. I would definitely need to take photos and organize parts by step if I did this.
***** Yes, we have. But we're not talking about Matthias. We're talking about ourselves.
I didn't re-watch the video, but it took me several starts to get it together right. I only kept the last take.
Haha, yes.. But I found its best to have a system for taking things apart. like ordering screws in bunches so you can work your way back.
Each time I find extra screw after I open my laptop. But still all the screw holes has one screw :) I will open a shop soon to sell laptop screws :)
I replaced the brass bushing with a 608-2rs sealed bearing. Inside diameter is 8mm and outside of bearing is 22 mm, the same as the guide bearing on my Grizzly band saw. You have to drive the bearing onto the motor shaft. Now it works great.
Good video. I do this once every year with all my vacs. It's also a good idea to work those brushes back and forth until all the dust is out. I've seen to many burnt commutators from brushes that were stuck in their housing. It's a dusty environment after all.
Arjan Quist - I repaired a friends metal cutoff saw with a brush issue. He was tossing it out. I took it home and found that somebody had tried to repair it but they used brushes that didn’t quite fit. They were too large to freely slide in the channel and were not making contact with commutator. I pressed them back out and carefully shaved them until they fit properly, then reassembled the saw. It functioned perfectly. He actually tried to take it back from me later. “Sorry bud, you trashed it, I fixed it, it’s mine!”
I just re did my craftsman. upper bronze bearing is just like a fan motor, My upper shaft was scored and spun with drag. 600 sandpaper on shaft plug hole for bearing soak 1hp non detergent oil for a long as you can I then drilled a access hole in top of sealed bronzr bearing to soak wicking for bearing. Used a small screw to keep dirt out. Cleaned the heck out of it lite oil on lower ball bearings. Brushes a bear to do. One was worn off center filed it flat. use tie wire to pull brushes in then reinstall shafts tap in or out to remove.. shaft assembly.. Lubed brush holder so they slide silicone spray. Put extra oil on bearing top. now regurally I will remove top 4 screws and lube that upper bronze bearing assembly.. This is just like fan maintenance...
I have a craftsman shop vac that is probably similar and chattering a bit, so this gives me a pretty good idea of what I will need to do. It was fine summer before last, but during last winter it seemed to get pretty noisy. Now it's time to take care of it.
Already fixed a couple other old, noiser than they used to be things last summer (bench grinder and floor fan) that had been sitting in the garage over the previous winter(s), to be seemingly near as good as new. Keeping them in the basement now until I need to use them. Shop vac is down there now too, otherwise all cleaned up, and ready to be lubricated.
Shop maintenence is important... so thumbs up for this video. It suprice me every time how many parts machines can have :)
If you drill a small(approx 1/8 in) in the metal housing when you oil from the top you can also recharge the oil in the felt pad.
At the 1:20 point, here is the trick. Grab that star lock washer and rotate it while pulling gently. It will come right off. If you just pull only, it grabs tighter.They are also called star lock washers or push nuts. On my Shopvac they are 5/16"
Really appreciate your video editing, where for instace, you select the propar torx screwdiver and remove one screw, then fast zip forward removing the othars. Wish all othar UA-camrs did the same.
I enjoyed your video and it inspired me to reopen my shop vac and make another attempt to fix it. Mine was making that awful screaching-squealing noise as well. I opened it and lubricated it several months ago and it seemed to work great. After just a short while, the problem returned. I'm betting you will experience the same. It appears Shop Vac has designed into the unit a flaw to cause them to sell more motors. They don't just sell the little part that could add new life to your unit. The problem appears to be that soft brass bushing on top. When you pull it off again, look at it inside with a powerful magnifying glass and you will see the damage and the cause of all that noise. If it was a sealed bearing instead, the vacuum would last 30 years, just like my last one did. If somebody tries to remove this bearing and install a bushing there, please let us know how that worked out.
multiple replies regarding replacement of shop vac brass bushings using ball bearings, if you havent had a look.
