Roomba Clicking, Grinding, Clunking Problem

[@Gundam1701]

Thank you! Cleaned my brushes repeatedly. The Roomba stopped complaining but the clunking continued. This was a two minute fix and it's back and running like a champ. Much appreciated. Thanks for taking the time!

[@BenBlades]

No worries at all :)

[@alexmarek5410]

Saved my life! I was slowly becoming a slave of this little beast, resetting it every 2 mins as it wouldn't run any longer than that. Did all the brush and gear cleaning from other tutorials prior to watching your video but to no avail. Anyway, just done the clean suggested by you and roomba is roaming around happily, no clicking noises and it's been 10 mins and all good! Time well spent watching this video. Thank you.

[@debmiedema]

Super grateful for this video... Have been suffering through an unhappy Roomba for a long time and now "he" (we named him "Moby") is super happy! Can't thank you enough for taking the time to document this.

[@kathybanks966]

I took the precaution of taking a photo of all the cogs I found in this green box before pulling apart and cleaning, but it all went together really well. I was amazed at what was accumulated there. After putting it all back together I had several screws left and wondered if they had been loose in the machine as all areas had their screws--I checked twice!! Anyway Roomba was happy and no further trouble, no clicking and no constantly telling me "clean my brushes"! A Result!!

[@DeanPutney]

Excellent video! I've done several suggested repairs for this problem, including taking the brush cage entirely apart and cleaning the gears twice. My little Roomba is happily churning up dust as we speak, I'm so glad it's just this little problem!

[@BenBlades]

Glad it helped :)

[@eshab734]

Dean Putney Vxzzbzbz,zzzz

[@kathybanks966]

Yes thanks, I did get it apart. I needed to get into the area under and to the left hand side of where the brushes slide into with their square ends. It was a fiddle and time consuming but not too difficult. When I had it all apart the green area under the brushes came out as one unit in a purple box frame. I separated the green part and then undid little screws holding the cover on on the left hand side. I found the area full of dust, fluff and tangle. Cleaned, reassembled, worked AOK!

[@valentinbutanescu3862]

This is very good, I almost gave up - like many people reported it was going like: clean brushes, working for two minutes, clunk/clunk, stop. Since 2014 ... Now is all good, thanks!

[@BenBlades]

+Vali Gheorghe You're welcome!

[@earthsave]

Thanks mate. I've had my Roomba apart a dozen times and that fixed the clunking and the Please remove and clean roomba's brushes lady. Didnt know you could take the brushes apart and clean the inside.

[@paperweightable]

Thank you so much for this video! I bought a Roomba 650 second hand and it started making this sound after running for about ten minutes, then it would say "Error 2" and tell me to clean the brushes, even though they were already clean. This was precisely the problem! I cleaned the hair out the same way you did and it's run happily now for a couple of hours. So chuffed! I thought it was broken. Big thanks :D

[@matthammonds1601]

I was about to trash my Roomba until I watched this video. It got me up and running in no time. In fact, this video inspired me to clean out several other axles on my Roomba that were beginning to get gummed up with hair. This is definitely a design flaw. They should have used some sort of closed bearing system instead. Thanks Ben for saving my Roomba and saving me a lot of $$$.

[@BenBlades]

No worries, glad that it helped :) I've actually just totally replaced the brush assembly unit. I ordered one off ebay and the roomba is basically like new. Not bad after 4 years of continual cleaning.

[@ogbadboy]

YAAAAY! I got a SMOKIN' deal on my Roomba 550 and wandered if it would work. Charged it up and it ran for a bit and ever since it has thrown Error2 constantly. I just did your fix and 5 minutes in it is running good. I thumbed your video and will remember this when it starts happening again. BIG THANKS TO YOU!

[@foxbka]

Had my Roomba 560 to a Roomba service center with the same problem twice, came back both times with the problem unresolved, found your solution here on tube, and it worked like a charm, Thank you so much. Sorry for the english spelling. Flemming

[@lantztest0027]

Nice detective skills with getting to the cause of the problem. I wasn't able to figure it out myself, but your instructions have my roomba working perfectly again. Thanks!

[@TechCrazy]

That was a great tip mate!. I had the exact same issue and after removing the hair the yellow cap slides in and seats on the base properly without wanting to pop off. Liked!

