Saw this very locally for a pittance on BIN so grabbed it. Been years since I've had a nice 500 series!
Was a tad blocked, with a broken belt
Baseplate off
Brushroll bearings out
Brush strips out
Very perished bumper off
Rear wheels and reclining catch off next
And stripped down
Washing machine drain hose out
Motor cover off
I then realised that the wores are soldered to the motor this end (it's been a while) so moved on to the top of the machine.
Bit of tappy tappy and the top part is away
Foam bag seal is in good condition luckily
Took the bag full indicator apart next
And finally got the spine wiring out and the the motor away!
Bag full whistle apart
Everything was then washed. The filters came up like new which is good, as spares are very rare now it seems (Q-know-Who and E*ropart have hardly anything)
I initially dripped some LHM into the brushroll bearings as they were very dry
But they were still a bit rubbish so tapped them apart
Which worked, but caused some damage, and may be responsible for the brushroll noise so will order some new ones soon
Regreased the top bearing on the motor
And cleaned out the airflow spring
Didnt strip the motor anymore, it runs beautifully!
Cleaned the wires next, first the spinal cord
Then the mains cord
All dried, it was time to put it together again
Didnt take as many photos putting it together as I got into it!
Found some genuine bags
But no belts. Found one that vaguly works for now, the ones I ordered still havent arrived, the post has just come at work!
And done! Just needs a polish
I had an email from the seller whilst the parts were drying saying he's found some tools, did I know what they were for...
£5 later and the answer is clear...
Sat with the other machines I got this weekend
Last night I cleaned the tools as they were very grubby
And (almost) done!
Dates from Week 16 1977
Hopefully the correct belt and maybe new agitator bearings will sort out the noise from the brushroll, although I've been told they all do that to some degree. Shame as it ruins the motor noise!