Matthias, thank you very much for this video. I have taken apart my Sundance Spa bubble maker which burnt up. My brushes are very worn and I didn’t know what type of Bearing was on the top. I now know after several days of searching that it’s a: “Bronze Bearing, with a felt Oiler.” I Outdoor hate to walk into an electric motor repair shop and not know the name of certain parts. Thanks again to you and UA-cam for helping me advance in my ”BackYardJackofAllTrades” training.
those bronze bearings often become filled with old oil or grease on the inside surface. you can clean them with a good solvent and I have had some luck with the green scrubbing pads. I imagine fine emery paper would also work.
I usually replace ball bearings in my tools, because oiling is a temporary solution. In my case wear (gap) was the reason of noises. Thanks for your video!
his channel is getting really popular lately, I love it!
Awesome vid . Nice repair job . I have trashed a few old vac's because of lack of oil, if I only watched this Video , I could have fixed it . That sucks for me , oh well , live and learn. Thanks keep up the great vids.
One of my shop vacs is a howler. I took it all apart, and lubed it. It worked for a little while. But that howl is indicative of a worn bushing, so it starts up fairly quickly again once the thick oil cushion goes. I think the third time I took it apart I used grease. But it is not worth the time it takes to take it apart, for the amount of run I get out of it. So it is sitting in my trailer now. What I should do is lube my other shop vacs before they start howling. Yeah, I'll get right on that over here. Let's face it, shop vacs are wear items.
If you have the time and interest, it could be fun to see if you could replace the bushing. Even with a homemade Delrin one or something. But as you said, shop vacs aren't tools you pass on to your grandkids.
Similar to my clothes dryer roller bushing. I oiled/greased a couple of times before I finally gave up and bought a new roller.
n8guy I think once they howl once, that means the bushing is blown out. It is the too late siren sounding. Oil shuts them back up for a little while. But it doesn't last. I do not think plastic would hold up very well either. Bronze Oilite is nice stuff. To do it right you need to fit it with a reamer. You need just the right reamer, then you need to have the touch, to get the fit. I used to fit Oilite bushings in a tool and die shop for some stuff we made. We'd do it by hand. Chuck the reamer in a drill press, then move the bushing up, and down on it. For a looser fit just ream a little longer. The heat expansion takes a bit more out. It is a touchy process. You have to know the time in your head.
Once you let it howl for a while, the bushing is kind of shot. That's why it's important to lube it before that happens.
Matthias Wandel
you'll have to let us know how long your fix holds up. I know I've done it here and had less than stellar results. To the point where that particular Shop Vac just sits in my storage trailer today. I'm tired of taking it apart to oil it now. I even tried grease. But just plain bearing grease. Some moly in it might actually work?
The voices in my head say that for best results you should soak the bushing in oil at ~70degC for several hours. And that you can carefully pick the ball bearing seal out, and re-pack it with grease.
I don't listen to the voices any more, though.
Nice how to, and you have given me an idea for a forge blower. I bet the small fan out of a trashed shop vac would work great on a home made man powered crank blower. Now I need to find one.
I was thinking the same freaking thing.
Mathias, thank you thank you thank you for this particular fix. i was set to toss out a shop vac making the very same noisy whine. cheers to you!
You saved me mate ... I tried to clean my handheld vac and made strange noises ... found out I hadn’t completely screwed down the plastic bearing housing
Thanks for the video! I think the float goes in open end up, to prevent water from entering the motor.
Incredibly informative! I loved every minute of this one Matthias!!
Oh good, I was questioning even making this video all along
I could see why you'd be questioning it, but even this has stuff in it that people would learn from.
I for one am wondering why would getting oil on the commutator ruin it?
Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold -- yet with a screwdriver, some oil and a lot of patience, the shop vac gets fixed -- very reassuring.