[@penguinx32]

Oh dude YOU ARE SO AMAZING! I spent weeks trying to find a solution to this problem, mainly fiddling with all those pesky gears and stuff. And I can't believe that the real solution was so simple! THANK YOU

[@BenBlades]

No worries mate. Just glad it helped 😊

[@RookProductions]

Thanks so much mate! Let me add my name to the list of people who had this problem, found your vid, and got it sorted; you are a legend for taking the time to film and post this

[@BenBlades]

Awesome. Yeah one end of my brush is getting a bit tough too. I think the plastic holding it in is finally worn too much. Not bad after 2 yrs of heavy workload.

[@rhfritz]

Thanks! I had the exact same problem - complete with grinding of the left clip. I think you were filming my roomba. I just replaced the brush to make it go away, but I kept the old one. It's amazing how the hair can spin around essentially get compressed into a washer. I had that happen with the "propeller" brush. I let it go too long without removing the screw and it stopped working. I found a hair-washer under there. :-)

[@ancamg]

My Roomba has no screws in the brushes. The washers (or how are they called) come out easily when there is no gunk inside. Mine where almost stuck! I also had the clunking noise in my Roomba. I cleaned it, but I forgot about those removable parts. So the clunk reappeared after 20-30min of running. Your video helped me, as after cleaning those moving parts the clunking stopped. Thank you a lot!

[@BenBlades]

You're welcome!

[@katelynrosier931]

Thanks for investigating this Ben. I just bought my Roomba today used and it ran great for about 30 mins then started making the clunking sound, exactly like in your video. I took it apart like you said and that was exactly what had happened to mine. Although with mine I didn't have to loosen the screws, the little head just came right off. Thanks.

[@fusion855]

Had the exact same problem, this fix worked! I didn't have to take out the two screws, the yellow end cap just pulled off...easy! Thanks again!

[@coccinella7]

Thanks! I took everything apart just to find the gears totally clean, still making the clicking noise and stopping after a while. I realised the bigger pressure on the brush, but couldn't figure out why. Now I removed lots of long hair and it works just fine :)

[@alexsharek6788]

Thank you. I have ordered replacement parts in the past with the hope it would fix it. But no luck there. Until today when I watched your video. I was about to order New brushes. Thanks you rock.

[@andrewphang73]

Thanks a ton Ben. The Roomba works fine now. Pulled an amazing chunk of hairy gunk out. You saved me a LOT of trouble.

[@tobe2199]

Awesome stuff, mate. Had exactly the same issue and thanks to you tracked it down to hair wrapping round the spindle under the yellow end caps. Same pattern of wear you showed. With mine two of the tabs from the yellow disc at one end had bent right back. All sorted now thanks to u

[@residentpaws7892]

Thanks for fixing my iRobot Roomba 551. It is so refreshing to see youtube video like yours that solves problems. Now it is as good as new again. Keep up the good work!!!

[@BenBlades]

Thanks, pleased it could help! 😄

[@parybka1]

I disassembled whole Roomba (550) and didn't find a problem (it was good for cleaning at least). Then I found your video. Thank you A LOT! This was the root cause.

[@BenBlades]

+parybka1 Glad to hear that it got it working for you!

[@ScubaPrincess11]

oh my!! I can't thank you enough, it worked!!! .. I was about to order all new brushes, I couldnt figure out why it kept saying error 2...no more clicking and no more errors.. and its vacuming like it should...thank you for taking time to show us :) 2 thumbs up.

[@daniellecooley452]

Thank you! I had cleaned that thing so well, but it kept clicking. I thought I had even cleaned inside the yellow thingies, but apparently not good enough! This definitely fixed the problem. No more clunking!

[@BenBlades]

+Danielle Cooley Great to hear it worked!

[@BenBlades]

I know!!! I did exactly the same thing about a week ago! Mine started clunking and making a strange noise again. So I did the big clean and it was still making the noise. I pulled apart the gears assembly (easier than I thought) and there was a lot of hair and gunk in there. Cleaned it all out and it works like a charm. However, I find it sounds a little loose / rattles now. I think the plastic got worn down and so made things loose. Bugger. Still working though :)

[@waterwisp11]

Thank you this worked really well. Was about to chuck the thing out as it would not stop doing the brush error thing but after unscrewing the two screws, cleaning out a little bit of fluff, it worked perfectly. Thanks so much.

[@gonzaguedambricourt]

Thanks ! You solved my problem ! I also had to clean the engine of the front brush (the one taking care of angles etc) .. You have to remove the under cover of the roomba (three little screws) + the two screws holding the motor. :)

[@nh83846]

have seen many different videos with the same problem, where they fixed it. But none like this one, and this one worked for me, and even better, this was a much easier fix than the other videos since I only had to change the brushes. Thanx man.

