The World's #1 Vacuum Cleaner Advice, Repair, Discussion & Information Forum

Author Topic: No Suction on a DC18  (Read 32697 times)

Offline didi

  • Member
  • Posts: 2
No Suction on a DC18
« on: July 24, 2011, 05:40:27 pm »
Help my dyson dc18 has now stopped sucking, the bush bar is rotating ok

Offline MVacs

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6374
  • Country: gb
  • Gender: Male
    • Manchester Vacs - The Independent Dyson Specialists
Re: no suction
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2011, 05:52:40 pm »
Have you checked the filter and the easily accessible airways? Is it sucking at the wand end?

Offline mclaren99uk

  • Member
  • Posts: 1
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2011, 06:44:26 pm »
I have the same problem.  I am getting suction from the wand but not tho the head.  pipes are clear from what i can see. and the top filter is ok

Offline MVacs

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6374
  • Country: gb
  • Gender: Male
    • Manchester Vacs - The Independent Dyson Specialists
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2011, 09:02:47 pm »
Our pal in South Africa is the DC18 expert - I have linked him to the topic.  :thumbsup:

Offline Vacuum Cleaner House

  • Member
  • Posts: 283
  • Country: za
  • Gender: Male
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2011, 09:37:34 pm »
Hi every one

It sounds like The undercarrage assembly needs replacing on your machine.

If you stand behine the machine and look at the undercarrage you will see a small arm on the extream left hand side that extends from the same part that holds the back wheels.
On the end of this arm thier should be a small knob that turns the internal valve from hose to floor suction. if it is broken it won't change over and will either suck only thru the wand or the brush bar depending on when it broke

Bellow are two pics the one of a new undercarrage assembly ( top one)Screw driver pointing knob out 
the bottom one withthe knob missing
Owner of Vacuum Cleaner House, Full service vacuum shop in Cape Town South Africa

Offline bob92553

  • Member
  • Posts: 1
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2011, 04:03:30 am »
Is there a way to order just that part that broke off. I have taken apart my dyson and if I Could order the part get the replacement part I could fix it myself

Offline MVacs

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6374
  • Country: gb
  • Gender: Male
    • Manchester Vacs - The Independent Dyson Specialists
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2011, 09:52:16 am »
Is there a way to order just that part that broke off. I have taken apart my dyson and if I Could order the part get the replacement part I could fix it myself

What part do you need?

Offline jesseh1970

  • Member
  • Posts: 1
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2012, 08:02:52 pm »
looks like he needs the undercarriage assembly.  I bought a used camp trailer a couple years ago and the seller gave me a dc18 with the trailer.  it only had suction from the hose, and i thought it was missing a seal on the flip cover for when the hose was stored, a pone further diag i found that it had the valve at the bottom of the machine to switch operation from hose to floor head. I seen that the arm with the nub was broken off that would activate the valve, so i just switch the valve manually since I only use it in my trailer.  I am amazed at the suction it has, may have to purchase a new model for my house even tho we have central vac

Offline Angus Black

  • Member
  • Posts: 158
  • Country: scotland
  • Gender: Male
    • Dyson Medic
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2012, 10:00:02 pm »
even tho we have central vac

By central vac you mean the whole of house system where you just plug your tube into a socket in any room?

Offline guitarsjm

  • Member
  • Posts: 7
Re: No Suction on a DC18 NEED the VALVE changing arm
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2012, 10:01:18 pm »
okey dokey... with time and patience, as well as my rather good tech skills... and a bit of contortion-esque ways of holding parts as you disassemble/reassemble them, all is well EXCEPT that stupid valve changing are with the nub which is broken.  how can i order JUST that part and not an entire assembly?  i have no problem taking this thing to pieces, especially since i practically had to do that in order to properly reinstall-reseat the permanent post motor filter assembly that someone managed to pry half way off that was killing all suction.

anyway, after that learn as i go process, which was a success, i now need that dumb little arm.. why didnt they just make such an important and quite used and necessary component, out of some form of metal?? that seems to be most problems.  and if they, dyson, does know that now, why dont they make them to sell or to replace the plastic crap? all said, so, is there a way to get this piece??

thanks again for all the help!