Excellent! I have a Craftsman that is doing the same thing. I hope I can oil the bearings and use it a bit longer. Thank you so much for this video! Thankz
A float!!!!! I had that piece for my shop vac, kept it for years and could never figure out where it went. Now I know. :)
For areas where it´s hard to get into, I use a syringe with a needle where I grinded off the tip. That makes it easy not to float everything with oil.
I have opened a Dewalt shop vacuum and discovered that the motor in my particular unit is actually ball bearings on the cooling fin side. I'd assume the rotor side of the motor is also ball bearings. There is no bearing noise. The vacuum is over five years old I believe. It works really well. Dewalt probably lasts forever
I think it's better to use grease in stead of liquid oil .
I was thinking the same. Would you recommend a certain type for this application?
love to see repairs almost as much as projects
"This would be a good time to unplug your shopvac......"
In my experience, oiling the bushing is a short term fix and the motor is screaming again after a few uses. Better to just pull out the bushing and install a 608 bearing (from a skateboard) in its place (usually a direct fit) and the top will be just as long lasting as the bottom bearing.
Nice clearly explained video. But if you are going to go this far better to replace the bronze bushing with the 608-2RS bearing and save yourself having to repeatedly perform this lubrication. My bearing installation went smoothly except the replacement bearing was loose on the shaft when in the correct position. So this proved there had been wear/ noise from that area. So I used the (center punch method ) made a few marks on the shaft to fix it securely. Running quieter now, hopefully for many more years.
"This would be a good time to unplug your shop vac" - isn't that usually just before you take out the first screw?
Matthias is a rebel!
Usually after the first bang, lol.
he just forgot to remind us, so he said it afterwards
Then you can't test the circuit with your tongue
Exactly, I usually wait for some smoke.....
If I were to disassemble something like this to this level, I'd never get it back together again, let alone working.
you would
@@HighVoltageMadness I appreciate your optimism.
If I disassembled any electrical device down to that level, it would end up in the trash and I would be putting a new shop vacuum on my Christmas wish list.
In addition to what you did I would suggest a slight resurfacing of the shaft surface with some fine grit sandpaper to remove any discoloring. I'm thinking that it's burnt oil carbon deposits. Can't be good for lubrication. Then again it will probably just show up again.
It would take a fraction of the time with a cordless drill. The new generation of them are really nice and if you set the clutch correctly you don't have to worry about over tightening!
Investing in a pair of snap ring pliers might be a smart idea for someone like you that takes apart a lot of shafts and bearings. You can get a good pair for about $15 US (the crappy ones can be as cheap as $7 US). They're extremely easy to find and will save you much frustration.
I've needed to do this FOREVER!
Maybe this weekend.
lol, I have had to do this a few times. I had by pass the thermal overload one time because it went bad. the thing that retired my shop vac was taking that keeper on and off too many times over the years and it fatigued and broke. I then modified the shop vac with a thein baffle and turned it into a dust separator to compliment my new shop vac.
Thank you Matthias, you always do a great job with explanation in your videos - much appreciated and subscribed.
If you want to lube the ball bearing, open the seals/shields with a small flat-head screwdriver, degrease it and apply new grease and close the seals. Dripping oil on the outside of the seals will do no good.
If you have a press, the best way is to replace it, they are not very expensive.
Oil is a lot cheaper than bearings are. Plus it is easier to stock a supply of oil than every bearing known to Man.
@peceter
Right, which makes me wonder why they are using that stupid brass bearing.
timfischer
because it's cheap.
If the are rubber shield then yes they are easy to get off, this is the preferred type of bearings for skateboarding. I used to be quite good about cleaning my bearings for that application, but have many times applied oil directly through the shields. This has worked great for me in a pinch, but the typical skateboard bearing lubes tend to have less viscosity than what was shown here and may flow around the shields better.
the bush can be impregnated with oil by filling it with oil and squeezing ie a finger either side. A technique I learnt working with VW starter motor bushes
Hey these videos and the videos that you build stuff really help me around my workshop thanks and keep up the awesome work p.s big fan of the channel
I did this to my vacuum last winter. Worked for me
Thank you! Mine is making that same noise so now I know what to do. 👍 Ron, Littlewierdshop
Same here! Of course once I fix mine I'll tell my wife that it was my idea. : )
I always love your videos, thanks Matthias.