[@ArchieFan42192]

OMG!!! I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM....THIS COMPLETELY FIXED MY PROBLEM, NOW I DON'T NEED TO CALL THE SUPPORT NUMBER!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO!!!

[@BenBlades]

Yeah I find my yellow bits come off now too. I think I had too much junk crammed in behind them the first time I tried to clean it and that's why I had to take the screws out. Glad the video helped :)

[@kellymerrell2611]

This really helped. Because I took it completely apart and it was clicking still. The source of the problem was the hair in the washer, just like you said. This saved me from by parts I didn't need. Many thanks.

[@bladesvlogs4965]

No worries - just pleased it helped :)

[@BenBlades]

After almost 4 years(?) I'm considering ordered a new gear and brush set. But it's worked very hard in those years. The long hair is a killer!

[@Bagatell]

You're my hero!! No more clunking and no more "Error 2"!

[@janminton9267]

Your video showed me exactly what I needed to know. Roomba is currently vacuuming like a champ!

[@rwhuner350]

This was Extremely helpful. I think I did a warranty return on two previous units because of this. Looks like I didn't have to. And I discovered that you don't necessarily have to remove the screws to pop off the brush bearings (the little yellow bits). You just have to grab it tightly to pull it off. Removing the screws doesn't hurt, though!. Thanks so much!

[@BenBlades]

Great!! You're welcome :)

[@derekberggren9454]

Cleaned it out like you said, now it runs beautifully. Thanks.

[@LoganJonesIsToasty]

Awesome! This worked great! I've been fretting over that clunking for so long. I also cleaned a similar (but smaller) bundel of hair/grit out of the yellow cap on the rubber brush too. Thanks a ton for the detective work and the video.

[@marjlee343]

Thank you, so easy once you see it...for the life of me, couldn't figure it out, my gears were clean, etc... You are a Prince...

[@NikiBK23]

Thank you for taking the time to post this video. It was a simple fix that solved this annoying issue for me. Thanks!

[@BenBlades]

Glad to hear that it helped ☺

[@lisafreeman4235]

Thank you, Ben! My Roomba is happily doing its thing again, sans clunking.

[@BenBlades]

No worries 😊

[@felixcandelario]

Hey man thanks for this video. This was exactly the issue. It was a quick fix and now i'm back to clean floors. Thank you for saving me hours with their technical support or shipping charges!

[@Kressa1111]

Yes!!! Kept getting clean roomba brushes error every couple minutes and I always had that clunking noise before this. Now it is not prompting to clean brushes and no more clunking noise. Worked like a charm and so much better than buying brush replacements when mine are still in good shape.

[@BenBlades]

+Kressa Singh Yep. Though I think I really need to clean mine out!

[@BenBlades]

Awesome! Glad it helped. I also just had to pull the gears assembly apart and clean the hair out of that. Was easy and there was A LOT of hair in there too after 3+ years.

[@BenBlades]

No worries, glad it helped. I've had to clean mine regularly now as Joanne's hair is always getting stuck in there.

[@seanwilliams8904]

Thank you! Like Dean, I tried cleaning the gear box and other suggested repairs. This fixed the problem.

[@ronbush9780]

Third time was the charm. Cleaning rollers did not stop clunking, cleaning gearbox did not stop clunking. Clearing lint out of roller stoped clunking. Thanks

[@craig0207]

Thanks so much! Sure enough, I had a lot of hair under the bronze bearing. Much easier to fit the brush in place now.

[@arthurhjorth]

Had the same problem, watched the video, fixed my Roomba. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to put this up, buddy! :)

[@yoshdu]

I had exactly the same problem and this tip solved it for me perfectly. As rhfritz pointed out, the yellow piece came off with the brass part inside it.

[@BenBlades]

No problems at all. Just pleased that it was able to help. I thought I was going to have to replace mine way back then too :-/

[@BenBlades]

@foxbka Really pleased that this video has been able to help others who have been having the same problem :)

[@AlexMckenzie]

Thanks for taking the time to make this detailed post....solved my problem....it was driving me nuts! Cheers!