Offline Angus Black

  • Member
  • Posts: 158
  • Country: scotland
  • Gender: Male
    • Dyson Medic
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2012, 11:46:04 pm »
Which part do you mean?

There is an exploded drawing here: https://manchestervacs.co.uk/DysonForum/index.php/topic,111.0.html

Offline guitarsjm

  • Member
  • Posts: 7
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2012, 02:38:19 am »
the ARM with the little HUB or NUB that moves the suction valve. 

Offline Angus Black

  • Member
  • Posts: 158
  • Country: scotland
  • Gender: Male
    • Dyson Medic
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #12 on: May 15, 2012, 04:58:19 pm »
the ARM with the little HUB or NUB that moves the suction valve.

That is part of the undercarriage mechanism and is not available separately. They are £40ish I recall.

Offline guitarsjm

  • Member
  • Posts: 7
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #13 on: May 15, 2012, 07:41:31 pm »
thanks for all the help.... yup.. found that out.... the part in need is part of the entire undercarriage assembly... REAL BUMMER! after painstakingly, and oh so carefully, taking this piece of vac tech apart, have just the piece i need, and POW.... have to buy entire assy!! Now that may be fine in some instances; even the diverter valve assy is a separate part when you break it down, but, when this little arm is or has become, a KNOWN ISSUE, why not just sell THAT FRICKN PIECE ALONE!  better still, sell a replacement made of a more non-breakable material like carbon fiber or other.  i got the assy for 60, new.... not bad.. but it would have been easier to just change the broken piece than the entire assembly which was one heck of a learning experience... for anyone who never changed one of these, be patient, look very closely at how pieces/components are mated to one another, take pictures if needed BEFORE or AS you disasemble, and LOOK CLOSELY before removing screws!  if you dont, like in my case, have the svce manual, but are good with your hands and have a good mind for this type of repair work, following the above steps, especially with regard to the microswitch and the brush bar plug, taking your time and looking carefully to how best to get them out AND THEN back into the NEW ASSEMBLY will save you hours of time! HERE IS A BIG HINT THAT I STUMBLED UPON... getting the brush plug OUT from the old assembly can be tricky, unless you take out the little 'wedge' type piece that the wires pass thru... 3-screws hold this piece.... LONG tork screwdriver set will greatly help in many ways, not just this.  NOW, putting, or getting that little plug (OH!! INSTALL THE MICROSWITCH LAST OR YOU WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH 'SLACK' TO DO THINGS) INTO the new assembly can be a nightmare simply because getting it out of the old one is easy is you have the ENTIRE assembly apart!  Not so lucky with an entire new assembly.  You would have to take the entire new assy apart to get to that 'little' bracket assembly that wires pass thru; you can try to ram it.. but the plug is TOO BIG... the solution is quite simple..

the little black plug COMES APART very easily by prying up the little clip on one of the plug sides then open it, the wires come out and can now be slid right into and through that cavity!  mark which side the black or white was on so you can put it back in the same way.  once you got the wires through, put the wires with their attached ends back into the plug, snap the cover on!  hope that helps... in 2 days, and no manual, i took the entire machine apart and put it all back together perfectly... it is truly a design of genius and insanity!

Offline innesfree

  • Member
  • Posts: 1
Re: No Suction on a DC18
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2012, 01:04:41 am »
Thanks so much for the photos. The knob on my dyson dc18 is indeed broken off. But since I can turn the wheel myself, I think I'll not look for a new part.


 

 

Trade Dyson Spare Parts

 

 

Dyson Spare Parts

 

 

Freestanding Dyson Cordless Vacuum Stand

 

 

Buy a Dyson DC04 Wand Handle

 

 

 

 

Buy a police truncheon

 

 

Instagram

Dyson Spares, Parts, Advice   Follow us on Twitter

Manchester Vacs on Instagram