I had to do the same thing on mine, also my overload protector burned out. Here's a tip - replace all the screws with stainless, especially if you use it as a wet vac, will be easier to get apart later.
I always clean the commutator with electric spray cleaner and sanding with 600 grit sand paper, then I used Slick 50 grease on the bearing and bushing, I had one shop vac last for over 25 years of day to day heavy construction clean up use. And I always have extra filters to change as soon as they get dirty, I shake the dirty ones out and spray them clean with a garden hose, even the paper ones dry good out in the sun.
use oil not grease..oil specifically for motors motor oil is very bad for electric motors it actually removes the lube.. oil will impregnate the bearing as manufacturer intended..
Peter O, Slick 50 grease is a thin grease that can tolerate high heat it works great for electric motors, part of my business is rebuilding swimming pool pump motors, golf cart motors and starter motors, I have rebuilt dozens of them and never had a problem and used Slick 50 grease on most of them
Peter - Prolong engine treatment also makes a general purpose oil that works great for motors, I put a couple drops on the bushings in a Dremel tool that was making a lot of extra loud buzzing noise, it made it run quieter than a brand new Dremel tool
Yes, sintered metal sleeve bearings are porous, oil wicks through to the motor shaft.
Hey you can buy bearings to replace that bronze thingy
It’s like they originally had bearings but then cheaped out and replace with bronze bushings. But the housing still fits a bearing that is identical to the other one.
Toothpicks work pretty good for holding brushes back. Nice job. Did you ever fix that hole with all the wasps nesting in it?
Not many can take things apart to the last screw and put it back together. :)
And not many would test run a motor with the covers off while holding it in one hand :)
Nicely done
Somewhere in my collection of tools, I have a needle fitting for grease guns.Use it on the side away from the dirty side and it will do well for a long time if you use synthetic grease.
As a matter of maintenance I lube that bushing a couple times a year. It only takes a couple mins and I've never had one get noisy on me.
Matthias -- I would love to see your collection of loose parts (screws, fasteners, hinges, motor parts, and so on). We got a short peek in one video.
I bought that same shop vac at an auction for $1. It works flawlessly too. Great video!!!
I had the same shop vac with the same problem. I think they didn't really soak the pad on the bushing when the first assembled it. I resoaked mine twice before replacing it with a much more powerful (but louder) garage sale unit.
There is a flaw in your video, the bronze bushing isnt designed to turn, and the part you oiled
isnt designed to oil the inside of the bushing.
All the bushing is for is to hold the shaft of the motor , which turns inside the bushing.
The proper fix is to take the bracket off as you showed, and clean the inside of the bushing and shaft, with a q-tip, then put grease inside the bushing and on the shaft.
Then put the bracket back on.
I did that and a little oil on the bottom shaft, and mine works great now, no squealing!
Thanks for the vid as it did show me how to basically take one apart and what was inside.
you should redo your vid and show using grease instead of the oil.
I notice you have another vid where you drilled an oil hole.
Also I just used common wheel bearing grease, but the black grease, or silicone grease
might be better. But grease is going to last longer than oil because these spin at such a high speed .
Another guy has a vid where he replaced that bushing with a sealed bearing lol.
But all that does is make the motor work harder , having to turn the bearing.
In the bushing it just spins freely.
But thanks for the vid, as I would never have been able to get mine apart without having
seen your vid. Mine was different case , but the motor was almost identical, same bracket
only mine had no opening on top.
And also if you make a new vid you dont have to take the whole motor out, just that bracket off.
What?.....no leftover screws? 😊
Great video! My shop vac just started making that same sound and I was wondering if there was a good way to fix it so I didn't have to throw it out and spend money on a new one. I'll be trying this when I get home.