[@dandradea]

Thank you VERY much! It was exactly my issue too and with your video it was quickly fixed. Much better than waiting days and all the expenses of posting it to the technical service :)

[@BenBlades]

No worries. I'm just pleased that it's been able to help people :)

[@diegogriese1067]

Hi Ben, I'm 14 years old and am trying to fix my vacuum for my dad. He got mad at it for making a sort of grinding noise, and then got mad at me for not being able to fix it. I've tried what you have done, and it is sorta working, but i have a couple of questions: 1. Did you put both yellow washers in, or did you take the worn one out? 2. Although mine is not a 560, this should still pretty much work, right? 3. The part with the screws only had the yellow part for me, no silver (bronze lol) washer and no extra pieces, is that ok? Thank you again for your hard work, and thanks for helping me with this project

[@BenBlades]

Diego Griese Hey Diego, tell your Dad to chill out! :-P I put both washers back on, it was basically a matter of the hair getting in there and pushing outwards. Yes, I believe I should work on the 560 too, but I'm assuming that they set up is the same. If the parts don't match up the same as what I showed in the video, then pull what you can apart and look for any hair or gunk. I also pulled apart the gears system at one stage and that too was full of crap! Hope that helps, let me know if you need anything else.

[@diegogriese1067]

Thanks for such a swift response, and ikr. Yeah, i put both washers on and it started sounding a little bit better. It was never a thunking sound, it was just a very heavily amplified sound. It's working pretty well now, but i could not have done it without the vid. Thanks a bunch!!

[@BenBlades]

No worries :)

[@BenBlades]

@Audshop Awesome :) Glad I was able to save you buying the new brushes :)

[@toddatron]

Thanks .....mine was the same!Hair under the brass bushing causing the brush to push out.

[@annaturba]

Thank you! Now I feel sorry for my poor little Roomba, because this yellow thing was so worn out and he kept telling me to clean the brushes! I just didn`t do it right! You saved our relationship ;-)

[@joesther]

Just had to stop and say thank you for posting this vid. I had that exact problem, just did exactly what you showed/shared and it's working perfectly now. Really appreciate your help. :)

[@GarethGoddard]

Thanks just followed this video and it all seems to be working fine again :) fingers crossed it stays that way

[@titoalfaro]

Thanks that fixed it. But you didn't need to loosen the screws, the little yellow knob comes out with your fingers.

[@johnny5yu]

awesome! saved me a lot of frustration with my roomba. now it's back to working like normal. thanks you very much!

[@BenBlades]

Yeah that probably would have been a better way to edit the video. Just didn't think of it at the time. Glad to hear it helped you out :)

[@turbojambox]

Brilliant! This just fixed my problem! Thanks for taking the time to record and post this!

[@AndrewWPhillips]

I had a lot of trouble getting the "yellow thing" off the end of the brush -- you didn't really show how you did that. Eventually, with a lot of force, I prised it off - though the bronze bearing came with it. BTW you don't need to take out the two silver screws (at 4:30 of your video). After cleaning and re-assembling the clunk still happened :( Then I discovered that if I run the machine without the smaller inner rubber roller (not really a brush) - the one that counter-rotates with the bigger brush - then I don't get the clunk. I also noticed that this roller has trouble fitting into the machine - just a bit too tight. So I applied your procedure to clean behind the "yellow thing" on this roller too. There was a lot more hair behind this one for some reason. That fixed the problem :) Thanks for the video. I had previously tried a lot of things (including cleaning and lubicating cogs etc) and never would have been able to fix the Roomba without it.

[@zipperneck1321]

@blades1975 Weekly cleaning? Ouch! I run my Roomba 564 Pet at least 5 times a week and usually every day. We have a dog so it is quite necessary. We have no carpeting, just tiling. Cleaning after every use is mandatory in my case, and often the castor wheel becomes tight with fur and gunk. At any rate, if I don't do it nobody will and since I don't want to shell out another 400+ euros for a new one, I have to take care of it. Had to replace the castor wheel once as notches became worn.

[@dancoffey8412]

The challenge is overheating of the plastic materials as they rub against each other. Since they melt at relatively low temperatures, they tend to merge once they are allowed to set and cool. After I realized what was causing this, I made an effort to smooth up the two plastic sides in contact and to place a drop of Triflo (teflon) lubricant or coating on the surfaces. This approach seems to have worked very well. In addition, I keep the dirt levels low by cleaning the brushes and surfaces often. Again, its the heat melting the plastic together which is at the root of this problem.

[@BenBlades]

Spewing!! Hope you are able to get it apart!

[@purpleXpotion]

THANK U SO MUCH!! Mine kept saying "Error 2 Clean Brushes" and Clicking.. I had already taken it apart.. checked the gears.. and they were in perfect condition..so I was at a loss.. The thought of having to go back to a push vacuum.. Ugh!! Horrifying!! ..Until I found this!! =D Now Roomba works perfectly.. I'm thrilled!! Thx again!!

