Finding And Fixing The Kirby Diamond Rattle

[@johnerikson7094]

This situation is EXACTLY why I use oem and name brand parts only. I don’t care if it’s a belt or a bearing, I honestly cannot use a generic brand part after my last experience using a generic brand belt for my (sadly since trashed by a vac shop) old convertible. They were a PAIN to get on! They were SO tight that I had to take the brush roll out, put the belt on the shaft (while on the brush), and PULL it into place. It would take MINUTES just to get it done. And they broke easily too. Had a fresh belt one time, as soon as I turned the vacuum on, the belt broke. I started using genuine Hoover belts, and it made a world of a difference. I could easily change the belt in SECONDS, and the performance improved drastically! In fact, I could even HEAR the motor and brush running much faster because of the reduced tension! Some say that the “Only use OEM/Genuine parts” phrase in a manual is a money-grabber (one person I know does), but I say it’s a helpful tip to save you a headache and problems! Sometimes generic parts are okay, but very rarely is that ever acceptable. You wouldn’t put a generic-brand ignition in a name-brand car now would you? Of course not! Might not do you too good anyways! Hoover once made Kirby belts. I would trust those because while not exactly OEM, Hoover is a name-brand and in turn is likely to be more reliable!

[@fracturedmind8124]

This helped my diagnose my Gsix. Apparently the rear bearing had prematurely dried up, it was also a PGN brand bearing. Used it all my other Kirbys and haven't had any issues yet. What causes this? Could it just happened to be a faulty bearing I got?

[@VacLab]

The rattle is mostly caused by a transmission issue. It is common.

[@KirbyEnthusiast]

Great Video , just in process of getting diamond addition for my channel as always wanted one.I wonder if kirby had serviced the Diamond and put 2 of those clips in by mistake.

[@VacLab]

I'll bet that they were installed by mistake during initial assembly.

[@brentcho1275]

Ok well I’m not sure how well the airflow is going to be but I’m hoping that it gets about 129-130 cfm since it did on someone’s video.

[@mattjones7621]

The headlight housing vibrates a little on mine. It is a minor problem, but it is annoying at times.

[@engelbob8402]

My Diamond Edition has the exact same issue. I will take a look for what you found. Thanks for the information. I have never taken the armature out of a 3rd Gen Kirby and would like to see how you removed the bearings. Was a puller required?

[@VacLab]

To remove the rear bearing, a puller is required. I've done lots of videos using my el-cheapo $7 bearing puller. Good luck!

[@mraaron1584]

one thing i noticed is old kirbys used bearings that were made in France Germany or Italy but currently the official ones they are offering are made in china. for $12 free shipping to Canada i was able to get some nachi made in japan bearing from vxb.com they sound pretty nice in my heritage. actually cost me less going that route then buying the official kirby made in china ones.

[@jacksonhowell6747]

Forgive my ignorance, but can running a bad bearing like that damage the motor?

[@VacLab]

Eventually, yes. Search for my Riccar 8850 bearing video and you'll hear a total failure screech.

[@jacksonhowell6747]

VacLab Interesting! The difference is night and day.

[@therandomman6647]

What bearings do you use? My g7 diamond edition is doing the same thing, I'm afraid to use it, and am fearful of looking incompetent for not knowing at the Kirby store EDIT: I took my diamond edition apart, and it only had 1 spring on the bearing

[@brentcho1275]

So is the diamond edition fully complete yet?

[@VacLab]

Nope. A transmission piece just broke. New pieces ordered.