Just be careful if you have a Ryobi version as the vacuum section has a spacer and washers internally, so if you remove it from the motor shaft without a guide rod to hold the internals in place, will be a huge pain to re-orientate and align when assembling.
I am trying to figure out how that impeller engaged the shaft without slipping.I understand the washer part the locks the impeller onto the shaft. Going to watch again and see if I can spot how it catches the shaft. I think I saw some pinched or raised metal on the shaft. I guess its a cheap way to get it to work for them. I have a ShopVac Wall Hanger that make this noise. I am sure it is similar. Thanks for the video!
The shaft has two flat spots
God that turbo fan nut is a pain in the ass. They had to use a steel washer along with mine too and it's rusty as the titanic. Im gonna have to drill 2 small holes in the washer to fit a custom made ''pin bar'' similar to the bar used to loosen angle grinder nuts. I was also thinking about drilling 2 very small holes in the skateboard bearing and injecting pressurized grease via syringe into one hole
I have a milwaukee profession shop vac... that thing is old but still super quiet.
I have a newer blue and gray Shop-vac and just had to take it apart to replace the power switch - looks like yours is a few years older, but has a decent rocker switch. Not sure when or why the company started putting in the junk switch, but it's a common problem.
Maybe because they sell them for as cheap as $40 sometimes?
If you have access to a vacuum chamber, drop the bronze bushing in a cup of oil and place under vacuum for 12 hours. Remove from vacuum chamber and let sit in oil for another 12 hours. This allows the oil to fully penetrate the bearing and your fix will last much longer.
You can also soak a scrap of old rag in oil, and affix that over the bushing. Save yourself a day of nonsense.
+Paul Frederick Or waste an hour of nonsense. :-)
Also, do you think a synthetic oil like Mobil 1 or one of the others would be better for the bronze bushing?
Drill into the top of the pot metal bronze bearing, there is wicking packing that holds oilto lube that top bearing. The bronze is porous and the wicking holds oil to lube that bearing. So by drilling a small hole in the top you can push oil(propertype research) into wicking and thus have lubrication for you top bronze bearing. I mean long term . I also plug one end with a rubber plug fill bearing with proper oil soak as long as you can. Remember bearing is porous you want it soaked. This will allow short term use. the oil inserted into wicking from upper hole (never the lower side it will leak oil onto motor bad) will give years of trouble service by keeping that bearing lubed.... I learned all this from fan motor maintenance sites. Some great clubs out there too.. Type of wicking to use correct oil how to re do a damaged shaft scored... Wicking is not always accessible. But a lot of motors the wicking is gone. I use felt works very good at holding oil.HAve fun and go look at some of the diy sites..Peoples collect really old fans.. I regularly rebuild my motors they last forever.. I also take apart motors to see why they failed.. Almost always no oil or wicking cause the bearing to seize and score shaft.. So keep it lubed and it will run forever..
I've never had any luck oiling bearings like that. It always seems that once they start making that noise, oiling helps for a short time but ultimately it either starts making the noise again or just seizes up.
Impressive breakdown you did.
Did you have any screws left over?
Matthais, as usual a very sensible direct exposition.
The sleeve bearing is actually a bushing, not a bearing. That is what the most common failure point is. Take of the bracket on the top. Use pliers to remove the clip and replace with a bearing. You will need to use a hammer and the bearing down on the fan. Put a socket on the bottom of the fan to prevent damage to it. Use another socket to place on top of the bearing to hammer it down. Be gentle, if you hammer too hard, or you don't use the sockets, you could hammer the motor and damage it. Place the bracket on the bearing. When the bracket sits on the motor perfectly, with the bearing inside, where the bushing used to be, put it back together. If this does not work, let me know!
Don’t get oil in the commutator.
There is cleaning spray made for cleaning electrical motors. It should get the oil right off.
How much do you expect that ball bearing to last after the oiling?