[@BenBlades]

No worries :) Glad it helped!

[@Pmacgregor55]

Thanks, This video is super helpful, never even considered the bearings and yellow pieces!

[@BenBlades]

All good :)

[@melaniedack4042]

Thank you so much for making this video, I have taken every part of my roomba and thought I did it all and started to think I can throw it away, until I saw your post. I am so glad I did, it is only one year old and I was disappointed but now it works perfect again. Who thought a little dust and hair would be able to break the roomba. Or Jeeves what I call him!! ha ha Thank you again.... awesome!!

[@BenBlades]

Glad it helped :)

[@veda1975]

Thank you thank you thank you!! My roomba is back to itself. Was so bummed thinking I'd have to get another one.

[@BenBlades]

Glad it got you out of trouble :)

[@bobgarrity2629]

Exactly my same problem, solution worked as described in the KZbin and I've now got a happily working Roomba! After quite a few attempts, this was my last effort before before this Roomba was headed to ewaste recycling. Thanks for the well done KZbin solution!

[@bladesvlogs4965]

Glad it helped!

[@BenBlades]

Awesome. I'm just glad it helped. I know when mine started doing it I was very disappointed thinking it was stuffed. Great to hear you're up and running again :)

[@BenBlades]

Gold, glad to hear that it fixed up the problem for you!

[@susanwebb9332]

Thank you so much! I had been trying everything and was getting ready to order new brushes - this fixed it in no time! Easy to follow.

[@BenBlades]

Happy to help :)

[@BenBlades]

I found I had to loosen the screws the first time, but that may have been due to the amount of junk caught up in there. I find now, they just slip off like you say.

[@sivart173]

@blades1975 on the new models, the brass bushing pulls off without taking off the screws

[@blink0r]

This worked for mine and its 2020. Great advice after all these years. I was ready to toss my Roomba in the garbage! Thank you!!

[@lancemurray7107]

My wife actually used some wheel bearing grease from my 1973 MGB. She's a wonder.

[@kathybanks966]

Unfortunately it didn't work for me. Took out the yellow discs and it still clicked and grinded. Cleaned everything including little yellow bearings -- still no go. Tried undoing the 2 little screws, still no go--nothing there. Everything absolutely clean--still not working. Now I'll have to try pulling the gear box assembly apart as I've heard that that can get full of dust/fluff. There's a utube video for this but its a bit involved.

[@BenBlades]

@ArchieFan42192 No worries mate. Took me a while to figure it out, but it makes a difference.

[@BenBlades]

No worries, just glad it was able to help you :)

[@AnthonyCHATELLIER]

I had exactly the same problem. Thanks for your help.

[@BenBlades]

@joesther No worries at all :-) I figure it took me a while to find a video showing how to fix the problem. Thought I'd post my experience :)

[@BenBlades]

Follow up - the unit is still working fine, so this seems to have fixed the problem :-)

[@krismurray780]

Thanks....I had tried everything....took the entire thing apart....with of course the exception of this little thing....It works great now

[@BenBlades]

Laugh - At least you got it in the end :)

[@AndY1ksi]

That yellow tip should come off the green brush in one piece - one snap. Just hold it firmly and pull it off.

[@BenBlades]

@dspence73 No worries mate :) Just glad to have your Roomba working again :)

[@Rcworship79]

Just to add to the many thanks, I though I had this nailed with some suggestions on the gearbox. No go! This fixed it-I had even more of a monster hair all in there😳Now, it's been going for 20 minutes with no trouble. Thanks a bunch, from across the pond in the states! 😉

[@BenBlades]

No worries Ryan, glad it was able to help.

[@bondscalper]

wow it worked for me to. Just be sure to clean both the brush and the rubber brush the same way

[@stanmcginnis2215]

Good job Ben, I'll take my apart and do the same. Thanks for the video

[@BenBlades]

No worries :)

[@BenBlades]

@DreamMiser No problem, glad it helped :)

[@_ArtemB_]

Thanks for the info. That was exactly the problem with my roomba, too.

[@darrenandamyse]

Thank you so much!!!! My yellow things weren't bad but it kept stopping and saying clean brushes and clicking. Now it works great =+)

[@daisyjanemadison]

AWESOME video, it fixed my Roomba..... Thanks so much, I cleaned both brushes the same way and she is running like a champ. Thanks again for your help....

[@BenBlades]

Glad that it got you going again :)

[@christinazaccone9884]

THANK YOU!!! Life without the Roomba is a sad state. Cheers.

[@BenBlades]

Laugh - glad it helped.