I think it wouldn't last that long and sooner or later you must change it.
honestly I have never tried to lubricate sealed bearing before so it would be interesting.
Hope you would update us with the results later.
Great vid! Could we use grease instead of oil? Would't it last longer?
Charles-Étienne Olivier - Grab a scrap piece of cardboard. Push the crews into it in their respective groups. Label if necessary as outer case, motor housing, etc.
Love u for this vide, u saved my sanity and what I also hope to be my qpsh400 hang up wivh i love and was able to start singing danny boy to when i gave it a viking funeral, had i not seen u show how to get the damn fan nut out, 5 online manuals 20 plus youtube videos, everyone shows literally every imaginable rebuild you could possibly imagine without showing how they took apart the engine I swear to God I thought it was a conspiracy to purposely piss people off trying to fix their shop vacs LOL, first off when i tried to google image search the fan nut it brought me to ancient crustaceans so felt tue whole internet was void of how to get that fan nut off i was starting to think i had the only shopvac in existence built that way, or people were going out of their way not to show how to take it off lol, much love
I have the same vac with the same noise. Thanks for the tip!
This was your chance to upgrade the impeller!
+aserta Purely for entertainment purposes.
My minivan DOES have alloy wheels :)
Hello, Matthias Wandel, I really enjoy your work keep up the good spirit. I wanna ask you to think of building a wall mailbox for packages, so that no one can steel from it.
Nice class and good to know. Working on mine now. BIG THANKS!
i have put the bronze bearing part in a glass of motor oil(think i used 10W30) submerging it, and let it be outside in the sun for a few hours. then, drain off.
I follow , I thank you channel benefited from you beautiful things I'm working carpenter in Iraq, but do not have tools Speaking Thank you my friend you are wonderful
If you do get oil on the commutator just spray it down with brake cleaner.
My old lil 5 gallon shop vac uses flat heads and a socket set
Matthias, would a shop vac motor work well in a dust collector? It would be loud though, right?
If you want to use a shopvac motor, just use it in a shopvac.
+Matthias Wandel oh true... Thanks for the advice!
lol
Shop Vacs and dust collectors are designed for different markets. One is a poor substitute for the other too. The Shop Vac was made for the weekend warrior to use intermittently. Dust collectors were made for higher volume use.
i second that lOL
Oiling that lower bearing was wasting your time as those are "sealed" bearings but you get an A for effort!
Matthias, Nice fix. I used a similar approach to my older box fans. I was thinking that wheel bearing grease might last longer as the fans are bogging down again. What's you thought on this. Thanks
Ha! Funny you'd mention box fans! I just did the similar maint on an elderly box fan that was ventilating my attic for several years. Thought it was high time to replace it and do the clean-and-lube. It wasn't making funny noises or anything -- that is, not until AFTER I lubed it. Now it squeals like a banshee about every 3rd time I turn it on. Do-over? Unlike Matty's vac, this has the oilite bushings on BOTH ends.
Prob w/ heavier grease, though it may last longer, it will make for more resistance than lubrication when it's cold, making it harder to start up. As this is already challenging for electric motors (starting from standstill) that's not a trade-off I'd try. Light oil like 3-in-1 has been used for decades for a good raisin - on the oilite bushing, that is. Sealed bearings another story - grease IS appropriate there!
I guess you could hunt down a mfg of spongiform brass bushings and ask them what they think of grease instead of light oil. You might also find some other helpful suggestions (things to avoid) along with some microscopic pix.
Oh - back on original thing of "floating" oilite bushing at both ends - problem I've encountered with this type of procedure is that, for more reasons than one, perfect alignment of those two bushings is neither automatic nor easy!
my 2 cents...
excellent presentation. Great production quality.
You didn't mention what kind of oil you used, what do you recommend for things like this? Obviously we don't want something like WD40 to oil it, so what lasts the longest in your experience?
I had the exact question.
Who thought Matt would never get it back together, then remembered you are watching the very thing he would use to help him out?